Go to a quiet place. This could be your room, living room or prayer room. You want to avoid people walking around you. As you want to avoid any sort of disturbance. Either movement or sound. If you can’t find a completely quiet place, it is ok. You can hear the sound of ceiling fan? It’s ok. Just ignore it.

Sit comfortably. Make sure it is not too hard. Make sure your back is supported. You can keep your eyes open or closed. Whichever is comfortable for you. Take your phone and click on stopwatch. You are going to time yourself. Ok ready? Let’s start!

You are going to be present. Right now. This exact moment. Focus on your breath. You can see yourself breathing. Your chest expand. You are inhaling. Your eyes can see what is in front of you. As though you are watching through the window of your eyes. As if you are from inside of your eyes. You are aware of yourself. You can see your leg, your hand. You are present. Focus on your breathing. In….out…in….out….take a deep breath.

Suddenly you remember something. Your mind wanders. Focus on your breath. Be present. Now. You are alive in this body. There is no tomorrow. There is no yesterday. There is only now. Breathe. As much as possible, focus to be in the present. Everytime your mind wanders, check your stopwatch. How long it has been? 30 seconds? 1 minute? Try again. Focus.

Breath. In and out. Be aware of your body. You are alive in this body. Your chest and stomach are moving as you inhale and exhale. You can hear the sound of the ceiling fan. Maybe a car passing by outside of your house. The sound of your clock ticking. You are seeing it from the window of your eyes. As if you are watching it from inside. You are now present.

Check again your stopwatch. How long it has been? 3 minutes? No problem. Just continue. Focus. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Hold your breath. Inhale. Hold your breath. Exhale. Try to do this until you hit 5 minutes.

This looks simple but not easy to focus even for one minute. Am I right? This is a simple practice to put a stop to our thoughts. This is a step to practice mindfulness.

#misspushpawrites #findingmyownvoice