Q: I feel guilty when I’m not occupied. Is it okay to do nothing?

Work environments are not always easy places to remember and engage in our mindful practice. It is important to act mindfully in this space though, as it will bring more peace, happiness AND productivity. When we act mindfully, we form better relationships with our co-workers, respect our body’s need for movement, listen to signs of hunger and fatigue and ultimately we are better at our jobs.

Here are some tools that encourage mindfulness in the work place:

by Diana Rosinus

Why do we resist mindfulness?  Why do we choose to deny acting in ways we know to be healthy?  Our resistance seems to stem from our perceived limitations (those oh-so-familiar excuses!), but in the moments when we are able to be centered and mindful, these limitations begin to crumble before us like dried up castles of sand.

We are starting a new feature in our Blog.  Each week, we will share with you a question that has been posed to Thich Nhat Hanh and his answer to the question.  We welcome your thoughts on the question and his response.

It is important to remember, every day, that everything is impermanent. All notions, things and people are impermanent. Sickness and loss are inevitable, so we must live in the moment to be truly fulfilled.

We can Savor our time in this life, every moment, every breath, every meal and every relationship with mindfulness.

The following statements can help guide us through the process of savoring our lives.

Please contemplate the 5 remembrances:

1. I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.

In this brief video, Thich Nhat Hanh will make you smile, laugh and think.

What if we all acted in accordance with the knowledge that we are intimately related and interdependent? What if interpersonal relationships mirrored the relationship between our two hands?

I love to walk and enjoy nature. A mindful connection between my feet and the earth reminds me that I am intertwined with an abundance of beauty- a mutually supportive world that I give to and receive from, with every breath.

Despite the knowledge that walking brings me joy, I often need a reminder to prioritize this activity and an incentive to get out the door.

If you find that you have fallen away from your exercise plan for a day, a week, even a month, do not judge yourself harshly as a failure. Just start again. Everyday is a new day, an opportunity for a new beginning. You can begin anew every moment.

This 5 minute video from Plum Village brightened my day. I offer it to you for a break from the usual and inspiration for loving wholly.

The video describes that learning to truly love is the essence of mindful living. True love consists of friendship, compassion, joy and non discrimination.

Our happiness resides in this moment. Please enjoy these words of advice from the Buddha about alleviating your suffering by living in the present:

Perceive things as they truly are

To live here and now, you must train yourself:

In the seen, there will be just the seen.

In the heard, just the heard.

In the sensed, just the sensed.

In the thought, just the thought.

That is the end of sorrow.

-The Buddha