Every morning, Mungo goes through the same routine… breakfast, then a bimble around the garden – and then he will find a spot, either to sit or lie down, for a bit of a morning contemplation. He takes his time out there – the others have been out and have returned for their ‘in-from-the-out’ biscuit long before Mungo has finished his morning meditation and emerged from his Zen-like state.
We may never know what he is thinking about in these moments, but Mungo’s general demeanor is one of acceptance, patience and wisdom. Considering his history (readers of the blog will know he lived for five years in a puppy farm, prior to his rescue), this would be remarkable enough; but encountering his gaze, one can’t help thinking that no commonplace soul inhabits the body of this beatiful little dog, who takes his place in our family with such calmness and gentle humility.
Getting into a habit of some sort of daily practice is something I recommend to all my clients and students. If you want to create a calm space for yourself where you can just “be”, without having to “do” all the time, then meditation, or a similar meditative practice is a really good place to start. It creates a reduction in stress levels, and increases the connections in your brain – so you will be calmer, and able to think better – two really good reasons to create a new habit.
Spending time in natural surroundings helps you to ground yourself – being outside more is good for us, especially if (like me) you spend the majority of your day sitting inside behind a desk. Walking, running or cycling are all excellent ways of doing this, and have the added benefit of bringing some movement into your day, but often I just enjoy a quiet meditation in the garden, on my terrace, with Mungo enjoying his own version in whatever spot he has chosen that day.
New habits are easier to create if you design them to take place after a solid, existing habit that always happens in your life (like breakfast, in Mungo’s case). Obviously, sometimes there are things that get in the way of our new habit (for Mungo, it’s Weather), but he will always find a way round it… if it’s raining outside, then instead of spending a long time in the garden he will simplay take himself off to a quiet place in the house without his sisters’ company for a little while… then he rejoins us, bringing his quiet wisdom as before.
Mungo’s Teachings:
- Spending a quiet time in nature every day helps to keep us centred and grounded.
- We need to connect first with ourselves in order to connect with others.
- If we can’t do what we normally do, it’s ok to find a different way round.
- We can’t gain wisdom through being busy all of the time.
