Contemplative Practices
Bailey Sergott (701)
As humans, our mind tends to hold onto the bad and forget the good things that we hear. This is why it might be easier to remember ten bad things that someone might’ve said about you rather than five good things. Because of this, it’s very important to come up with a few practices to help relax and reset your mind. The tree of complementive practices comes in handy because each branch is another category of habits to try. The practices are supposed to help develop a deeper sense of your inner self. You don’t have to try all of them, in fact you can pick and choose which practices work best for you. The great thing about these practices is that you don’t have to be skilled at them, as long as you enjoy them and they help bring your mind to ease, then go for it!
Expressing Myself
One thing that I have always practiced is to write down my thoughts and keep them in a journal. I have done this since I was a little girl, of course back then I called it a dairy. Writing down thoughts is a great way to get them off your chest, especially when feeling overwhelmed. For someone like myself who does not like to share too much information about myself with anyone, I love to journal. I have so many thoughts that go on in my head, that when I write them down it’s almost like I can think clearly again. Journaling is definitely a great way to keep things to yourself and share your thoughts with your paper. Similar to journaling is contemplative arts. Contemplative arts bring beauty and wisdom into our lives. One way I like to practice contemplative arts is to write poetry and paint. My favorite thing about writing poetry is the way it allows you to express yourself in as little or as many words as you want. Painting and drawing is another thing I have always enjoyed since I was a little girl. Painting gives me a peace of mind that I find hard to find in other practices. When I am painting that is all that I am focused on and it is incredibly peaceful.
Staying Active
One practice that I just recently began to practice was yoga. It was really easy to start, I just downloaded a free yoga app and they had tons of options to pick from beginner to expert. Eventually, I bought a yoga mat and I hope to soon have it part of my everyday routine. Yoga can be hard like a workout or it can be peaceful and more of a good morning stretch for your body and mind. When I practice yoga, I listen to calming music and focus on deep breathing. Another physical activity I enjoy doing to clear my head is to go for a daily walk. This is my most achieved practice I have started. Even in the cold winter, I would bundle up and walk in the woods with my puppy to give us both some fresh air. Most of the time I would bring headphones and listen to music and admire the earth's beauty.
Trying Something New
There are a few practices on the tree that I have never tried until I recently learned about them. One of the new practices I just started to try is meditation. From my experience I think that meditation is one that requires more practice than some of the others. For me, it was incredibly difficult to stop my mind from thinking of everything else I could be doing like school work. That is why meditation is so important though, I think it’s crucial to be able to give your mind a break from the stress in everyday life, whether it be work, school, a relationship, etc. Although meditation hasn’t been easy for me I will continue to practice it because I believe that sometimes the things that take a little bit more time can be the most rewarding. I have heard only good things about meditation and I plan on sticking with it and hopefully become one of those.
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