If focusing on your breath feels constraining, you don’t have to give up meditation—you can enter through another door. In a Nov. 4 interview with Harvard Divinity School, Monica Sanford said that everyday activities such as folding laundry, pulling weeds in the garden, taking a walk and washing dishes can become meditation when you give them your full attention. The Indian daily newspaper Hindustan Times also featured the interview on Nov. 6, presenting it as a way to meditate in daily life.
The interview was timed ahead of the U.K.’s Self-Care Week (Nov. 16–22) and World Meditation Day on Dec. 21, with the idea that it’s a good time to begin practicing mindfulness.
The meditation tool this Harvard professor chose: a laundry basket
Sanford is a lecturer in Ministry Studies at Harvard Divinity School and assistant dean for multireligious ministry. She was ordained as a Buddhist lay minister in the Chan tradition of Chinese Zen and trained as a Buddhist chaplain. She is also the author of 『Kalyāṇamitra』, a textbook for Buddhist chaplains.
Her recommended approach is simple: Choose an activity you already enjoy, such as folding laundry or pulling weeds in the garden, make it part of your daily routine, and give it your full attention while you do it. Taking your time with a task you used to rush through and focusing on just one thing, she explained, can turn that time into “a gift to yourself.”
If breath meditation feels constraining, try another approach
Sanford said breath meditation isn’t right for everyone. If focusing on your breath doesn’t work for you, you can switch to loving-kindness meditation, walking meditation or meditation while washing dishes. All of these practices can be adapted to suit you, she said. Loving-kindness meditation involves silently repeating phrases that express goodwill toward yourself and others.
This is also where people who are new to meditation often get stuck. They close their eyes and count their breaths, but when thoughts keep intruding, they conclude that meditation isn’t for them. Walking, which involves movement; household chores, which keep your hands busy; and loving-kindness meditation, which involves repeating warm phrases, each offer a different entry point. Choosing the one that works for you can be the first step in meditation.
You encounter stress in the body before the mind
That doesn’t mean you should abandon breath meditation. Sanford said that when extreme stress triggers the body’s tension response, breath meditation focuses on helping the body return to a state of rest. It’s a reminder that stress must first be addressed in the body before it can be worked through in your thoughts.
She doesn’t see mindfulness as a technique that is an end in itself. Rather, she described it as noticing where you are, what you’re doing and why—and practicing directing your attention where you want it to go. The Hindustan Times reported that she sees mindfulness as more than a passing trend for stress relief.
Start meditating tonight with one piece of laundry
You don’t need elaborate preparations to try Sanford’s suggestion at home. Start by leaving your phone in another room.
As you fold laundry, notice the fabric’s texture and warmth, the sound it makes as you fold it and the weight of the growing pile of folded clothes. As you tend to a balcony planter or garden, notice the feel of the soil and the effort in your fingertips as you pull out a weed. On a walk, follow the sensation of your feet touching the ground and lifting away. If your mind wanders, don’t criticize yourself; simply return your attention to the sensations in your hands and feet.
You can also add a brief loving-kindness meditation at the end of the day. Slowly repeat a short phrase, such as “May I be at ease” or “May the people I met today be at ease.” In an age of constant information and alerts, meditation doesn’t have to be another task that requires setting aside special time. It can begin by giving your full attention to something you’re already doing.
Article inquiries: fare3041@naver.com