Mindfulness 24 x 7

What does Mindfulness mean?

To me, it means to be Aware, Awake or Attention. The Three A’s are an easy way for me to remember what mindfulness means.

Am I aware of what's going on for me in my body, thoughts and feelings?

Am I awake in all that I am doing during the day, from the time I wake up in the morning until when I go to sleep at night?

Am I attentive to the universe around me?

In Vietnamese, we have a phrase to remind us of this: "Đi đứng nằm ngồi trong chánh niệm, vào ra cười nói tướng đoan nghiêm.” The rough translation is "Mindfulness is present in all forms: sitting, walking, standing; present a mindful manner while you are walking around, or talking and smiling/laughing." When I read this Vietnamese phrase, I feel centered. It is a good reminder for me to live in mindfulness.

In Chinese, Mindfulness is depicted as a combination of characters, NOW over HEART. The connection between these two symbols and Mindfulness is clear: Mindfulness is achieved in the present moment with our heart full of compassion and loving kindness.

We have five physical doors from our body to interface with the world. They are our eyes, ears, nose, mouth and body. Through these doors, we connect to the world through sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. These are our physical body sensations. We need to be aware of what we take through these doors in order to take care of ourselves.

Awareness of our breathing is the foundation of mindfulness.

The simple yet powerful technique is to tell ourselves while breathing: “Breathing in, I am aware of my in-breath from beginning to end; breathing out, I am aware of my out-breath from beginning to end.”

How can we calm our body and mind to have a joyful day and a restful night?

Mindfulness in every day is the art of living with peace of mind, aware, awake and paying attention to all the things we say, do, think or feel.

With self-awareness and presence of mind, we can make the most out of life, to be there for our loved ones, to know ourselves better. Living in the present moment with compassion gives us calmness, strength and clarity. There is a saying: “the past is history, the future is mystery, now is the gift. That is why it is called the present.”

With frequent breathing in awareness, we will be able to recognize our body signals. Our body tells us when it is tired. If we listen to it, all we need to do is to give it a rest, to help it stay healthy.

My experience is that when I can live in the state of awareness, my body stays healthy and my mind stays calm to deal with challenges of life.

When I am aware of my thoughts and feelings, with practice breathing in mindfulness, I will be able to recognize what is going on around and for me, make choices, and purposefully change the state of my mind from unhappiness to happiness or anger to peace. Living in mindfulness allows me to transform my suffering into joy.

Living in the now with conscious breathing helps me remove anxiety, have clear thinking to resolve my problems, to be there for my loved ones and to make the most out of the here and the now.

Do you have stories / experiences of living in the present moment that helped you reduce anxiety, worrying and have more peace and joy?

I have no doubt you have some if you practice mindful living. Let me tell you two of my stories:

1. When my husband Jim first started to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, the first time in 2006, after I dropped him off at the Rendezvous place with our friend, Ken and Ken's neighbor (Tom) to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, I came home. To my surprise the minute I walked into our house, I felt deep in my heart a strong sadness, emptiness and loss that I had not felt for years.

I decided to sit down for half an hour to meditate. In the middle of my meditation by just following my breathings and be in touch with my feelings, I suddenly heard a little voice saying 'hiking the Pacific Crest Trail could be dangerous, people could die doing that.' I realized that someone had told me that sentence when we first discuss that Jim and Ken will go hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail. I kept meditating by following my breathings and being aware of my feelings. At the end of half an hour sitting in meditation, I felt that emptiness and sadness, depression kind of feeling melt away. I had a peaceful day for the rest of the day. To my surprise, the next morning when I woke up I had the same emptiness and sadness feelings. I guess my subconscious mind was working away at night. Again I did my sitting meditation for half an hour, and I was at peace again for the rest of the five weeks that Jim, Ken and Tom were on their hikes.

2. On October 21, 2012, the day after the wedding of Lynn (our daughter) and Seth, after saying goodbye to them, I drove home by myself from Aptos, CA. Jim was driving his truck to transport the supplies that we brought for the wedding. I felt really sad. I missed them already! The realization that Lynn and Seth will be settled in the East sank into my heart and mind. They bought a house in Brooklyn, New York. I was happy for them, yet I guess I missed them. Focusing on my breathings, I felt that sad feeling deeply. I kept doing PBS (Pause, Breathe and Smile). It took me probably about 20 to 30 minutes in that state of mind. Then I was calmer and clearer, and a thought came into my mind: “So what do you want?”

I breathed and then I heard myself saying: “I want Lynn to be happily married. Yes she is now happily married. So what else do you want?" I breathed a few more times and this thought came into my mind: "Yeah! She is now happily married. I don't need anything else. That's it, Lynn and Seth! Yeah! Our son-in-law and our daughter are happily driving down along the coast to Monterey and San Diego for their honeymoon! Yeah!”

I also recalled my teacher's teachings: 'What are you waiting for to be happy? Why aren't you happy right now?' (Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.)

For the rest of the trip of about one hour, I continued breathing and driving with awareness. Peace, love and joy penetrated throughout my body and mind.

These and many examples show the power of living mindfully in the present moments, to give us more joy and less suffering. I have no doubt you have similar experiences. I hope you keep practicing mindful living.

“Breathe, you are ALIVE!” (Thich Nhat Hanh)

May you live with Awareness, Awake and Attention. May your life be joyful, happy and prosperous. Happy days,

Chau Yoder

Edited by Lynn Yoder Thibault Feb. 8, 2013