Forget Yourself

I recently came across a daily practice for increasing mindfulness and being more present in the moment. Here is the adapted version:

“Rise early and go outside in the morning. Just stand there for a few minutes. The ideal place to go to would be a garden, or your front or back yard.

"Standing there, spend time listening and observing. Observe the trees, buds, leaves, and blades of grass. Observe the insects, the ants scurrying, the bees going from flower to flower.

"Notice the smell of the morning and the way the rising sun touches things.

"As you forget yourself in such a place, Nature has a way of making you feel present in the moment.

"If you are on a porch or terrace, watch the clouds, the blue skies, the birds streaking by. If you have a bird feeder, watch as birds come and go to feed.

"For the rest of the day, you will feel energetic and happy deep within. Then, at night, just before you close your eyes, think back to the events of your day, moving over everything that you did and felt slowly, like a gentle beam of light moving across a floor.

"Give thanks for all the joyous moments, and gifts that came your way."

Posted by Terrence Seamon on Tuesday March 13, 2012