Calming Your Mind

Calming Your Mind 

In Shunryu Suzuki’s book, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind , he wrote the following:

“Calmness of mind does not mean you should stop your activity. Real calmness should be found in activity itself. We say, “It is easy to have calmness in inactivity, it is hard to have calmness in activity, but calmness in activity is true calmness.” After you have practiced for a while, you will realize that it is not possible to make rapid, extraordinary progress. Even though you try very hard, the progress you make is always little by little. “

In my life I can certainly relate to thinking that I need to not be doing much or that I have to be “relaxed” in order to be calm. Many of my clients have also shared similar thinking.

 So, how do we actually achieve calmness in activity?

Here are 3 helpful ways to Calming Your Mind during activity…

1. Be focused and present: Be fully focused on what you are doing- this will allow you to access the present moment and be “one” with what you are doing. If your thoughts redirect you out of the moment then simply take in one breath while being conscious of the inhale and the exhale; The breathe is also a metaphor for returning to the present while being a bridge between your mind and body.

2. Be without judgment: Being fully present during the activity means that you are to not pay attention to the judgmental thoughts that arise. You should either tune them out completely or simply be aware of them and allow them to pass. Judging your experience can naturally lead to past thinking or future thinking and if you allow this to happen at a time when you should just be focusing on the present then this can make you feel restless and not calm.

3. Be grateful: There has been much research conducted in positive psychology about the benefits to both the mind and the body when one experiences daily gratitude. While in activity remember to be grateful for whatever it is you are undertaking, because for every negative thought that may arise there can always be a positive one too.