Washing dishes is an
activity that most of us engage in every day.
This routine act which we most often engage in mindlessly can also be an
opportunity to practise being fully present and mindful.
Typically our
attitude when doing such tasks like dish washing, sweeping, cleaning, cooking is
to get it over with as quickly as possible, so that we can get to more
important things. The mindset we have
then is that the job at hand is an obstacle or necessary evil in the path of
the thing that we really want to do.
Our evaluation or
judgment of the task makes it difficult for us to see the value such mundane
tasks possess – the ability to put us back in the moment, to practise
contemplation, and to awaken us. When we
are fully available to the moment, no matter what we are doing, then we can’t
worry about the future or yearn for the past.
We can only be present in the present.
The skill to bring
our attention to whatever we are doing makes it possible to keep our
thoughts from running away with us and we become better able to manage our anxiety. Paying attention or being
mindful of what the body is doing and where the body is in the moment, slows
down and calms the mind and body. And
when mind, body and moment unite, we are alive and present.
This is how you practice
dish washing meditation. The intention
is to use one or all the senses to become present in the moment.
Sensations of dish washing (paying
attention to all the senses – sound/sight/feeling)
You can choose to
pay attention to the sensations of the weight of the bowl in your hand, the
sound of the water running, the feel of the water and soap on your hand, the
squishiness of the sponge, the smell of the soap, the sight of the caked on
food on the utensils, and your feelings and thoughts about what you’re seeing,
hearing, feeling, smelling. Try to look at a fork, cup, pot as if you’ve
never seen one before, and then “see” the fork, cup, pot.
When your mind
wanders, try not to judge yourself. Keep
returning to the object of your attention – the plate, the spoon you are
washing.
Or there’s my favourite dish washing meditation…
Sounds of dish washing: (paying
attention to just one sense – sound)
Listen to the sound
of the water pouring onto or slopping over the utensils, the sound of the sink
filling. Hear the sound of the scourer
scraping over the plates – notice the difference in tone when the scourer rubs
over plastic, metal, glass, rubber. Pay
attention to the change in sound when the scourer has soap on it and when it
doesn’t, listen to the cutlery clinking against each other and in the dish rack,
against the pots, glass, wooden bowl.
Washing dishes
becomes so enjoyable, when I remember to wash them with this kind of “musical
accompaniment.” Try it and you might find
this is true for you too.
May you be awakened
in this moment.
