REFLECTION: ‘Pause. Take a deep breath in. Then a long breath out. This moment contains everything you need. One of the most freeing outcomes of nurturing a stillness practice is that it helps us discover the present moment. To step into its gift. To immerse ourselves in it. And to be transformed. We have a natural capacity to do this. But this stance of giving ourselves to the now needs nurturing. We may sometimes love the present moment, but we seem to have a default setting that swings between what is past and what is future… But this moment, in all its dulled ordinariness (the common state of things), or in its shining wildness (the occasional state of things), contains all that we need…
PRACTICE: A good place to begin Be Here, Be Now is by giving attention to some of the things that we do everyday as part of our routine. Like taking a shower. You can take a shower to become clean, or you can take a shower to take a shower (and also emerge clean!) Notice how the water forms and shapes itself as it flows over you; enjoy the sensation of the water on your skin; wonder at the gift of water and your own connection to it. A next step is to cultivate this stance of attention throughout the day. Be prepared to be surprised and engaged by a conversation, an unexpected sight, an aroma or sound…’
©Ian Adams 2013 ‘Running Over Rocks: spiritual practices to transform tough times’ (Canterbury Press)
Look out for short daily posts around this week’s theme on Facebook and Twitter. We’ll be doing the practices wherever we are, and we’ll look forward to hearing how you get on – do let us know!