Moments of Mindfullness

I find that there are moments every day when we can be mindful. I find that the more I take heed of them, the more full my life is. So I thought I'd share a few of the things which bring me into mindfulness.

• Kneading bread
• The repetitive motion of knitting or spinning
• Getting (or giving!) a massage
• Looking at the moon, especially when it's full

• Closing my eyes, and listening to/feeling my heartbeat
• Breathing clean, fresh air
• Washing my face (I don't scrub so much as just press a really warm washcloth to my whole face and soak in the warmth and steam)
• Absorbing sunlight (I like to lay in the light and read a book, or just close my eyes and feel the warmth).

Eagle, at three days old

• Doing some yoga poses (ideally facing into the sunlight) such as the mountain, star/triangle, tree, upward facing dog, and child's pose
• Yoga-style guided relaxation 
• Putting on lotion
• Nuzzling with one of my babies
• A hot shower, especially if combined with some quiet, deep breathing as I just let the water run down my back
• Combing or braiding my hair

What kinds of things bring you into mindfulness?

I've mentioned a number of repetitive motions here--when the body is engaged in something that doesn't require attention, it's pretty easy to put the attention on something else. One repetitive activity during which I have not yet learned to be mindful is folding laundry. I detest folding laundry though, so that's a goal of mine for the coming year