Sunday Scenes

An extra hour was very welcome today as I needed to leave home by 6.20 to take my son to a swim gala. The leisure centre is located near a park so I managed to stretch my legs and get my run done nice and early.

Being out all day I knew I would need to find time for my meditation. Being on pool side is hot and stuffy and noisy and not the best conditions to try and quietly meditate but that said, it doesn’t have to be done in a special place with cushions and incense.

So I sat in the cafe. People were talking around me, children pacing up and down, and the sun coming through the glass warm on my skin. I meditated for half an hour with my eyes closed and had a real sense of calm and relaxation come over me. My mind was busy throughout, I checked my watch at one point, but still a lovely sense of calm. I extended the session by eating my lunch meditatively, slowly, using my senses to smell and taste the food. I had constant urges to pick up my phone whilst eating but I managed to resist.

A lot of our behaviours are habitual and technology makes it easy for us to be taken away from what we are doing, stop up from paying attention, stops us being present. Noticing the habits is the first step in trying to change them and today I really noticed the urges to look at my phone.

Photos of the park where I ran and fortunately dodged the rain showers which have come on and off all day ever since.