Living In The Meow: Mindfulness For a More Pawsitive Lifestyle

Living In The Meow:

Mindfulness For a More Pawsitive Lifestyle

Often when we hear the word mindfulness, our brain automatically imagines motifs of meditation through images of Buddhist monks draped in seemingly comfortable bright orange garments, lotus flowers or a brass sounding bowl surrounded by a light cloud of incense smoke.

I have a very overactive brain, so when I imagine these motifs, it often deters me from engaging in structured mindful practices, as it feels like boring homework. I’ll sit on my yoga mat, close my eyes, and begin to focus on my breathing as I remember the meditative affirmations taught by Thic Nhat Hanh. All the while, my brain will be screaming, “I need colors! I need music! I need to move! Let’s go run or play! This is so boring!” And sometimes I can ignore my inner child, but often, especially if I’m manic, I cannot.

So do I just give up? No! I take Tyra Banks’ advice of, “Hoe, but make it fashion.” and turn it into, “Be mindful, but make it fun.”

If you own a cat, or cats, you understand how their moods fluctuate from sleepy cuddly, to silly zoom time, to I-will-bite-anyone, to paw-rkour, to snack time, to sharpen my claws on anything, to naptime, and any unpredictable cocktail of the former you can imagine.

In all that insanity, one can’t help but wonder, how much genius is there? How much wisdom is just there– lurking in the layers of all the chaos? Cats are incredible at practicing mindfulness. They’re often present when they’re conscious, by either playing with an inanimate object, tucked away in a fortress of a cardboard box gnawing at the edges, or meowing like a dial-up modem as they gaze out the window, yearning for birds or other creatures that are just out of reach of their over-sharpened, tiny little claws.

So, you may be wondering, what should I do? Claw at the furniture and paw at the window like my idiot cat I love so much? You could, but just make sure no one sees you. Or, you could try any number of things from a list I made at the end of this post.

But I’m getting too distracted, so I’ll get to the point. I know it’s hard to even imagine, focusing on just the moment we’re in now, and not worrying about tomorrow, or how much time we have left on this planet as a species, but try, because I promise it helps.

Live in the meow. Let this serve as a reminder, to stay in the meow, live in the meow, live for the meow. Tomorrow isn’t promised, so enjoy the meow. Feeling overwhelmed? Take a break. And when someone asks what you’re doing, tell them you’re living in the meow, taking a break right meow, taking a breather right meow, or that you’re not even available to answer that question right meow. Be there for yourself, right meow, because you are essential, and deserve self care, whatever that means to you.

Playful Ways To Practice Mindfulness

And Live in the Meow

1. Play With Color!

   1. Paint

   2. Chalk

   3. Crayons

   4. Colored Pencils

   5. Colored Pens

   6. Colored Markers

   7. Highlighters

   8. Yarn

   9. String (Ex: Rattail)

   10. Embroidery Thread

   11. Beads

   12. Colored Copper Wire

   13. Play Dough

   14. Food Coloring

   15. LED Lights

   16. Crystals

   17. Jewelry

   18. Construction Paper

2. Take Action!

   1. Go For A Walk / Run

   2. Do Yoga

   3. Stretch

   4. Play With Your Pet

   5. Read A Book

   6. Spend Time With Your Plants / Garden

   7. Go for a Hike

   8. Cook A New Meal

   9. Make Some Art

   10. Knit or Crochet

   11. Dance

   12. Swim

   13. Sing

   14. Hula Hoop

   15. Jump Rope

   16. Swing on a Swing set

   17. Write

   18. Play An Instrument

   19. Fix Something Broken

   20. Play a Physical Game (Tag, Twister, Etc.)

   21. Meditate

3. Be Imaginative!

   1. Approach Something From a New Perspective

   2. Let Yourself Wonder and Be Curious

   3. Be Kind To Yourself By Allowing Yourself To Be Bad At Things

   4. Do it For the Vine Fun, The Joy

4. Become a Cryptid!

   1. Climb into a portal

   2. Become a bog witch

   3. Have a picnic with Sasquatch

   4. Sketch Mothman as he Explains his love of Mangos

   5. Pretend you’re the main character of an anime and write in your journal

   6. Romance your life and buy yourself a bouquet of flowers. Then just, stare at it. Just stare. Just… become the flower. The silky, effortless, beautiful flower. Be that.

   7. Look at a painting, and turn it into an interpretive dance to any song by AFI

I hope any of these silly whims inspire you. What are some of your ideas? Go for it! Do it meow! Right meow! You got this! I believe in you, so please, believe in you too!