Not Getting Lost in The Storm
Denver has been wildly windy this week. Prayer flags are rippling constantly, like the videos I’ve seen of Tibetan mountain tops. Wind-chimes are playing furiously. And the wind sounds spooky as it whips by the house late at night.
It’s NOT snowing. But the wind has me thinking about the challenge of living here on the plains during a blizzard, before there was a city. I know from “Little House on the Prairie” that the intense wind of a blizzard made it impossible to see even a few inches in front of your face. Homesteaders ran a rope from their barn to their house, so they could find their way back home.
I can only imagine what that must have felt like, not being able to see, being pummeled by the storm, placing one hand over the other and holding onto the rope, trusting that it would eventually lead you home.
Personal Storms
Blizzards are a great analogy for our own personal storms – those emotional and physical tempests that make it hard to discern which way to go or what to do next. And breath can be the safety rope that leads us back home. Without it we can get lost in our own storms for days, weeks, or even years.
So this week the mindfulness focus is the foundational awareness of breath. Breath is the easiest and perhaps the best anchor for mindfulness practice. It is free, always accessible, and connects us intimately to the now. We can use it throughout the day. But it also can be the mainstay of a sitting mediation practice.
Working with Breath
Focusing on our breath during stressful situations gives us an immediate way to ground and step back from a situation. We also slow our breath down as we begin to pay attention, and this has a physiological calming effect as well. If we already are working with breath as a mindfulness practice, we can use this week to deepen that relationship. Can we keep the awareness going throughout the day? Can we shorten the time when we are in forgetfulness?
If you are new to the practice, find ways to remind yourself to focus on your breath during the day (sticky notes, phone reminders, etc.) Bring all your attention to the flow of your breath, sensing where you feel in in and around your body. Stay attentive for two to three complete breaths. If you are focusing on breath as a sitting meditation practice, accept the fact that you will get distracted. That’s part of the process. Just bring your attention back to the breath. With commitment and focus, we can train our brains to be more attuned to this anchoring process.
This week’s mindfulness focus is our breath. We can follow our breath moment by moment and allow it to be the rope that leads us home.
For more information on Mindfulness Focus Words click here
For a fun article on “Little House on the Prairie” and blizzards click here
