For several months now, I have been practicing being still. As soon as I am awake, I sit still and just listen. I listen to the birds singing. I listen to the quiet of the morning. I listen to the loud bursts of bustling. No matter what I hear, I lay still and just listen. It took a while for me to harness my racing thoughts.
We can easily get caught up in the daily whirlwind of life and obligations. What I have learned from this experience is tasks will wait for me to complete them. I have learned to enjoy my moment of stillness.
The video below brings some insight into meditation. I can relate to a lot of what Andy Puddicombe shares.
I have recently been studying cognition and attention and what I have been surprised to learn is that we are overstimulated rather than overwhelmed (Goldstein, 2019). Our surroundings are teeming with distractions. Many things vie for our attention.
As I recall my parents telling me about their lives in Cuba, lunch was three hours long. You ate a meal. Not a sandwich, a real dinner meal. You took a nap. Then you went back to school or work. I have learned that this is also the case in Spain and Greece (Hansen, 2021).
Listen to the silence.
References:
Goldstein, B. E. (2019). Cognitive psychology. Cengage, https://ng.cengage.com/
Hansen, K. (March 30, 2021). Six countries with the longest lunch breaks in the world. Reader’s Digest,
TED. (January 11, 2013). All it takes is ten mindful minutes, Andy Puddicombe, [Video]. You Tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzR62JJCMBQ.
How do you disconnect from distractions?
Vela Patria 