Mindfullness

 

On the more than three hour drive to the airport, I listened to the book "Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabatz-Zinn."  Chapter one is the introduction to mindfulness, while the rest of the book is guided meditation.  Not wanting to close my eyes while driving, I decided to soak in every bit of the introduction.  I listened to it three times to make sure I understood everything he was teaching.  Because.... as my mind would have it, I was not always mindful of his words.  During parts of the book my mind drifted into distracting thought, memory or some other pit of delusion.  Suddenly I realized I had lost track of the discussion in the book - duh!

I learned several things.  Some of these I already know, but others I learned.  I have worked and travelled extensively throughout Asia,  South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and China.  In all this time, I never knew that the word for heart and for mind is the same. As an example, the Chinese word “Xin” refers to the heart/mind.  Asians don't make a linguistic  distinction between the two.  In American culture we frequently talk about our motivations arising from the heart or mind.  In Asian culture, all motivations come from the same source the heart/mind.  Wow!  Next, I realized that I carry around tension when I drive.  I feel it in my shoulders, neck and back.  I called upon my yoga techniques and relaxed through the shoulders.  Even though I was not able to close my eyes (not recommended while driving),  I was able to be more mindful and in the moment.  To relax and feel the sun on my face.  Thoughts still drift in, but the key to mindfulness is catching your brain going on a vacation somewhere.  Mine went to the Bahamas.  I don't know why since I have never been there before.  Time passes much faster and I am more at peace when I drive mindfully.

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