A note from Sean
Try this today. Tonight, before the first dish, look at the pile and notice what you feel about it, whether that is dread or hurry. Bring to mind the meal those dishes held. Take two breaths and feel your feet. Then wash one dish at a time, with your attention on the warm water on your hands. When you catch yourself rushing, slow your hands and keep going.
Keep going: Mindful Cleaning and Mindful Cooking.
This suits anyone who rushes through chores or dreads them. If standing at the sink hurts your back or wrists, or the kitchen carries a hard memory, go gently. Stop when you need to.
Here’s a Sample of the “Mindfulness of Doing the Dishes” Guided Meditation Script:
Doing the Dishes
We often wash the dishes with dread or in haste, rushing to get it done as quickly as possible. Instead, you can partake in this chore with present-time awareness and find some peace. You might look at the dishes you are going to be cleaning. Noticing any natural reactions you have to the task at hand. Try to bring to mind the meal that was consumed and how it supported the well-being and life of all those who ate.
Take a few deep breaths, centering your awareness in the body. Feel where you are standing and the weight pushing down the spine into the feet.
You might begin to wash, one dish at a time. Staying focused on the dish directly in front of you in the moment. As you clean, tuning in to the smells that arise of the soap and food.
Watching the dishes become cleaner. Feeling the warm water on your hands. Hearing the sounds of the water and the scrubbing.
Washing the dishes as a mindfulness practice was made well known by Thich Nhat Hanh in his book The Miracle of Mindfulness.
