Learn to still your thoughts and be in the moment

Look outside the plane window when you are cruising at high altitude. No matter what the weather was like when you took off, there’s a place beyond the clouds where the sky is always clear. It is the same with our minds. When we can observe our sensations and thoughts (the ‘clouds’) in a non-judgemental way, eventually they drift away, revealing the clear blue sky of our mind that was there all along. 

This “easy way to understand mindfulness” was spotted by me in a short article in the inflight magazine when I flew from Sydney to Perth on a Jetstar flight recently. Mindfulness has become a widely discussed subject in recent times throughout the world, particularly among business executives who feel stressed due to work.

Describing mindfulness in simple words as the act of moment-to-moment awareness, writer Alec Williams says mindfulness has been credited with everything from curing depression to helping people lose weight, stress less and sleep better. 

“Clued-in CEOs are now using mindfulness, which has roots in traditional Buddhist meditation, to boost productivity, while Western psychologists extol the virtues of everything from ‘mindful walking’ to ‘mindful eating’ and even ‘mindful dishwashing’,” he says.

In the article is a quote from comedian Ruby Wax who has a master’s degree in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy from Oxford: “It doesn’t mean you sit there like a lump of tofu. It means that when your mind changes and chatters, you don’t fight it, but rather understand and accept it for what it is.”

The writer also describes an experiment he tried out at his desk as outlined in Ruby Wax’s book ‘A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled’: The practice of tuning into my physical sensations is simple, but requires commitment – I’d rather suppress deadline anxiety with cat videos or a biscuit than “notice how I feel”. The first times I practise I notice how tightly I clench my stomach when I’m anxious, and how this stops my breathing. But after a few moments of the simple act of paying attention, my whole energy shifts and tension drains away. When I do refocus on my work, a solution to something that was stumping me appears in the mental space crated.

To try out 

Being an inflight magazine, the article naturally focusses on mindfulness while on air. “A few minutes of mindfulness as you settle into your flight can ease you into your journey. Studies show how mindfulness increases melatonin, the powerful sleep hormone that dips during air travel,” it says.

The passengers are advised to try out a four-tiered simple formula:

1. Let your gaze rest softly on the seat in front of you.

2. Notice the sensations in your belly. Let it relax and soften as you inhale. As you breathe out, let go of any tightness in your shoulders.

3. Notice the screen of your mind. Are there ‘clouds’ (background activity)? Without following the clods, give them a label such as “planning”, “remembering” or “should-ing”. 

4. After a few moments notice how you feel mentally, emotionally, and physically. Can you see the clear blue sky beyond?