Mindfulness

Since the benefits of mindfulness or meditation are quite profound, I have decided to give those experiences more time lately. Tonight, I sat outside and just listened. I realized that I could hear many different noises. I could hear the cicadas chirping. This seemed to bring me a sense of peace and relaxation. I also noticed birds singing, a lawn mower, children chatting as they played in a nearby yard, cars passing by, and a chainsaw.

It struck me, I am not usually consciously aware of any of these sounds. I wonder how hard our brains work to ignore these many different sounds during the day as the brain deciphers what is valid to pay attention to and what is extraneous. It is easy to say we do not notice, but the truth is that even if we are not consciously aware, our brain is still working very hard. It is not that we do not hear the sounds, it is that we are not aware of them. So if all that energy is going towards ignoring sensory information, how much stress does that add to the brain??? How much sooner do we become cognitively and physically fatigued?

I wonder......if we were to stop at various points in our day and acknowledge all that our brains are processing, would we have a better understanding of what adds to our fatigue?  Even more so, if we were to get away from the noises of the city, get out in nature and truly mindfully meditate on the sensory information of nature, what effects would that have on physical health?  What effects would it have on cognitive and emotional health?

Rest is not just being in bed when we need to stop. Rest in rejuvenating ourselves with mindful awareness of what is around us and what sensory information brings us peace and joy.