Micro Meditation Practices for Living Yoga
The following are micro meditation practices that can bring you closer to a state of present-moment awareness. They can be used to deepen your connection with a vibrant consciousness that resides in all things.
Indeed, this underlying philosophy of yoga–that consciousness is everything–is experienced through our willingness to be present in the here-and-now. From this, consciousness grows, as does our sense of equanimity and passion for the totality of life. Savor each practice; they will bring you closer to your true Self awareness and a healthy vibrant life.
Creating your reality: Sit comfortably and still your mind. Envision the reality you wish to experience; feel as if you were in that reality using your senses to taste, smell, be enveloped in it. Bless with gratitude the whole experience in your mind as if it already were in your life. Move throughout your day with the sense that your thoughts have already created what you desire for yourself and envision that reality as often as possible.
While sitting with a beverage or favorite food be fully present to its taste, temperature and effect on your senses as you take it into your body. Savor the essence and open to the concept that it is savoring you at the same time.
While heating food or drink in a microwave or stove top simply sit and wait for it to heat with total presence to the moment. Use the time to relax and let go of consuming thoughts. Take advantage of the moment in time to move from “doing” to “being present.”
As you move through the day find moments to bring your awareness to the breath. Take it in all the way down to your belly and watch it slowly rise and go out of your body. Invite a new breath in like you would welcome a long lost friend who has finally shown up.
Sit still and listen to silence, hearing through your whole body. Let the mind be a quiet observer. Listen to the infinitismal noises that inhabit the silent universe. Let them calm you and make you more sensitive to subtlety, to the opening of your being to the world.
Seize life in its immediacy. Consciously move in and out of presence with the changing moments and circumstances of your day. Pause for even a few moments to just observe and notice where you are and what you are doing. Make it a game to experience short moments of total awareness without fear, anxiety, or inhibition; totally free for a moment in time. Practice these mini moments frequently throughout the day and you gradually train the mind to be present in the immediacy of the here and now.
Take pleasure in the simplest of things and you will find that your joy no longer depends on exceptional circumstances. It can be found in being present with simple reality as it presents itself moment to moment. Notice the small pleasures of hot water, clean clothes, a pretty scene, watching others enjoy themselves, creative expression … Finding joy in little things trains the mind to feel the presence of joy, and how it can be cultivated from a diversity of things, in the simplest of ways.
Practice becoming an observer of your own mind, becoming a witness to your thoughts and emotions. Sit still and observe the flow of your breath, noticing the sensations–physical, emotional, psychological–deepening your recognition of your core essence below your feelings. Consider who is observing the mind.
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