No Wasted Moments

On busy days, you might only have the time it takes to walk to the bathroom to practice. Use those few moments to activate your connection to your senses. Come out of your head and make sure that you are operating in the here and now.

If you can feel your feet making contact with the ground, congratulations, you are present, because the present moment is the only time you can experience the sensations of touch. Everything else is just a memory.

A Few Options For The Present Moment

1 You could be curious about how your mood affects your thoughts.

2 You could choose to anchor in nowness by watching your breath go in and out, or connect to your senses—you could give any number of present-moment experiences your full attention, rather than blindly marching off to war.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elaine Smookler is a registered psychotherapist with a 25-year mindfulness practice. She is also a creativity coach and is on the faculty of the Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto.

Busy days are great days to be intentional about watching the thoughts that rile you up. As soon as your thought parade starts to heat you up, you can be mindful. In other words, pay attention to what’s cooking with you.

3 You could notice what happens to your irritation when you give yourself and the situation a little bit of curiosity and a lot more room to breathe.