The Yen For Zen In Our Daily Lives

 

I was cutting up garlic and extremely focused on “getting it done.” How many times in a day is that our mindset? Get it done. JUST GET IT DONE! Get the s*** done so I can move to the next thing and get that done and the next thing and then…

Gritting my teeth in reminder of how much I just LOVE chopping up stuff and ohmygosh how TIME consuming it is, it began to dawn on me to see if I could cut the garlic and implement breathing deeply at the same time. Besides getting a nose full of garlic, that decision reconfirmed that the Yen For Zen can be satiated with some Mindfulness within the execution of the tasks at hand (no pun intended!)

I ended up cuttin’ that garlic like I didn’t have a care in the world or a destination to get to. And, before I knew it, I was finished with that task, off to the next.

But I took a moment to acknowledge and savor that accomplishment and how it felt so stress-less

The Yen For Zen is often satisfied with something outside of ourselves. Events like falling in love; receiving a desired effect from a goal realized; making the amount of zeros we want or getting that dream house, child or job. When those things occur we feel on top of the world. But in time, that euphoria dissolves and the hunger for the next conquest and/or achievement begins.

Realize That Zen is Obtainable at the Tip of Your Nose and Between Your Ears

 

Zen is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition, but for our purposes, the word Zen means peaceful and calm. Dealing with things in a calm manner, not rushing, not being anxious worried or fretting. In other words, CHILLED. When I think of the word, I get an image of someone just gliding through everything, nothing phasing them in the least and coming up with solutions at the flick of a wrist.

Fairy tale in the real world? Is the idea of Zen something that’s out of reach for the Daily Warrior? Especially Daily Warriors in the Time of COVID??? The current circumstances may make is seem basically impossible to reach that space of calm but each of us needs to be able to access it NOW more than ever!!

The good news is, it can be done. Seriously truly I kid you not, reaching Zen is as close as the tip of your nose and the space between your ears.

BUT. It takes Intention, Commitment, Practice. And a renewal of those things when you fall off the wagon.

 

Yeah Yeah Ok If You Say So, But How Do I Reach It?

 

The easiest and most accessible way to get going is to start with BREATHING.

You may think, ‘oh please’ or ‘yeah ok but I breathe all the time otherwise I’d be dead!’

Uh-huh, that’s one way to look at it. But if you want to be able to access the Zen Zone, you want to consider putting more Conscious deep breathing into your day. And what I mean when I say ‘Conscious’ is that you make and take time to do this.

When you stop to take a deep breath and let it out slowly, it’s like putting a mental vacuum cleaner into use. It clears things up and gives you a bit of space to focus, hear your Intuition and to take better action. It helps you to be more proficient and efficient with what you have to do and/or say.

And you don’t have to take a long time to do this. Here’s an example in this short clip:

 

 

I will go more in-depth on some breathing techniques in an upcoming post, but a clip like this gets you going.

Remembering to breathe deeply while viewing beautiful landscapes and scenes as you watch is also verrrrryyyyy helpful! Picturing yourself there and feeling the Oneness in communing with Nature is such a pick-me-up.

 

Becoming More Aware of What You Think Is Another Necessary Ingredient

 

When you keep an ear out on the type of thoughts you think, you begin to gain control. You cannot be in the Zen Zone with runaway thoughts. The good news is that the more you become Aware of the items in your mental store that do not serve you and the more you toss them out, the more of the Zen Zone you will visit. 

This allows you to be the master of the ship as opposed to being a passenger hurled every which way the wind blows. When you can redirect or pivot thinking patterns that go off into another direction than the one you want, your Vibe changes in a big way. 

And it is soooooooooo Empowering.

 

Doing Things You Love Helps Satisfy The Zen Yen

 

Ask yourself:

  1. Are you regularly engaged in doing things that you Love?
  2. If not, and the absence of Abundance is the hang up, what things would you be doing if money were not an issue?
  3. What aspects of those things can you start to incorporate right now?
  4. Maybe you hate your job or career and have dreams of doing something else. What steps can you take right now toward your desire(s)?
  5. Is there a hobby you used to do as a child or wanted to do that could bring you Joy now? I have a friend who took up crochet and she says it helps to calm and soothe her like crazy (that helps her get to the Zen Zone!)
  6. What habit do you have that annoys the crap out of you? What steps will you take to change it?
  7. Are there people in your Life that drain you? What can you do to mitigate this? What are the things that you can change in your behavior and/or approach in dealing with them? 

 

If your absolute desire and Intention is to Experience more Joy, more Peace and

satisfaction in your Life (all Zen Zone components) you will make and take steps to realize this more fully

 

Can You Think of Moments of Zen You’ve Had And/or Witnessed?

 

Recalling a memory from the data banks of my five year old self, I realize that the first example of Zen was my mother. We were heading back to the train station leaving Jacksonville, FL on a perfectly sunny day. As usual, I was in the back seat avidly taking in all the sights. I was behind the driver’s seat when out of NOWHERE, a bolt of lightening shot down the side of the car on my mom’s partially opened window!

I can still hear that sound, it was just like in the Frankenstein movies NEEEEEEEE-YOOT and I screamed and started crying!  Yet quickly and ever so calmly, mommy rolled up that window (this was YEARS before automatic windows y’all).

It’s funny because as young as I was, I remember being shocked at how calm she was. Once the window was up, girlfriend went on chatting as if nothing had happened! There was nothing in her demeanor or Energy that led me to believe she was at all shaken by what occurred and I KNEW she had seriously been in danger. But her being calm helped me calm down.

 

Tap The Zen Zone Often, Don’t Wait For A Vacation

 

Being able to access the Zen Zone is sooooooo important for our mental health and wellbeing. Something to cultivate in our daily lives, and not dependent upon being on vacation as the only time to decompress.

However, you can’t stay in the Zen Zone all the time, that’s not possible with Life happening all around us as we breathe. BUT. We can tap into it when desired/needed. It takes Showing Up, Practice, Perspective, and Relaxation. Relaxation ’cause ya can’t be in the Zen Zone all tensed up, P-O’ed, worried, frustrated or any of the other LLFs (Low Level Frequencies).

If you begin getting your Zen Zone Mojo together while not at the boiling point of stressed-outness, the better prepared you’ll be to call on it at will. And how do you get your Zen Zone Mojo going? With a Mindfulness and Awareness Practice you get onto the trail of becoming more in tune with YOU.

BE the Peace You wish to see.

For more ideas, tips and How-To’s on getting your Zen Zone Mojo happnin’ and to reduce stress, anxiety, anger, depression as well as increasing Mindfulness and Awareness, there are an array of products and services as well as events to check out on my site.

 

Thank you for reading, won’t you share this with a friend, family member and/or colleague? 

 

Jacquie Bird, Spiritual Wellness

Your Wellness Guide

 

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