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Monday, August 9, 2010

Finding my way to Serenity - a week long Journey of tranquility!

SERENITY - the state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil; composure, peacefulness, peace.


Welcome to Serenity week! I've decided I am going to do things a bit differently this week. Instead of my usual Bliss Initiatives, this week I am going to try on a Serenity experiment and take you along for the ride! Each morning I am going to wake up and spend a few minutes meditating, then I will do a little search on the internet and find an inspired "Finding my way to Serinity" activity you can try out. I will pair my activity with a serene image and finish up with a quote or teaching on Serenity that I find useful.  I'll report anything new or interesting I discover as I go along. Shall we get started?


I'll start with my Serenity Image of the day... to get us all in the mood!


"Serenity" (acrylic on stretched canvas) by Cherie Dirksen 
Cherie's site is well worth a vist. Her work is fantastic! 


Today's Serenity inducing idea comes from the website The Good Life Zen's article entitled Mindfulness: how to turn stress into serenity by Mary Jaksch.


          A simple way to practice mindfulness.
Whenever you notice that your mind is straying away from the task at hand, stop for a moment. Then touch forefinger and thumb for one complete in-and out-breath. Then continue your task and notice how your experience changes through becoming mindful.
She also offered the following exercise for generating mindfulness in the moment:
How about this moment?
Pause for a moment right now and take three deep breaths… Notice sounds and smells. Feel the breath flowing in and out.
All of us tend to let our mind drift when faced with a ‘boring’ task. The good news is that if we pull ourselves back into the present moment, the task is transformed, and boredom soon disappears. So, whether it’s washing the dishes, or cutting carrots, or driving in the rush hour – mindfulness can transform ‘lost’ time into islands of ease and joy.
Do check out the entire article here for more insights into the serenity/mindfulness connection.

In this article Mary also shares the quote I've chosen for today:

“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally” 
~ Jon Kabat-Zinn
For more on mindfulness by Jon Kabat-Zinn I recommend "Toward a Mindful Society" from the Shambala Sun Magazine March 2010.

How serene do you feel today?

Next Post: The experiment continues...



My 13 bliss virtues are 
joy, order, creativity, passion, whimsy, serenity, inquiry, community, 
romance, gratitude, moxie, humility, and surprise.



This week we are exploring  Serenity. 
Next week is all about Inquiry.
Posted by Everyday Kathy at 10:09 AM
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1 comment:

  1. The Urban CowboyAugust 9, 2010 at 1:37 PM

    It's living in the moment that many forget to do, great tips.

    ReplyDelete

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Ben Franklin's 13 Virtues

  • 1. TEMPERANCE - Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
  • 2. SILENCE - Speak not what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
  • 3. ORDER - Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
  • 4. RESOLUTION - Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
  • 5. FRUGALITY - Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e. waste nothing.
  • 6. INDUSTRY - Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
  • 7. SINCERITY - Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and if you speak, speak accordingly.
  • 8. JUSTICE - Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
  • 9. MODERATION - Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
  • 10. CLEANLINESS - Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths or habitation.
  • 11. TRANQUILITY - Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
  • 12. CHASTITY - Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or to the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
  • 13. HUMILITY - Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

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