Jordan Stones Blog

Place one hand in the middle of your abdomen. Place the other at your heart. Take an easy seat that allows you to be comfortable and supported without striving.  You can sit up with a lengthened spine or lie back on the floor.  Fill your belly with air and feel your hands gently rise and as you exhale feel them soften down. You should feel all sides of your container expand with air, especially focusing on filling the belly and flaring the rib cage open with air under your palms You can use any breathing technique that you like or just let your natural breath be observed. If distracting thoughts come into play, simply use one of the metaphors offered to non-judgmentally set that thought aside and bring your focus back to your breath.   If a concern comes to mind, gently set it aside for later, and come back to your breath. Do this for 1-2 minutes.

A.K.A. “Begin Again” Metaphors Consider which metaphor below you are drawn to.   Imagine, for example, that as you are trying to pray, your grocery list comes to mind.   Simply place that thought on the cloud, wave, train, leaf passing by and bring your attention back to your breath or your word phrase you use to collect your attention back on the Lord.   This is where resolutely rely on the wisdom of St. Benedict’s encouragement: “Begin again.”     ·        Clouds floating, or birds flying, across the sky.     ·        Waves arising from the sea, then falling back in. You can watch the waves from the shore, without being swept away.    ·        Leaves and sticks floating down a stream. You don’t have to dive in. You can watch from a bridge.    ·        A passing parade. You can watch the floats pass by. You don’t have to climb on board.    ·        Trains coming and going while you stand watching from the platform.    ·        A waterfall. You’re standing behind

Let’s do this from the bottom up.   Bottom line: Mindfulness should take you into the present moment, not away from it. Mindfulness can be used to ground yourself in the middle of a wave of anxiety or a douse of depression   or a slice of your personal chaos– it can dig your tent stakes  deep into the middle of the dry, uncomfortable desert floor.  Through mindfulness practices, you slow your breath, then your body, then your thoughts, then your feelings, then your behaviors. Following this chain, you will find yourself engaging with life in the way you would CHOSE to, in the way that serves you best and brings you more in line with your authentic self, connected to your “Fount of Living Water” right in the middle of the deser t.   Otherwise we are victims of autopilot self-preservation instincts…that path you have been down enough times to know it doesn’t lead where you want to be. The problem is, we don’t like being in the desert. We don’t like liminal space .