Next time you go for a walk around the park, take a tennis ball with you. Use the tennis ball to focus your mind to the present. If you are like me, I end up brooding about problems or life-challenges when I go on walks. In some cases, I actually find solutions to some of my problems. In other cases, I just increase my anxiety levels.

When you have a tennis ball in your hand, you can bounce it off your path and watch its path as it goes down. Listen to the thump as the ball hits the ground and catch it as it comes up. Feel the texture of the ball as you prepare to bounce it again.  This very simple process grounds you to the present moment. The activity is similar to that of monks and saints who use prayer beads and a mantra to focus in the present.

This simple activity - it engages your sense of sight, sound and feeling - has a tremendous relaxing effect in your mind and body. Every time, your mind is diverted to your pressing problems and challenges, this ball draws your attention to the present. In addition to the feeling of relaxation this active play provides, you may also find creative solutions to your life's challenges.

Try it and let me know how it works for you! And special thanks to my friend Barry for this idea!

Standard Disclaimer - Always be of mindful of others and traffic around. This exercise is done best in relatively empty streets or in a park.

When I started out in the meditation journey about 15 years ago, I was an atheist/agnostic. Similar to today, many of the meditation practices were sponsored by religious organizations.  While these organizations claim to focus on the spiritual aspects of the practice, many of the traditions and rituals are associated with that of organized religion (my opinion).  I focus (no pun intended) on non-religious techniques that rely on breath awareness, visualization and feelings of love.  These techniques are very easy for beginners to understand and learn.  Also, the "religious" baggage that  come with some of the "spiritual" meditation techniques are avoided.

My brother calls me a "Born Again" Hindu as I re-embraced religion of my birth after many years of being an atheist/agnostic.  Since then, I had many spiritual experiences (some people say that it is related to my meditation practice). I do go to Indian temples regularly but my spiritual experiences have manifested themselves during nature walks, visits to churches and jewish temples also.  I am driven to keep these spiritual experiences out of my meditation classes - because I believe that each person has a unique experience with meditation and I want them to respect that.

At the same time, I respect people who use meditation primarily as an extension of their religious or spiritual practice to know more about themselves and connect to a higher source of power - God, Allah or whatever they may choose to call it.

Two books that have influenced my meditation practice and classes are:

Breakout Principle by Dr. Herbert Benson (famous for his Relaxation Response theory) develops the scientific basis for meditation and relaxation techniques and its impact on the quality of our lives.

Open Focus Brain by Dr Les Fehmi is another work that has impressed me in its scientific and effective approach in dealing with stress and focus in our lives.

Most of my students complain that they enjoy meditation but they cannot find the time for it. You do not need 30 - 45 minutes to one hour for a good meditation session The secret is quality not quantity! It is good to schedule a long meditation session about once in a week and it will add to your relaxation to find 5-10 minutes daily for a mini-meditation session shown below.

Many years ago, I recall reading about a unique technique for short power naps You lie down in bed with a spoon in your hand. The spoon is poised over a plate next to your bed. As you sleep, your body relaxes completely and the spoon slips and the resulting clatter wakes you up completely refreshed. I have tried various combinations of these power naps and found them very refreshing.

To extend this idea, I suggest that you use a kitchen timer ($5-$15 at your local store). I prefer a mechanical one as it has a ticking noise. Set it for 5 minutes and focus on your breathing Visualize, in your mind's eye, air coming through your nostrils and going into your lungs and belly. Follow your breath out. Listen the sounds of breathing and feel as your chest moves up and down against your shirt or dress I often imagine that my stress dissolves in the air I breathe in and the stress goes out with my exhalation I also imagine that I breathe in peace and love along with air and spread the feeling of relaxation all over my body When my thoughts and focus wanders away, I gentle bring my focus back to my breathing Before I know it, the timer rings and it is time for my next task.

Try this out and let me know your comments. Please share your favorite "mini-meditation" with this group.

Do you have young children in your house? If not, borrow them from your friends or your adult children :-)
Children (especially less than 7 years old) are masters at mindfulness practice. They enjoy the present.  Observe a five year old play with a cardboard box. In his (or her) imagination, the box takes whatever shape he wants. It could be a race car or a house.  He can be immersed in it for hours together. The three lessons we can learn from children are

(1)  Focus and enjoy the present - you cannot do anything about the past and don't be too worried about the future - it often turns out quite different what you imagined it will be.

(2) Use your imagination in strong and positive ways - Worry is a classic example of using your imagination in a negative manner. Enjoy and play regularly in your life

(3) Unconditional love - there are so many people who give you unconditional love. Your family, your friends and many of your co-workers.  Accept and acknowledge this love in your life.

After I wrote this article, I found this wonderful and similar article in health bistro! Check it out!

Check out this blog article!
http://healthbistro.lifescript.com/2009/11/03/6-life-lessons-we-can-learn-from-children/

Many of us think of meditation and mindfulness as a long and complex art that involves hours of sitting down and doing nothing!  Nothing can be farther from the truth - John Kabat Zinn and Andrew Weil give a great introduction to meditation in this two part CD. Here are two testimonials from Amazon.com for this CD set. This CD set is only $16.47 now (regular price is $25.00)