Simplify

One thing and one thing only do I teach; suffering and how to end suffering.

Buddha

In this day and age it’s easy to shift with the winds and get distracted by digital and social environments. We’re all inundated by layers on layers of ideas, opinions, and unnecessary fodder that often rack the mind and do very little to provide calmness or peace.

The art of Bonsai is a great example of simplifying. Its sole focus is pruning away unnecessary limbs of a tree.

Recognize.

Feeling overwhelmed is the new normal. Readily accepting anxiety and stress is considered part of the game. As a survival response mechanism, our bodies are hard-wired to manage a certain amount of stress, anxiety, and fear. But for how long can the human body endure constant exposure or numerous triggers day-to-day, week-to-week, etc.?

An article published in 2011 by Harvard Health, Understanding the stress response, it stated that, “Over time, repeated activation of the stress response takes a toll on the body. Research suggests that chronic stress contributes to high blood pressure, promotes the formation of artery-clogging deposits, and causes brain changes that may contribute to anxiety, depression, and addiction.. More preliminary research suggests that chronic stress may also contribute to obesity, both through direct mechanisms (causing people to eat more) or indirectly (decreasing sleep and exercise).”

Peel Away The Layers.

Whether work related or otherwise, the source of our stresses can be peeled away like layers of an onion. How? When I look back at traditional martial arts training, something that comes to mind that can help eliminate stressors is repetition. Repetition in exercise, in thought, and pattern. A body in motion is a mind focused.

When exercising, try to focus on thoughts of why the body needs exercise then the goal of the exercise. Additionally, once the body is in complete muscle memory, start eliminating those thoughts one at a time until there is no thought, just motion. It’s a beautiful thing once achieved. I’m talking about moving meditation and it can be applied to everyday mundane tasks like making coffee, taking a walk around the block, or riding a bike. Start slow… 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes. Practice this and finding the “zone” becomes easier and easier over time.

The Countdown.

Now taking it step further. While exercise and motion are a good start, the best way to eliminate thoughts is by stillness.

Thoughts flood the mind at break-neck speeds. As a result our minds are forced to take shortcuts to process information in order to make decisions even faster. The side-effects of this are distractions, bias thinking, shorter attention spans… just to name a few.

To clear the mind, begin by sitting in a comfortable place and position. It’s not necessary to sit like a Buddha in a park. Just be comfortable and turn off technology. Now sit and allow for free flow of oxygen into the lungs. Inhale deeply into the gut. Exhale slowly and naturally.

How I’ve been trained is not to fight away thoughts but rather acknowledge and assign. I assign my favorite color to my breathing first. Then I narrow down my thoughts to 5. Narrow them down to 4 after a minute or so, then 3, then 2, then 1… Finally all I am focused on is my breathing and the color of the air entering and exiting my body.

Sit with your thoughts. It’s not as bad as it sounds.

Being in the present is the ultimate goal. Finding ourselves in the here and now can offer so many amazing benefits. The sounds and smells of what’s happening around us. The rhythm of being one with the objects around us. The body’s Qi is also cultivated. It’s humbling and allows for a greater appreciation of the self, for all things.