Time & The Mindfulness
Hello MyYogaPal Community!
I’m so delighted to introduce our next blog on the theme of Time from Erin Donovan. Her insight and expression is fluid, like the beats of time moving from one breath to the next.
I was at a birthday celebration for a young woman who turned 95 this weekend. She confessed that during the rare times she paid attention at her reflection in the mirror, she can hardly believe what she sees. In her mind age was just a number. I’ll repeat, “Age is just a number.” Her advice to maintaining a healthy and youthful attitude is “to be yourself, be kind and laugh a lot.” She expressed not taking any moment for granted, and expressed several times throughout the party, “Life is too short”, hence stretch out each moment with presence and mindfulness.
Here’s Erin’s take on “Time”…
Time and the Mindfulness
by Erin Donovan
Many physicists have said, "time is an illusion," including Albert Einstein. This statement can be taken in many different ways depending on your perspective. For example, some scientists believe that time does not exist, that only space and velocity exist, but that can be another blog.
The late Buddhist meditation teacher, author, and lecturer Thich Nhat Hahn often wrote about the concept of time and how to be in the present moment. In one of my favorite books, Being Peace, he said, "Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is the only moment." Whenever I read those words, it is a constant reminder to me that this moment is what I have. It's so easy to live obsessing about the past or worry about the future, but when we breathe in and out, we can remind ourselves to be in the here and now and that this moment is the only moment. It sounds simple, but I find it a challenge most days.
When we're little, we want often want to rush time. Wishing it could go faster so we can grow up. We often wish time would slow down when we grow up because we realize it goes so quickly. But in actuality, we're not guaranteed any time except for this exact moment that we are living in. This is not meant to be a morbid or pessimistic statement, just simply a reminder that when we live in the present moment, we can see the gifts in our lives more apparent, even when it's hard. This is where the practice of mindfulness comes in.
Mindfulness is being completely engaged with whatever we're doing at the moment, whether it be meditating, driving, playing with your kids, or washing dishes. Through mindfulness, we learn how to become aware of our thoughts and feelings without getting attached to them. Instead, we allow the thoughts and feelings to float as if we were watching clouds pass in the sky.
Several times this week, I have practiced different meditations with Lesley. One I love is from Yoga Fix 30, day 28. There are a few minutes of gentle yoga, which helps prepare the physical body for meditation. This particular meditation is a visualization of being at the beach. As she brings us out of the meditation, she reads a quote from Walt Whitman, "Happiness, knowledge, not in another place, but this place. Not for another hour, but this hour." This reminds us to be in the present moment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vufdzJsqF8
All the best,
Erin Donovan- CHC, E-RYT-500
