Mindful Immersion
There are many forms of mindfulness. Below are reactions I had within the first couple weeks of trying mindful immersion.
Do you ever find yourself rushing through tasks mindlessly, highly anticipating them being done and over with? The practice of mindful immersion can take some of your tasks and projects and turn that feeling upside down.
Do you ever find yourself rushing through tasks mindlessly, highly anticipating them being done and over with? The practice of mindful immersion can take some of your tasks and projects and turn that feeling upside down.
Mindful Immersion (steps taken from https://www.pocketmindfulness.com/6-mindfulness-exercises-you-can-try-today/)
The intention of this exercise is to cultivate contentment in the moment and escape the persistent striving we find ourselves caught up in on a daily basis. Rather than anxiously wanting to finish an everyday routine task in order to get on with doing something else, take that regular routine and fully experience it like never before. For example: if you are cleaning your house, pay attention to every detail of the activity.
Rather than treat this as a regular chore, create an entirely new experience by noticing every aspect of your actions:
Feel and become the motion when sweeping the floor, sense the muscles you use when scrubbing the dishes, develop a more efficient way of wiping the windows clean. The idea is to get creative and discover new experiences within a familiar routine task.
Instead of laboring through and constantly thinking about finishing the task, become aware of every step and fully immerse yourself in the progress. Take the activity beyond a routine by aligning yourself with it physically, mentally and spiritually.
Who knows, you might even enjoy the cleaning for once!
Here are my personal reactions to implementing mindful immersion around my home during routine chores and renovations:
The intention of this exercise is to cultivate contentment in the moment and escape the persistent striving we find ourselves caught up in on a daily basis. Rather than anxiously wanting to finish an everyday routine task in order to get on with doing something else, take that regular routine and fully experience it like never before. For example: if you are cleaning your house, pay attention to every detail of the activity.
Rather than treat this as a regular chore, create an entirely new experience by noticing every aspect of your actions:
Feel and become the motion when sweeping the floor, sense the muscles you use when scrubbing the dishes, develop a more efficient way of wiping the windows clean. The idea is to get creative and discover new experiences within a familiar routine task.
Instead of laboring through and constantly thinking about finishing the task, become aware of every step and fully immerse yourself in the progress. Take the activity beyond a routine by aligning yourself with it physically, mentally and spiritually.
Who knows, you might even enjoy the cleaning for once!
Here are my personal reactions to implementing mindful immersion around my home during routine chores and renovations:
- I attempted mindful immersion while working on a bathroom floor in my house. I studied how the floor would have been installed and how the cement would have been laid. I practiced patience and looked for details in the process of removing tile, cement, wire-mesh backing, and nails. I focused each swing of the hammer on to the pry-bar and noticed the strength of the impact and was grateful for the two objects working together to accomplish a task. I wish you could see a picture of the task at hand. You would agree that mindful immersion would be, maybe, the only way to get through it, without losing one’s mind! I'll take any help I can get when it comes to flipping a home.
- I spent an hour raking leaves with my 3 year old son - instead of hating raking leaves and begrudgingly working toward finishing what seems like a never ending fall task living in the woods, I embraced the task and enjoyed the moment with my son. I remembered that I could immerse myself and that he is likely well immersed and less distracted, as a toddler. I began identifying the colors of leaves we picked up and named the steps I was taking. I thought of the process of leaves through the seasons and was grateful for what trees provide. I had a few worrisome thoughts cross my mind that were non-related to the task at hand, but I could pass those thoughts on.
- Bathroom rehab - not quite as successful as yesterday but still effective. I found myself again thinking of the hands that laid the concrete I was pulling up. I thought to myself, how long ago it must have been? What was life like here in the 60’s? Who laid this tile? How amazing it will look when done. Then I would get concerned with the dust and the sharp tile and wire. Balancing careful worries while being immersed can be a challenge.