Welcome to a series of five lessons in mindfulness through looking at art. In his best selling book, Mindfulness: 25 Ways to live in the present moment through art, French psychiatrist, Christophe André, blends appreciation of chosen paintings with his experience as a meditation teacher, giving us an artistic means to better understand and cultivate mindfulness.
Mindfulness is a deep, broad, alert awareness. It is being aware, in the present moment, of what we are thinking, saying and doing. Its benefits to our mental, emotional and physical wellbeing are extensively documented, in particular: calming mind and body; increasing clarity and resilience; improving our relationship with ourself and others.
These lessons are edited extracts from Christophe André’s book and are companion pieces to the six mindfulness meditation exercises on Jervis Bay Weekend / Wellbeing (links at the end of the article).
Lesson 1 Breathe
Breath is the anchor of mindfulness, helping us to be in the present moment. Sometimes it’s what sailors call a floating anchor, the kind that allows a ship to slow down and not to capsize in the storm, when other manoeuvres are no longer possible. Breath is like a friend who is always there for us. It won’t stop us feeling stress, anxiety, fear, sadness, or anger, but attending to our breathing will stop us being engulfed.
Nothing is happening in the Dumoulin’s painting (above). There’s no story, no message, just a paper carp alone at the top of its pole. We feel the cool of dusk that it feels. We hear the city sounds that it hears. We are looking down over Kyoto, magnificent and mysterious, in the company of a stone lion that seems to be watching the movement of people returning home, and another carp attached to another pole, a little further back.
Nothing is happening. We hear only the flap of the paper bodies of the fish in the wind. On our skin we feel the movement of the evening breeze that swells the carp as it blows through them, bringing them fleetingly to life. Tomorrow, perhaps it will abandon or tear them, but for now they are here high in the sky, valiantly fluttering.
Nothing is happening. Wind. Emptiness. But this passing emptiness makes our mind breathe a little better. The wind is present in the painting, but invisible. Like our breath, invisibly present in our body.
Breath is always here with us. It’s a resource that is always available to us in becoming aware and connecting to the present moment by observing the movements of our breathing through our our whole body, without trying to change them.
Are you in pain? Breathe? Are you in distress? Breathe.
Start by paying attention to your breathing. Then everything will become clearer—the thing to do or think will then become more obvious. Breathing does not change reality, but it does change how we experience it, and preserves our ability to act on it.
Breathing then becomes much more than respiration. It becomes a special path of communication and exchange with all that is inside us and around us, the painful and wonderful alike. For we can, of course, also breathe when faced with beauty and loveliness …
Source
The text of the lesson above is an edited extract from the book by Christophe André, Mindfulness: 25 Ways to live in the present moment through art (2014). Rider Books, Ebury Publishing.
OTHER LESSONS IN THE SERIES
Lesson 2 Inhabit Your Body
Mindfulness Meditation Exercises
Put the theory practice with the series of six mindfulness meditation practices here on Jervis Bay Weekend / Wellbeing. These are simple, proven techniques we know are beneficial to wellbeing.
- Synchronise Mind and Body assists mind and body to be alert and aware and fully present in the moment—enabling us to make thoughtful choices, in real-time, about how we respond, what we say and how we act.
- Body Scan Technique useful in calming body and mind, especially before sleep.
- Spacious Mind Assists the mind to adopt an open, accepting, accommodating attitude—particularly helpful preparation for fraught conversations or situations.
- Circular Breathing Practice shown to improve cognitive clarity, and ease feeling emotionally stuck.
- Notice and Name Observing sensations in the body, emotions and thoughts with friendly curiosity, naming them, letting them go.
- Equanimity Technique enabling you to handle uncomfortable feelings and maintain mindful presence.
