Sit Still: mini-mission
Parents are always telling their children to sit still. While I’m not sure sitting still is good for children, I know it is good for adults. In our oh so busy lives, sitting still, like napping can seem counter productive, but it really has the potential to improve our health and overall outlook on the day and life itself. In mainstream society, most are praised for high energy and getting things done. You will likely hear, “wow, she does it all!” over “she is really good at sitting still”.
Luckily, this blog was not designed for the mainstream, so your mini-mission today is to sit still. Joshua Becker writes about practicing solitude at any given time by just finding a quiet place to sit for an extended period of time. Leo Babauta recently incorporated sitting into his morning routine. “You don’t have to meditate — sitting still, contemplating, taking in the world, is a beautiful thing.”
For this mini-mission, sitting still is not meant to be meditation, or a means to an end. In fact, the only rule is: don’t sit AND. Typically we sit AND eat, sit AND read, sit AND check email, watch a movie or anything else besides just sitting to sit. There is no time limit for this mini-mission or other requirement other than don’t do anything else while you sit.
To see if this habit works for you, try it in the morning. Wake up and drink water. Then, find a chair of your own and just sit still.
Update:
Minimalist Fashion Project 333 begins this Friday, October 1st. Read the rules here and check out the facebook page. If you want to spend less and think less about what you wear over the next three months, it’s not to late to join!
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Hey Courtney, lovely post. I long to sit more and shall heed your advice. To just sit, with no “and”, if or but. I recently got on a plane and instead of pulling out my laptop or watching a movie, I just sat. The people I was traveling with, even the flight attendant, kept asking me what I was doing or if I wanted something – um, no nothing. Sometimes it’s good to just be. We forget. Nice reminder. Love your mini-missions.
Thanks Katie, Your “chair of your own” post was an inspiration.
Courtney, recently I was told by my doctor to try to “stay in the moment” – something not easily done by me! Your posts always simplify how to do things instead of just telling us to do it. You give such good ideas. Thanks for helping to make my life just plain better.
Meg – I am happy to do it. Staying in the moment is easier said than done but always does the trick!
Funny you posted on this topic, as it is something I’ve recently started doing again, a sort of Zazen Lite. It’s amazingly effective and restorative.
Re Project 333–got my final selections done yesterday, took some photos, will blog about it tomorrow. Last week we were in the 90F’s, this week in the mid-50′s. The wardrobe will get its dress rehearsal this week, in case I have last-minute second thoughts about something. (Too many sweaters? Not enough coats?)
Meg, I am going through the same thing! It has been in the 90s all week! My list won’t be final until Thursday night. Can’t wait to see your pics – I will put a link on the Facebook page.
Hey together,
a few days before I saw parents telling their childs to sit still in a restaurant! But on the other hand they were not able to do it by themselves.
Thank you for inviting myself to this project. I want to try it and sitting still!
kind regards
Thanks for your comment Mac. Children sitting still is usually better for the parents than the children!
Mission accomplished! I spent some time looking at trees today…nothing else. Thanks for that.
So glad!
Such an important thing, yet so very hard to do! The AND part is what I have difficulty with. Not doing anything else at all!
Gonna check out the Minimalist Fashion Project!
Bernice
http://bernicewood.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/10-ways-to-stop-being-so-busy/
Bernice, I know! We are almost on auto pilot when it comes do doing more than one thing at once. It won’t be an easy habit to break but so important for self preservation!
I don’t do this every day but on occasion I will. It always feels so good to just sit. Now that I think about it though I will be doing it a lot more in the coming couple of months as archery season starts. That’s one of the best parts of hunting – sitting in the woods not doing a thing just watching to see what you cna see. My mind tends to wander a ton and I get a lot of things settled in my mind that way. I can’t wait!
Trudy, Glad you take the time to sit still!
I did this today with a daily devotional that I use. It is great to have a few quiet moments in the morning before the t.v comes on and the hectic routine begins.
Great Advice! I have just started a minimalist blog at http://minimalistwith3kids.blogspot.com/
Please take a look and comment.
-Angie