He did each single thing as if
he did nothing else.
(Charles Dickens)
Out of joint
Modern life is filled with distractions that distort your
perception of reality and make you feel strung out and tired.
Television,
computers,
junk food, noisy neighbours,
work,
videogames, mobile phones, driving and family
problems can all make you feel unhappy and agitated.
It is important to find ways to earth yourself.
To be
centred once again and complete.
To find stillness and
quiet.
To
rest. To stop.
Exotic practices are not required.
You do not need to join some
esoteric meditation group.
You can find tranquillity and
balance without even leaving your house.
Chores?
Apparent chores such as cleaning, cooking, laundry, gardening and ironing
can be tremendously rewarding for the
stressed individual.
What is so satisfying about washing dishes?
You begin with a mess. You deal with the immensity of the task one piece
at a time.
There is a tangible starting point, a process and a completion point.
When the task has been finished, you can step back and appreciate the work.
The value can be found in the
doing part of the endeavour.
Washing dishes is a
tactile endeavour.
You use your body. You must feel for dirt, for encrusted food. And you
remove the problem systematically.
To do the job well, you need to keep your mind on what you are doing.
Yet, it is not mentally taxing in any way. The very simplicity of the
activity is its appeal.
Stop
We are constantly caught up in
speculative activities that upset our sense
of balance.
Driving is one of the worst culprits.
It involves countless variables, very real danger and a limited margin for
error.
Careful driving requires your nervous system to be very alert.
You may be in a condition of 'fight or flight' without even realising it.
When private students have lessons with our school they always arrive 15
minutes early and lie down.
They adopt the 'constructive rest' position on the floor and close their
eyes.
Gentle
music soothes the nerves. The sound of the
birds outside and the feel of the breeze calms the mind.
The tension sinks into the floor.
The student stops.
For many people, this is the first real rest they've had all day.
People set time aside to watch television, but are not prepared to invest in
rest.
The 15 minutes spent resting on the floor may well be the most important 15
minutes of the entire day.
Being in the moment
Lying on the floor and doing chores will help you to collect your thoughts,
calm down and stop.
Hanging out laundry and cleaning are considered 'beneath'
many people.
This is a foolish conceit.
No one is any better or worse than anyone else.
What standard could you possibly be applying if you feel that you are 'above'
other people?
There is something truly wholesome
about cooking a meal from scratch or planting your own vegetables.
Hanging out the washing or organising the drying is
relaxing.
Be slow. Be thorough.
Do it like it matters. As if there were nothing else in the world worth doing.
These so-called mundane tasks are opportunities to take a break from the bustle
of driving or the flickering of the internet and television.
You can find
peace in the very simplest of activities.
The inevitability of them, the predictability, the surety of the enterprise
furnish you with calm.
Page created 16 October 2006