Present or lost in thought?
I spent early Sunday afternoon hiking in the woods with my family, as this spectacular view awaited us.
I had been away most of the summer and have missed these forest outings, which really allow me to connect back with my senses .. a wonderful training for body & mind.
This ‘informal’ mindfulness practice (just like ‘formal’ meditation practice) strengthens our capacity to be present, as we intentionally connect with the direct experience of the moment.
We naturally spend about half our lives disconnected from the present .. either engaging in reflections about the past or thinking ahead into the future. This can take many different forms:
I could be hiking through the trails of this very forest, not paying attention to what is unfolding around me - from a sensory perspective (colours, scents, sounds, my body’s movements etc), but rather lost in thoughts and worries about a happening taking place the week after, or replaying an uncomfortable event that recently took place.
Not only can these unsettling thoughts make me feel anxious, I would also be missing out on an opportunity to fully recharge my mental batteries while in nature, not to mention missing out on the richness of my experience in the moment (the details of the beautiful landscape).
Such patterns of worrying can unnecessarily keep us feeling unsettled, and can undermine the quality of our lives.
The good news is that we can train our minds to become more aware of our inner landscape .. when certain thoughts are present, what emotions they trigger and how they are affecting us. We can learn to deal more skilfully with these experiences, and yes.. mindfulness practice can help us do just that.
