Yes, yes. I know I promised a report from High Point, but we are saving that for a couple days because, quite frankly, my brain needs to calm down. And while we’re on the topic of calming the brain, I’m curious about something: Do you mediate?
Depending on who you ask, you’ll may get different definitions of what it means to mediate and why one would even choose to do so. In my experience, the cultural perspectives of different individuals always influence this definition in one way or another. I’d be very interested in knowing your definition because there are parts of the practice of meditation, and mindfulness, that have been in the front of my mind lately.
As I understand it, meditation is about training the mind to calm down and to concentrate your thoughts. One tool that is often used in the practice of meditation is a mantra.
Mantra: (noun) A word repeated to aid in concentration
The mantra intrigues me. As we’ve talked about before, we put a great deal of emphasis on ritual and finding beauty in the everyday around our house. Mindfulness plays greatly into this, but when life gets busy it can be really hard to calm down enough to just sit and take it all in.
So for the past week or so, I’ve been repeating a short mantra. My mantra has been a short prayer of “Thank you.” I try to repeat it any time there’s a quiet moment and my mind begins to wander a bit. I’ve also been thinking it when I find myself completely full of joy or when I feel like getting cynical about the future. (Disclaimer: This inevitably comes after the joyful moment. I swear it’s genetic.)
I picked Thank You because I personally believe that most of the universe is out of my control. Thank You helps me stop and acknowledge my creator and the beauty that surrounds me. It’s training my brain to slow down and (attempt to) concentrate more on the beauty that is here now and be grateful I’m experiencing it all.
A couple days ago, I was thinking that it’s also worthwhile to thank myself. Sometimes you have to stop and appreciate the place you are in and the work you’re doing. Be aware of that moment in time and say Thank You that you are further along in your journey than you were the day/hour/minute before.
My hope is that this mantra becomes a part of who I am. That I will train my mind to ponder gratitude.
What do you think? Do you meditate? Do you have a mantra?
