Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about eating them. But I’m more focused on the fact that if you’ve ever made dumplings, bread, pirogies, anything with dough from scratch, you can probably attest - going through the motions can feel as tranquil as a meditation.
Because - drumroll- it can be one. Seriously.
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but mindfulness isn’t just practicing transcendental meditation (although, power to you if that’s your thing). It’s truly anything that brings your full focus to NOW. Honestly, the first mindfulness practice I ever did on my own that worked for me was an exercise for washing the dishes.
And it forever changed how I feel about mindfulness.
Today, my meditation was making dough for gluten free dumplings. Kneading it together. Rolling it out. Adding flour to the sticky parts, kneading in the dry parts. It was the simplest kind of movement meditation. For the first time all day, my mind didn’t wander, and I just zoned into the task at hand. And I ended up feeling totally at peace with the world.
Your mindfulness moment might also be cooking. But it can be running (try focusing on “right foot, left foot” in your head), watering your plants or, my original fav, tackling those plates in the sink. Whatever it is, turn off your phone, that podcast, the tv. Move without rush, and try just being there.
Stress management isn’t about running away from everything demanding in your life. It’s finding little things throughout that help you handle the day better. And a little mindfulness break, sometimes that can make all the difference.
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