Playing With Mindfulness:
Sneaking In the Back Door
by Maya Frost
I often meet people who say, "I've been working on mindfulness
for over twenty years."
My response is always this:
"Oh, you poor thing! Have you tried *playing*
with mindfulness? It's very effective, and much more
fun!" They tend to look at me like
I'm some kind of kook, and then ask the million-dollar
question: "How can you play with mindfulness?"
Glad you asked....
We tend to think of mindfulness
as something that develops only after years of dedicated
meditation. We must sit for hours, contemplate in
silence for days, go on retreats for weeks, practice
daily for years. Okay, that can work.
The unfortunate thing is that
it IS work, and consequently, it's about as appealing
to most folks as lying on a bed of nails. Sure, they
want to develop a clearer perspective on life. Yes,
they want to become calm and contemplative. Of course
they want to live more meaningfully and with greater
joy. But does it have to be so hard?
Absolutely not.
You see, while most people knock politely on that
front door of meditation in order to get inside the
House of Mindfulness, I like to sneak people in the
back door to steal a few cookies. Why can't we play
with mindfulness, dance with it, treat it like our
favorite goofy cousin who happens to be brilliant
instead of our strict uncle who happens to have a
Ph.D?
Why can't we tiptoe toward
mindfulness through eyes-wide-open exercises
that are engaging, uplifting, informative, and—dare
I say it—fun?
Mindfulness should be like
a big game of mental hide-and-seek: "Where am
I now? Gotcha!"
As a student of Buddhism for
nearly 30 years, I have the greatest respect for the
Buddha and the philosophy that developed around his
teachings. I have tremendous admiration for those
who have dedicated themselves to a regular meditation
practice.
But it's disturbing
to me that mindfulness is seen as "belonging"
to Buddhism and that meditation is seen as
the only vehicle that will take us there. This sounds
a bit like, oh, attachment? Clinging, perhaps?
I just can't find it in my
heart to believe that the Buddha would be ticked off
about the idea of developing mindfulness in whatever
way works best.
Not everyone likes the idea
of meditation, but here's the cool part: those
who start off with easy, enjoyable exercises often
find themselves seeing the value in sitting still.
In fact, many clients say they'd never have started
with meditation, but they so enjoyed "playing"
with mindfulness that they have begun a regular sitting
practice!
Sneaky? Sure, but that's part
of playing. Fun—in whatever form that takes—is
what keeps us going back for more. If you're not grinning,
you're not winning in this big ol' game of life.
If "working" on
mindfulness isn't working for you, try playing instead.
Throw open the doors.
Let your inner monk
go out and play.
It's recess!
© Copyright 2005, Maya Frost
Maya Frost
has taught thousands of people how to pay attention. Her
playful, eyes-wide-open approach to everyday awareness has been featured in over 100 media outlets worldwide. To read her free tips and tricks for getting calm, clear and creative, visit
http://www.Real-WorldMindfulness.com
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