Do you want to become more Zen? Or have aspirations to do Zen like activities.
Well you do not need to stick to the strict monastic way of life, however if you want to follow a 21st century Zen Monk lifestyle, then following these rules should get you on the way.
1. Less is More
It does not entirely mean you are becoming lazy when becoming a Zen, you are being more effective with simple day to day tasks. A typical monk wakes up early and his days are filled with tasks, however these tasks have no time constraints and if you take your time it tends to lead to a better quality outcome.
2. Plan your time
A monk knows what his day holds, no hidden surprises and designated time for certain activities. If you plan your day then less stress is a positive outcome. People who leave things to the last minute, those who procrastinate and put off the challenging things always endure more stress!
3. Meditation is not just sitting down
Mediation is great a way to relax, but if you combine it with rituals or chores you typically find boring. Such as cleaning or cooking, it means you are taking one less task off your mind whilst practising mindfulness. Plus you will have an extremely tidy house – just don’t add washing up liquid to your white wine sauce.
4. Take your time
Doing one thing at a time helps you concentrate 100%, life can be extremely hectic with multiple things going on at once. Zen is all about taking your time and enjoying each task or fun in hand, when eating eat! When bathing bathe! Etc
5. Have gaps
Whilst living like a Zen may on the surface look like non-stop tasks. Plan time gaps for your personal fun. For instance, if you like playing games, online slot machine such as Paws of Fury is a light hearted Zen type game, it’s slightly bizarre Panda wearing wok as a hat can give a bit of you time.
Want to find out how much of a Zen you currently are? Well test yourself out with this quiz!
