One thing at a time

I am often asked what mindfulness is. Yesterday the guy cutting my hair asked. I explained, as he buzzed and snipped, that he should imagine that he was only doing one thing at a time. Only cutting my hair. Not thinking about later, or last night. Not listening to the heavy beat from his music choice. I think the irony passed him by.

But it is difficult. We have ingrained patterns. Modern culture has encouraged and taught us to do many things at once. Multi tasking is a skill. And of course there are times when it is very useful. But we have all experienced that moment when we try to recall how we ended up doing what we did (driving from a to b) and it’s a bit of a blur. Being instead of doing is difficult.

Even explaining the difference is a little tricky. Being is just being in the present moment, but that almost inevitably means that you are doing something. Even if that something is mindfully doing the dishes. The trick is that you are only doing that one thing, giving it your whole attention.

In the zone

In sport, just giving that one thing your complete attention, body and mind in sync, is described as being in the zone. I would suggest that it is mindfulness. Every sense, sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell, is attuned to that moment. This sensory information is not held tightly. It flows through you, part of you and part of your place in the world. It is noticed and supports your awareness of the moment.

This does not just apply to sport. Mindfulness can be applied to any activity. Yesterday, I practiced putting out the washing on the line, mindfully. I felt the chilly air on our still shadowed deck. The damp sheets were cold to the touch. The colours of the sheets and blue sky beyond caught my eye. I could smell cut grass and then my thoughts would intrude. “Take a photo of it”, they would say. And I would bend down, noting the thought and slowly pickup the next item to be hung out. Each time using some sensory information to return to the moment.

The photo

When I finished I extended my practice to taking a photo mindfully; well I can’t be teaching mindful photography without continuing to practice! I put my own 4 stage seeing practice into action, alongside a basic camera scan technique and attuned myself to the visual moment. There were technical choices to be made and this all becomes more seamless and part of the moment the more I follow the mindful photography practices.