Developing my Zen Attitude

I've experienced a few setbacks with this month's resolution. The Romeo Project is all about finding the self-improvement tools that work for those with a mental illness, and the reality is that mental illness can often get in the way of productivity. Lacking any inspiration to write, post or even experiment for the past week has left me feeling stuck in a rut when it comes to the blog.

But yesterday I discovered some new found motivation to improve my sense of calm this month; becoming Zen.

Zen, according to my best friend the Oxford English Dictionary, is;

"A Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition rather than ritual worship or study of scriptures. Zen Buddhism was introduced to Japan from China in the 12th century, and has had a profound cultural influence. The aim of Zen is to achieve sudden enlightenment (satori) through meditation in a seated posture (zazen), usually under the guidance of a teacher and often using paradoxical statements (koans) to transcend rational thought."

That's not exactly what I meant, and is a bit too wordy for my liking. So instead, I found this perfect short descriptor of what I want to bring into my life during the last week of my resolution Don't Rush.

"Zen deals with things as they are, that is with reality." Source.

So for the next seven days, I will be practicing mindfulness, meditation and finally succumbing to my promise to try yoga.

And to spark my new attitude, I found some encouragment to help me along the way.

Mindfulness

"Mindfulness allows you to respond rather than react."
- Dan Harris, '10% Happier'

Every day I am going to reflect on one favourite moment from the day in my journal. Be it big or small, I'm going to celebrate a moment that brought me happiness; recording every detail from where, who, what and why.

Meditation

"It's been scientifically proven that meditation helps calm the mind and de-stress the body."
- Melissa Ambrosin, 'Mastering your Mean Girl'

"Meditation is not about feeling a certain way. It's about feeling the way you feel."
- Dan Harris, '10% Happier'

To bring meditation into my life, I'm turning to the Calm book and App. I want to dedicate even just a few minutes a day to meditating for a better sense of calm.

Yoga

“Yoga is not a religion. It is a science, science of well-being, science of youthfulness, science of integrating body, mind and soul.” 

- Amit Ray, Yoga and Vipassana: An Integrated Life Style

This Saturday I have signed up for a 2 hour introductory course in Yoga! I am so excited and yet nervous at the same time to be sitting in a class with complete strangers. But here it goes.

What simple things can you bring into your life to foster a zen attitude?