Today’s Mandala
Mindfulness
“This is the real secret of life –
to be completely engaged with
what you are doing in the here and now.”
— Alan Watts
“A serious mind can never be
in the present. Only a playful mind,
only children, are in the present.
So be more childlike… play more.”
— Osho
“Clarity and decisiveness come from
the willingness to slow down,
to listen and look at what’s happening.”
— Pema Chödrön
Today’s MotD sweetly reminds us, as best we can, to be present in every moment. It’s a challenge that can be bettered with practice. Start small and expand over time.
One helpful practice is to set up a timer or an anchor to remind us to be present. For instance we can set an alarm to go off on the hour as a reminder to stop, take 3-5 deep breathes, notice where we are and what we’re doing. Then from this mindful place, determine how best to choose the next thing to do or be.
An anchor could be some object that when we see it, it reminds us to be present in some way. For instance when we see ourselves in a mirror, or the steering wheel when we first get into the car, or the front door as we’re about to go out, etc.
The irony of today’s mandala is that halfway through I caught myself drawing on autopilot, my mind on other things, and then realized that I messed up the symmetry. Had I been mindful I would have noticed what I was about to do and altered my course. After the fact, I saw that it gave me an excellent opportunity to be present with the “boo-boo”, to be okay with it, to keep it as, and work _with_ it as a gentle reminder of the value of mindfulness. It’s a process.
Blessings,
Maureen
The Mandala Lady
btw…started with this…
Mandala of the Day 