External Mindfulness & the Art of Presence
The art of presence is a rebellious act against a culture that wants us disconnected and distracted.
There are many different form of Mindfulness and external mindfulness is a great place to start because we go from one task to the next not really being present. We might disconnect when we are driving and daily life loses its magic.
Well, there is real magic in this simple practice!
Often what we are looking for is in the most simplest of practices.
We can often wonder why we don’t feel alive with life & in part it’s because we aren’t really here, in this moment. We are either distracted with our phones, busy doing ten thousand things or distracted up in our head and lost in our thoughts. We are human being’s not human doings.
If we want to truly heal. We have to get comfortable to slowing down and becoming mindful with life. We have to truly bring our presence into our daily tasks. When we learn how to be conscious and present with all there is, we become less disconnected and dissociated from our daily lives and grow our ability to feel connected and present in our daily lives. This helps our nervous systems to feel regulated and we feel more vitality and joy.
So how do we practice mindfulness?
Be here in this moment. Be aware of your surroundings and in your senses. Noticing sounds, smells, colour, textures, the temperature. Let life be a sensory experience.
Here are some examples to get you started:
Speak the action you are doing outload - I’m brushing my hair and feel it, feel the brush going through your hair, i’m just peeling some carrots, i’m putting the washing out on the line. Notice how it feels to be conscious of these what we might call mundane tasks.
Notice the chair you are sat in, notice your body making contact with the chair and your feet touching the floor, notice the fabric on the chair, how does it feel?
Stop and notice the sounds in your environment, just listening. What do you hear?
Notice your surrounding and become aware of the air in the room. What does the temperature feel like as it hits your skin? Maybe cool and refreshing or warm and comforting.
So give it a try. Be curious about your experience. At first it may feel uncomfortable to begin to slow down. You may feel restlessness and agitation. This is sometimes because of stress ad trauma in our system. Once we learn to move through that and be mindful, just by practicing presence we begin to create more space for vitality and joy to emerge.