Mindfulness

Zen Buddhists have a practice that I believe we Christians (and westerners in general) can benefit and learn from, and that is, the art of mindfulness. Do we ever just stop to think what we are doing? Many of our actions are just automatic and second nature, and they contribute to the breakneck pace that we experience. We move so quickly that our activities become hair-raising means to an unfruitful end. We go around and around and around, and we say, "That's it?!" Thud. No wonder we're so bored.

What would happen if we just stopped and noticed that we aren't thinking, but that we are being thought? That we aren't breathing, but we are being breathed? What if we savored every morsel of food and every sip of liquid at each meal, and thought very deeply about what we are actually doing? What if we thought of every step we take as a walk through a garden or a labyrinth, concentrating on each step? This is mindfulness, and it's an art that can be learned.

I don't know about you, but I'm guessing that my heart rate and blood pressure would go down if I started doing this more often!