Life: Happy or Crappy?
I think one key to whether I live a happy life or a crappy one is what I choose to pay attention to. Paying attention to dogs barking, little aches and pains, and the voice in my head that's kind of a miserable whiner is not a recipe for happiness. Or achievement. Or anything good.
Breathe out and tell yourself, "I'm breathing out."
Meditation is a way to train the awareness.
The following exercise has been a great tool for disciplining my emotions and recovering from grief. I wish I'd known of it years ago. They ought to teach this stuff in high school. I bet the crime rate would go down. Here it is.
Mindfulness Meditation Made Ridiculously Easy
Step 1
Breathe in and tell yourself, "I'm breathing in."
Step 2
Breathe out and tell yourself, "I'm breathing out."
Repeat
When your mind wanders, gently redirect your attention to your breathing.
The gentle redirection of your attention when it wanders is the essence of this exercise. So you don't ever have to feel like you're screwing up.
A lot of instructions tell you to do this for 5-10 minutes. I can do it for about one minute and I found it just one minute very helpful.
Here are some other online resources:
shambhalasun
This site has five has basic five mindfulness exercises and explains the philosophy behind them clearly, with detail, and in a somewhat mystical manner
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3490
Good Life Zen
This page has detailed instructions for a simple meditation exercise. Here's a wonderful bit of wisdom:
Set yourself a regular schedule, but make sure this schedule is ‘too easy’, and ‘too short’. If you want to create a habit of daily meditation, you’re much more likely to be successful if you treat yourself with kindness and don’t demand the impossible.
http://goodlifezen.com/simple-guide-to-mindfulness-meditation/
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