Pages

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Respecting What we Touch | Mindfulness Practice | 100th Sulilo Blog!

This week in yoga class, our teacher gave us a new assignment to add on to our "3 acts of kindness to the world and 3 acts of kindness to ourselves" daily practice.


We were invited to begin practicing respect, and we are doing it in an interesting and unexpected way.  The practice is to show respect (or bring respect) to EVERYTHING that we touch...another person, an object, the family pet...everything that we touch with any part of ourselves...food as we prepare and enjoy it...the rug or hardwood floors beneath our feet...


I just started the practice and have already begun to notice two immediate benefits: Respecting everything I touch keeps me in the present moment, and it makes me feel grateful.


Suddenly, twisting the cap off the milk at breakfast time was no longer a trivial, robotic act, but one of wonder, and a reminder of how fortunate I am to have milk in the fridge.


Walking down the stairs to my kitchen first thing in the morning to feed my cats wasn't done in a zombie-like, "Ughh, it's morning" fashion. I felt each step beneath my feet. I noticed the coolness of the wooden railing as my hand held it along the way. I felt more curious about "the ordinary," and everything felt alive and interesting.


My teacher suggested touching everything as if we were borrowing it from a dear friend. We tend to treat such things with much more care than our own belongings. We can bring that same care to everything in our lives.


We can bring it to showering...brushing our teeth...opening the car door and sitting on the car seat, holding our pets, significant others, and children. Moment to moment, we can stay more aware and grateful of every little thing. It's quite profound.


Last night, as I was counting some bills before putting them into my wallet, I respected the money. As I cleaned my house, I took my time, respecting every object and fully acknowledging how each is a blessing.


Even right now, my fingers feel like they are dancing on the keyboard. :-)


I challenge you to accept the invitation to practice respect in this way, starting right now. I truly look forward to your thoughts before you begin and as you begin to experience the benefits.


Namaste.


Image Courtesy of Women in Recovery


(As a fun side note, I'm excited to share that this is my 100th post on this Sulilo blog!)

6 comments:

  1. Reading this made me realize how far we have come. We are so unappreciative of the things we have in life. We have lost respect for this earth by polluting the earth. People didn't have what we had, in a way we are spoiled with all this booming technology. I think taking a closer look to what we have by respecting it with the sense of touch is a great idea. I know too much that I have taken for.granted. funny because I was telling Rob this yesterday as we were looking at the sky. I said its so beautiful. God created that for us and we don't respect what is given to us. Shaun Robinson also tweeted yesterday about why do u want everything that person has. Hasn't God given us enough to go around. And its trrue but we sure don't respect it. So I am going to take this excercise and apply it to my life. read this. I enjoy your blogs and thoughts. Thanks for sharing your excercises with us. Hopefully from this you can inspire others to want to be able to do this. Oh happy 100th Blog also!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Reading this made me realize how far we have come. We are so unappreciative of the things we have in life. We have lost respect for this earth by polluting the earth. People didn't have what we had, in a way we are spoiled with all this booming technology. I think taking a closer look to what we have by respecting it with the sense of touch is a great idea. I know too much that I have taken for.granted. funny because I was telling Rob this yesterday as we were looking at the sky. I said its so beautiful. God created that for us and we don't respect what is given to us. Shaun Robinson also tweeted yesterday about why do u want everything that person has. Hasn't God given us enough to go around. And its trrue but we sure don't respect it. So I am going to take this excercise and apply it to my life. read this. I enjoy your blogs and thoughts. Thanks for sharing your excercises with us. Hopefully from this you can inspire others to want to be able to do this. Oh happy 100th Blog also!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. as usual you rock and im stealing a line for my FB post ~debbie~

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tonight I needed an escape and many times for me that is walking or running with my dog on the beach so off I went. I was tweeting most of the way and it was quite chilly so Bandit and I returned home. I felt like I escaped nothing as I sat here in the comforts of my home.

    I said g'nite to my Twitter family and went back out to try again. A mile or so later I sat looking out at the ocean. Stressing over the day and what will follow in the days to come. I decided to read your blog while I sitting there and here's my experience.

    I began walking again while only trying to focus on the sand beneath my feet. How it felt cold and soft. Each step I tried to feel it wrapping around my feet. I began to think about the sand, how each grain is different. How the earth is filled with it. The way we utilize it's resources to make glass, etc. I even stopped to turn and look at the footprints I left behind. Without realizing it, I wasn't thinking about the stresses of my day.

    I can't promise I'll do this with everything I touch, but I do believe I will take advantage of this technique when it counts the most.

    Thank you Debbie, your monumental 100th blog is now a monumental moment in my life.

    Eating his virtual cupcake,
    -TheLastLawman

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ack... why do I so hate my grammar errors?!

    "I decided to read your blog AGAIN while I WAS sitting there and here is my experience."

    Or perhaps I just wanted another virtual cupcake! :)

    -TheLastLawmam

    ReplyDelete
  6. It helps me to remember the daily things we do take for granted. Instead of mindlessly going through life without our sense of touch. Taking the time to embrace our daily activities, I believe, will help us to appreciate and notice how fortunate we all are! Thank you for sharing, I always look forward to your blogs. You have a gift to help others through words. That is truly a gift NancyL12 :)

    ReplyDelete

I look forward to reading your comments. Thank you for taking the time to leave one! ♥

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.