idea of something VS experience

Amazing... Mindfulness

Mindfulness is defined as cultivating exquisite attention to the present moment—with openness and without judgment.

Since mindfulness first was studied over 30 years ago, it has become increasingly recognized as a therapeutic remedy to stress and anxiety, and studies have shown many mental and physical health benefits, including chronic pain relief, increased learning potential, greater compassion and happiness. Mindfulness brings about mental clarity, concentration and calmness.

And the practice of mindfulness allows us to become fully alive. Here’s how:

By paying attention to the smallest of detail in our existence, we learn to stay with our experiences, positive or negative, without attachment or struggle. And by staying with our experiences, we find peace, as we release ourselves from the need to control how we experience life.

By engaging fully with the present moment, we deeply experience life – its love, joy, contentment, even the pain and sadness. Our awareness evolves and softens, and we learn to enjoy the entire experience of being alive. Not lost in the past, or in the future, but truly alive in this moment.

By recognizing our thoughts and emotions, we see their transient nature. We realize we do not have to be captive to thoughts and emotions, that we simply can hold an awareness of them. The inner landscape becomes peaceful, allowing us to access our inherent wisdom and intuition.

While the world around us is constantly changing, mindfulness gives us the opportunity to be present with ourselves just as we are. We find stillness, no matter what is going on inside or outside of us. We let go of judgments, and we find wisdom, compassion and equanimity that result from letting go of emotional reactivity.

You can begin to experience mindfulness right now in this moment. Read through the following paragraph and try this simple exercise:

Close your eyes for a few minutes. Bring awareness to your breath. Observe the breath and the body. When the mind wanders, bring it back again to the breath, without judgment. Enjoy the spaciousness of resting in this place of awareness with your breath, and enjoy the stillness of the mind.

Notice what is happening in the moment: any sounds, smells or sensations, and let the breath be the anchor of your attention. Just breathe and be for a few minutes.

When you open your eyes, notice the calmness of body and mind, and note any shift in perception of the things around you.

With practice, mindfulness truly will change your experience of life.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-7735/why-mindfulness-will-change-your-life.html

Play! It’s Not as Serious as You Think

Whether it’s life choices, relationships, friends, work, family, sports, or everyday events, know that it’s just an experience! We can spend our whole lives always caught up in the drama and intensity of each moment only to realize we missed out on the entire journey of it because we were caught up in the mind. We perpetuate our so called “suffering” when we make things serious and make them a big deal, when really we can see it for what it is and allow it to be. This is called finding true peace. I’m not talking about simply accepting things and saying “well get over it” or “that’s how it is so deal with it” No. I’m talking about truly seeing things for what they are. Seeing why we color something in a particular way. Seeing the belief system behind why something is good or bad or right or wrong or even why its serious! I promise you, behind every strong emotion, every serious situation, there is a belief system that makes it that way. One that is held in the mind and made real by the mind. But the mind is not YOU! See the story! Let it go and just play! You will find much peace and joy in flowing through your experience in this way.


http://www.collective-evolution.com/2011/09/13/play-its-not-as-serious-as-you-think/