Nowadays, we think that everything is NOT enough.
We want to have…
- A greater car
- The next super gadget
- Dinner at luxurious restaurants
- Expensive branded clothes
- and much more.
If we can’t get this kind of life, we think we aren’t living the good life.
In your pursuit of having all these luxurious things, you work as a cog in a machine and ignore your body, mind, and spirit.
You forget that we are humans who need to eat when we are hungry and sleep when we are exhausted. You feel that you can’t spend a few minutes enjoying the simple pleasures of life, because you may lose the chance to own those luxurious things.
But YOU can’t keep up anymore.
You want an end to this hectic life and a beginning of a Zen life, where you enjoy the NOW and appreciate the simple pleasures life has to offer.
If this is you, then the secret is in …
The Shakuhachi
The monks of the Fuke Zen school used a Japanese bamboo flute called Shakuhachi to practice Suizen (blowing meditation). Shakuhachi is often referred to as the “sound of nature.”
If you’re like me, when you imagine this scene for a minute, you will get an instant feeling of peacefulness.
Meditation is one of the best answers to getting your life back, enjoying MORE, and appreciating the present. When you live in the moment, you become a lot happier and more peaceful. You start living the Zen Life.
Here are 7 insights from the Shakuhachi (or the blowing meditation practice) that can help you Zen Your Life:
1. Live Now
Zen lets you live in the moment and get rid of the too many things that distract your mind.
When your mind is distracted, it becomes very difficult to look inside yourself and discover what matters most. When you practice Zen (living in the moment) and meditation, you start connecting with your heart more, discovering your passions, and doing things that matter.
2. Avoid Time Wasters
Watch out where and how you spend your time. If you track your daily activities for a week, you will soon realize that some things in your life are just wasting your time, are not making you happy and you don’t need to keep doing them anymore.
3. Avoid Interruptions
You want to be productive. You want to finish your tasks quickly, and leave the office on time to get back home and spend more time with your family, friends, or hobbies.
However, one email with some bad news can change all your good intentions. That’s in addition to the notifications you receive from the social networks you’re always connected to from your smartphone. Plus, the conversations you have over a cup of coffee with your colleagues. As a result, you stay late after the official working hours to catch up with the delayed tasks that must be finished today.
Avoid interruptions and finish the important tasks first.
4. Remember, You’re a Human Being
Don’t let work control you and your life.
If you feel hungry, eat. If you feel tired, take a rest. If you feel exhausted, take a vacation. If you miss your beloved ones, spend some quality time with them. If you want to spend more time on activities that make you happier, do it. Don’t ever turn into a workaholic (i.e. a machine) and forget that you’re a human being in the first place.
Remember, work is just one aspect of your life.
5. Set Focus Times
Identify the periods where you have high levels of energy throughout your day and create ‘focus times’ during these periods. Totally isolate yourself from any distractions, as much as possible, and let everyone know that you’re not available during these periods.
Get the most important things finished during these focus times and leave the less important stuff to be done later.
6. Keep Your Space Clean
Declutter your space and only leave things that make you feel good or that you use frequently. Don’t let things pile up, just because you can’t find the right place for them. If they don’t fit in, then they shouldn’t belong there. Turn your space into a Zen space … a place you love to be in.
7. Meditate
Finally, practice meditation as much as you can. You can sit and breathe. You can walk and pay attention to your breathing and footsteps. You can even learn the interesting blowing meditation practice using the Shakuhachi. Do whatever resonates with you. But start meditating to get your life back on track and connect with your heart.
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