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Taking Time to Be Aware of the Five Senses

We’ve now been in France for two weeks and our first home exchange has gone very well.  We are really appreciating the beauty and tranquility of the Pays-Basque region as described in Living A Simple Life.  We’ve just returned to our lovely farm house after spending some days with family in the Provence region.  It was fun to explore these areas including the local markets with all the beautiful cheeses, fruit, sausages, jewelry, clothing and more.  We went to see the Abbey and lavender fields in Gourdes and we wandered the narrow streets of Avignon and St. Remy with beautiful shops and architecture.  The store windows are so beautifully presented, many with a fresh bouquet of flowers in a lovely vase next to a mannequin wearing clothing of the finest cotton and silk.  Travelling gives one the opportunity to be more in the moment. Everything is new and attractive to the five senses.  Practicing informal mindfulness, where one tries to do the opposite of multi-tasking, by  appreciating the present moment using the five senses, is easier when you are noticing new sights for the first time.  As I walked along the winding streets with my family, I listened to our children laughing and people passing by speaking French, I noticed the beautiful displays in shop windows, I felt the warm sun, I smelled the lavender products for sale and I tasted the delicious pain au chocolat…mmmmm.

The Key to Reclaiming Calm – The Mindfulness Solution

While on holiday, I’ve been reading The Mindfulness Solution by Ronald D. Siegel.  I started reading this book at home and as I now continue to read it on holiday I realize how fitting it is to this trip.  The main principle of mindfulness is that by living in the moment, seeing things as they are and accepting our experiences, we can feel a sense of well-being.  By discovering how one’s mind works, one can gain insight into the mental habits that cause distress and thus develop a greater sense of calm.  In North America our culture has become one of “multi-tasking”, being busy is the norm and being productive every minute is seen as as positive. Meanwhile, people are feeling exhausted, burnt-out, and overwhelmed. The irony is that many people say they don’t have enough time to take the time for mindfulness practice yet the effects of regular formal mindfulness practice (at least a 20 minute silent mediation per day) are renewed energy and the feeling of having more time in the day.  Mindfulness helps with worry, anxiety, stress, back pain, parenting and more.  Mindfulness keeps one grounded, connected to oneself and connected to others.

The French Lifestyle: Mindful vs. Mindfull!

Except for the amount of people smoking in France, it appears that their lifestyle is much healthier.  For many lunch is a sit-down meal with the family gathered around the table for a substantial meal.  Every day shops and small businesses shut down for a couple of hours in the afternoon in order that there is time to take a “sieste”.  Adults and children have a nap and use this time to re-energize.  It makes sense to be out of the sun at this time of the day, to re-charge and take a break from all the rushing around and stimulation.  Many small business owners live above their business or just a few minutes away, avoiding the stress of getting to and from work.  In the evening, they gather again for a sit-down meal and a social evening as they don’t feel tired because they’ve had a break – a siesta.  In North America, one seems to be caught in the trap of the Ego, the rat-race, and the desire to have more and more, and do more and more.  For some, it is a challenge to take a break, do “nothing”, be alone and slow-down yet this would lead to a greater sense of calm and increased coping capacity.  I think the pendulum of being “productive” has reached its limit and our culture will have to start swinging in the direction of being mindful vs. “mind-full”.  After all it is our choice as to how we fill we our lives.

A 12 1/2 hour journey with two young children – how mindfulness helps!

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to practice mindfulness in a challenging situation.  I was returning from a side-trip, with my two children, to visit a long-time French friend (she was my fille au pair “nanny” when I was four years old).  It was going to be a two-train-seven-hour journey home and as we’re trying to keep electronics such as video games and DVD players out of our children’s lives for as long as possible, I had my bag of games ready for the long journey.  It started off well, but then our train broke down and in the intense heat we were delayed for 1 1/4 hours.  This also meant that we missed our second train and had to wait an extra hour at the station and catch a slower train that added further hours to our already very long day!  All in all it was a 12 1/2 hour day of travelling!

However, the blessing was that the children handled it all remarkably well.  I may not have had a chance to read as I had hoped, but I soon realized that the only way this was going to work was if I could give my children my undivided attention.  We played card games (Go Fish, War, Uno, Snap) as well as I Spy, Simon Says, and some portable travel games (Snakes and Ladders, Memory game etc.).  At times, my daughter would read (having a Kindle e-reader for all her books has been fabulous) and my son would create an imagination game for him and me.  We cuddled, had chats, and overall the children were quite content as it’s not the norm for them to have my full-attention for every minute for 12 1/2 hours!!  When I first heard the news of our delay and our extended second train journey I was distressed, but as we continued to play games etc. I lived in the moment and tried not to think about how many more hours we still had to go!  I appreciated playing with my children and I enjoyed watching the scenery pass us by such as this beautiful castle at Carcassonne.  Other passengers on the train were very kind and supportive.  They shared their food, helped with luggage, found out about the alternate train options and gave us lots of smiles. It was a happy moment when we reached our destination and “Daddy” was there to pick us up!

I hope we can all find ways to slow-down, and incorporate more mindfulness into our daily lives.  Let’s try to “uni-task”, use our five senses to appreciate and live in the moment and focus on keeping our energy balanced.  Although mindfulness is not a religion, the monks who live in this abbey have certainly mastered the art of mindfulness.

Here’s to making our minds less full and more mindful,

Warmly,

My 6 Top Apps for Creating More Calm for You and Your Children!