Breathe

I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t want a calm life and a peaceful mind. It is possible to have a calm life, at least inside oneself, but you will never have a totally peaceful mind. You can create calming rituals in your life to help you be centered. You can get up a little earlier to enjoy the morning quiet and prevent yourself from having to rush to wherever you need to be. You can take breaks throughout your day to sit quietly and re-connect with your inner self. When you get home after a day of work you can take a hot bath or maybe sit outside and enjoy nature in your backyard. Having a peaceful mind is more challenging. Your mind never rests or takes a break. You mind often feeds your ego and that is rarely a good thing. In my mind I sometimes have thoughts I do not want. In my mind I sometimes obsess on small things until they seem to loom large. When I try to be quiet my mind creates noise. When I try to be still, my mind tells me I should be busy. Even when I am sleeping my mind creates dreams that may be troubling.  All is not lost. In the middle of whatever calming rituals that work for you, you can at least temporarily distract your mind by choosing to not think. I do this by focusing on my breath. Our breath is life. I meditate by intentionally paying attention to my breath as I breathe in through my nose and I exhale through my mouth. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I am assuming you are breathing. Pay attention to your breath and calm will come into your life.