Mindful Living

I have been listening to a few podcasts about happiness. It appears that one main source of happiness is being mindful and noticing your surroundings with new perspectives, as if you are traveling in a foreign country (which I do frequently).  I remember how big my street and house appeared to me each time I came back from a 3-month overseas trip.  To ignite my curiosity, all it takes is an open mind with new perspectives.

 

When I notice little things in life (not just when I travel, hike, bike, etc, but every minute I am awake), I see new things in my old life that I never notice before. The Toll Path along the C&O Canal has totally different colors this winter while I walked on it. The same trails on SNP look interesting again in my eyes.

"When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change," as quoted by Rev. Trish at

Celebration Center for Spiritual Living in Falls Church this Sunday morning. I am spiritual but not religious. I always seek inspiration and search for the callings of my life. I found the Center when reading a meditation meetup post online.

I found some negative reviews (pushing classes. etc.) about the organization before I attended the Sunday service, so I was cautious when attending. I liked the services and people there, and clarified my questions and concerns with Rev. Trish. Some local Centers do have questionable practices, but this one looks fine so far. I may go back again.

I was in Unity of Fairfax and All Souls Unitarian Church in DC, so I asked Rev. Trish how these two schools different form the Center. In short, Unity of Fairfax is based on one God of Christianity, while Unitarian and the Center identify with and draw inspiration from many different religious or philosophical traditions. However, I still do not understand her explanation on the difference between Unitarian and the Center.

I went back to the Center Sunday night to try Tibetan singing bowl meditation, and experienced the sound passed via my body while lying on a yoga mat.  Singing bowls are used worldwide for meditation, music, relaxation, and personal well-being. There were eight signing bowls set on seats on four tables for Rev. Trish to vibrate to rims of the singing bowls to produce sound. The sound guided my empty mind floating around the room without thought or falling into sleep. I saw singing bowls throughout Asia, especially Nepal, China and Japan, but 1st time experiencing this way.