Instructions for a Mindful Experience

Find a patch of grass. It can be your yard or a public park or somewhere a bit more wild, but it doesn’t have to be anything spectacular. Make sure to bring a towel or blanket with you. Whatever patch of grass you choose, go there alone.

And when I say alone, I mean truly go only with yourself and the clothes and shoes you have on, and don’t forget your blanket or towel. But don’t bring anything else. No journals or books or planners or tablets or laptops. And if at all possible, leave your cell phone behind too.

Lay your blanket or towel over the sacred patch of grass you’ve chosen or don’t lay anything at all, then lie down and look up. Just lay there and watch the sky. Depending on the weather where you are, it might be cloudy or maybe all you see is blue or maybe there are just a few puffy clouds gently floating along.

Take some deep breaths and do your best to focus on what’s above. Being mindful and focusing on the sky is the hard part. Your mind will want to bounce around from one thought to another. You’ll go from trying to plan your next meal to thinking about work to wondering why you can’t focus. This is okay. It’s normal. Just do your best.

Do your best to calm your racing mind and enjoy what’s above you. You might see a bird or several birds soaring by. Perhaps you’ll see a jet plane full of beautiful souls flying way up high. Maybe the sun has joined scattered molecules in the atmosphere to create a beautiful medley of colors. Focus on these things. Focus only on what’s happening above you. Practicing mindfulness is the best way to calm a weary mind.

Our beautiful minds endure so much. If our minds aren’t busy working or dealing with life’s problems or trying to calm our fears, they are being inundated with advertisements and bombarded with bad news. Sometimes we need to let everything go and just be. The Buddha once said, “Our life is shaped by our mind, for we become what we think.” So instead of becoming negative, fearful, complaining, or anxious, become beauty. Make your mind beautiful by painting it into the beauty of life that surrounds you. This is what mindfulness is — the act of painting your mind into the beauty that’s all around you.

I know mindfulness is easier said than done, but you won’t regret this practice. And looking up is just one mindfulness practice. There are so many more ways to practice mindfulness, so whether it’s taking a mindful walk or sitting in a park or laying down to watch the sky, I hope you benefit from mindfulness as much as I have.