Every Day Contemplative Practices That Will Transform Your Life

By Harold Bailey


The thought of a contemplative life might pass as a boring one only reserved for monks or some elite with a utopia mentality. However, contemplative practices are open to all and have a profound effect on the life of those who take them up. You do not need a monastery or going off to some island at a distant land. Here are daily engagements that will have a tremendous positive effect on your life.

People document their daily lives in journals like diaries or blogs. While this might pass as a way to stay organized or take control of your life, it helps you to review your day and discern ways in which you would have achieved more. Keeping a journal also helps you to identify areas you would have done better and therefore move towards self improvement.

Daily rituals will get you into the reflective ream of life. Consider such ordinary activities as establishing a corner that is sacred or personal space. Such a space will give you that feeling of calmness. Participate in spiritually organized ceremonies and schedule regular retreats. These are events that will tune your mind and leave you with a clearer picture of life.

Movement is an incredible way of reflecting or getting in touch with your center. There are numerous movement options including dance, yoga, ta-i chi and labyrinth walking, among others. They get you into a routine of discipline and push your body to be better. You may also take a walking meditation to the park or a place where you can achieve the level of stillness desired.

Relationship building or strengthening with the people around your life will also enhance your contemplation. You are not required to take part in extraordinary activities or be extra nice. It is the simple acts of story telling and focusing on virtues in such stories that will result in calmness. Engage friends and family in deep dialogues that help you to reflect. Be a member of counsel circles where a better society is imagined.

Activists also engage in contemplative activities. These activities are geared towards centering the body, soul and mind. As an activist, you must desire a better world. Participate in marches and keep vigils when the community has issues to deal with. Volunteer at charity events and be a witness of the change that the society desires. It is more effective if you are a witness through your actions.

Creativity enables you to concentrate and bring out your ideas for the world to see. Some of the avenues of achieving stillness through creativity include art that is reflective. It may be a drawing, collage or sculpture that depicts your desired life. You may also sing or create artistic figures or even participate in an exhibition. It is one of the ways of actualizing what you have imagined.

Meditation in itself is a way to achieve stillness. This includes participating in centering activities where you actually push your spirit into searching for stillness. It creates awareness of your environment and thus allows you to better interact with the surrounding. This will raise your potential and make you more aware of what you can achieve. It is a rewarding experience especially when you really connect with your surrounding.




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