Everyday Mindfulness, or How to Queue

Whilst meditation may be the most effective way to cultivate awareness and focus attention on the present moment, it is certainly not the only way to incorporate mindfulness into your daily schedule.

Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally. If we accept this definition as our starting point, every part of life can be lived mindfully, even those which may seem the least enticing.

Washing the dishes, for instance, is one of those daily activities which few would exactly relish. But what if, instead of seeing the dishes as yet another chore to get through and disappearing into a maze of thoughts, we were to focus on the interesting soapy feel of the water, or the curious shapes left by the coffee grounds at the bottom of the cup?

How about brushing our teeth? Yet another of those daily activities which seem to recur with wearying frequency, but perhaps one that wouldn’t seem quite so dull if we were to spend those three minutes focusing on the bristliness of the toothbrush and the individual shape of every tooth as we brush it.

Brushing our teeth and doing the dishes are both activities that most of us accept that we have to do. How about those over which we have less control, like getting stuck in an enormous queue at the post office, when we only have 10 minutes, and the people ahead all seem to have multiple, long, drawn-out queries? Such situations can seem genuinely frustrating. Why are these people taking so long? I need to get to work and I’m going to be late. Why can’t they just hurry up and get out of my way? Such thoughts, though uncharitable, are understandable, as we all struggle to deal with the demands of a busy life. But a different approach could make the whole experience so much more pleasant. Why not try focusing on your breath as you wait, or the physical sensation of slowly moving forwards. Using the opportunity to appreciate the particularity of the moment, rather than raging against the time wasted and letting your thoughts spiral into irritation, may mean that you not only feel more compassion towards the other people in the queue (who, after all, are only going about their daily business like you), but also feel so much better in yourself, even if you are five minutes late for work.

Images courtesy of Headspace