Enhancing Your Day With Mindful Driving

I used to be in such a hurry when I drove. Always rushing towards the next destination and not mindful of where I was at that moment. Now, I don’t even speed and I always arrive exactly when I’m supposed to, never early and never late.

Most Americans own a car. And it is in this box we seem to find ourselves spending a significant portion of our day commuting to work, school, to a grocery store, or some other necessary destination. If you’ve been driving for years, you’ve more likely become numb to many aspects of your car, the road, and the entire driving experience as a whole. 

We find our keys, unlock the door, turn on the ignition, the radio is already on from our previous excursion, put the shifter in D and go without as much as a second thought as to what mindful experience we’re missing.

So how may we embrace mindfulness into our driving to make it more a part of our being? Like most activities we undertake the experience begins before the actual event.

With driving we may begin with the time available to arrive at our destination. Did you wake up late and are rushing or do you have enough time to account for a delay? If you’re short on time you may begin to feel anxious whereas if you have plenty of time the experience will be more enjoyable.

Do you remember where your keys are? Be diligent about where you place your keys after each return. Searching frantically for them when you left them in yesterdays coat pocket removes from the enjoyable driving experience you’re about to make.

Walk leisurely towards your car. Look at the sky, breathe deeply and smell the air, feel the temperature on your skin. Take note for any flat tires or anything else that may prove hazardous for your drive.

As you sit in the driver’s seat, feel yourself being gently cradled. Are the seats leather or cloth? Are they warm or cold? When you fasten your seatbelt how does the click sound? You may not need to adjust your mirrors if you were the last to operate this vehicle but it’s a good practice to check. 

Keep the radio off for the entire drive. Although music is certainly enjoyable during today’s commute you’ll really be practicing driving mindfully. It it’s a nice day, open the window slightly. No air conditioner. Don’t speed either, not even by one mile per hour or KPH. Doing these little steps will help develop patience and awareness to where you are in this present moment.

As you drive, with both hands on the wheel, feel the road. Are there bumps or is it smooth. Just like life, there are smooth patches, areas of roughness, and even the occasional pothole.

Look at the other motorists. Are they speeding by you? Let them. Does it make you feel a little awkward? Ask yourself why.

Like the other motorists, you have a destination that you’re traveling too. But your destination isn’t the same as theirs. And in fact, your destination isn’t the ‘destination’ you’re truly journeying towards, is it? 

I wish you peace and ease, 

Vladimir

You are warmly invited to follow on us on Facebook and Instagram @bluelotuscenter for more way to improve your mindfulness practice and wellbeing.

Blue Lotus Meditation and Mindfulness Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.

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Maintaining Your Practice While Travelling

Mindfulness On The Road

It is often easier to keep a steady mindfulness practice when we are in our familiar settings like home or work. But what about while traveling?

With travel for work and leisure beginning to resume after a long and necessary pause, we can often find it challenging to maintain our meditation practice.

Although challenging this does not have to be the situation or a barrier to your practice. On the contrary, as mindfulness practitioners we understand that meditation can be done anywhere and during any activity. Meditation is not always sitting in a lotus position, quiet and still for a period of time.

For example, suppose you are on a business trip and you are attending a conference or seminar. As you walk from one location to another you can easily practice a walking meditation. Look around you, there are many wonderful observations to been seen in the architecture or even the indoor floral arraignments.

Or perhaps examine the floor, is it carpet or tile? What are the patterns, if any? Think about the care the workers had to use to place the tile or carpet down. This skill is how they earn a living to care for themselves and family.

What smells are around you? Are there vendors selling food? Maybe you can smell hotdogs or popcorn? Consider where these foods came from and the process in which it took for it to get here. Know that the vendor themselves is providing you a service so that they may support themselves as well.

As you sit and wait for the speaker to come on stage to talk think about how your body is feeling in the chair? Or perhaps your feet if you are standing.

At night when you return to your hotel room affords a wonderful opportunity to quietly meditate and reflect on the days activities and feelings.

Or perhaps you are on vacation with your family. Maybe you went to a large amusement park in another state. Lines are something one typically encounters here and provide a unique opportunity to practice patience and meditate as well. 

Everyone is waiting to form what will hopefully turn out to be a pleasant memory, one that they too can share in the future. Maybe you can smell cotton candy? 

One recollection I have is seeing birds and squirrels running around trying to scavenge food that has been dropped. Do they eat this reward right away or do they bring it back to a nest to feed their offspring? 

In the mornings, perhaps you will need to rise a little earlier to have your solitary mediations.

Both of these situations have taken us from our mindfulness and meditation routines but this is exactly why we have undertaken them in the first place. These changes in routine provide a gentle illustration of impermanence too. 

And these adjustments to our routine also offers us helpful insight as to where we can improve our practice as well. Remember to bring gentleness and openness to your practice wherever you may be and take the lessons given and use them to improve your wellbeing.

I wish you peace and ease,

Vladimir

Blue Lotus Mindfulness and Meditation Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.