moments of zen.

I've always been interested in meditation. Having grown up in a South Asian home during a time where getting 'Indian' groceries meant driving all the way to Gerrard Street in Toronto for fresh mangoes, I also had the incredible experience of learning about Eastern medicine, spirituality and culture (an education I wouldn't receive in public school).

As a kid, I remember watching my Grandfather silently practice yoga with 30 minute headstands, or watching my Grandmother cook traditional foods, listening to my family gather to sing and read traditional poetry, or even enjoying freshly picked mint from a loved one's garden...there was method to each practice. They were being mindful.

As a teenager and young adult, I would watch my Mom stand before her special spot at home and light a diya (homemade cotton wick and ghee in a small clay pot). She would meditate and send out good wishes in silence. My aunt told me about Vipasana (a silent retreat) that she attended for one week where everyone just meditates in silence. 

Meditation was everywhere, and people who influenced me were making it a part of their daily life. And science began to back up the theories. Researchers began to study the effects on the brain through neuroscience. Doctors began stating that stress is a leading cause of heart disease, cancer and pretty much every other ailment. 

There's nothing wrong with meditation apps (I've used many), but many people didn't need them. They didn't have to set a timer on their phones. They just focused on fulfilling their intention of creating or completing something with purpose, and they did it as perfectly as possible. Full attention, limited distractions (and definitely didn't take pictures on their phone to document it). 

We spend a lot of time in our daily life multi-tasking. I wonder how much more productive and creative we would be without technology distracting us. We need to find more time to rest our minds and reset. I know I do.

When do you feel the most focussed in the day? Have you wanted to try meditation? If so, try this exercise to help you get started:

1. Get comfy in comfy clothes (comfy is key)
2. Hold something in your hand, it can be anything, but choose something that makes you feel calm
3. Close your eyes and begin to focus on the rhythm of your breath
4. Focus on the thing in your hand, feel its energy (I know this may sound like hippie nonsense, but just do it). Visualize the energy moving throughout your body, as if it is traveling through every cell. If you don't believe me, read this: Neuroscience: This is How Meditation Changes Your Brain For the Better.
5. Begin to focus on the space around your body, fill it with good thoughts that make you happy and don't allow yourself to think about anything negative. Keep breathing slowly.
6. When you're ready to stop, open your eyes and have a cold glass of water.
7. Focus on breathing and clearing your mind is the most traditional way of meditation, but the point is to start, and then work your way towards being mindful and focussed towards all tasks.
   ​

And if you don't feel relaxed after that exercise, you can always opt for another activity that makes you feel truly calm. My next go-to meditation practice is baking. I love baking. My family used to call it stress baking, and I had a habit of "bake and release" where I'd give away the treats to my loved ones (or help them gain unwanted weight). But that's besides the point! What I'd like to do is bring peaceful practice and focus into my life more often, and I hope you will too.
​
So, open a window and listen to the breeze, put on some of your favourite music. Do something that requires all your attention and helps you to slow down. Whether baking, reading, knitting, crafting, gardening, running, yoga, traditional meditation, singing, cycling. Something that gets you away from stressful work or screens.

​Just focus, take a deep breath and enjoy that moment of zen.