When warm weather hits for real, and daylight hours out number the darks ones, when school finally lets out, we take a collective breath.  Summer is finally here. Summer, with all the promise of long lazy days doing nothing much in particular. Fire flies and flying kites. Beach-balls. Naps in the hammock. Ice cream cones dripping onto sticky fingers. Cue the early bird song. The lazy afternoons.

But hold on reality check. This is USA, 2010. Life moves fast. This is the age of scheduled childhood. We live saturated in a technological culture of immediacy - of impatience. Constant activity is as ubiquitous as breathing.

So here we are in the middle of July. Summer is half-gone and many of us feel like something is off.

My advice? Don't panic.

Instead, please, do this. Everyone. First of all, give your calendars a gander. Do you notice, that suddenly they're inundated with so many activities, cookouts, beach parties, road trips, baseball games, soccer games, and so on, that there's barely room to write in one more teeny tiny event on any given square for any day June through August? What the heck? Blackberry and iPhone users, ask yourself this, can you see all your activities for each day without scrolling?

Do you find yourself scratching you head in the middle of the night (since that's the only time you're not running/driving somewhere) and wondering, "so when does the relaxing part begin?" What a bummer that 2 or 3 a.m. is the only time you have for such reflection. Does this sound at all familiar?

Moving with Mindfulness

There is a lot of talk, a lof of speculation, about mindfulness. But really, what is it? And how can we live life more mindfully this summer, right here, right now?

Mindful activity is anything we do fully and completely, with nothing left over. And, with no sense of grasping on, hoping to make the moment last well past what is possible. Mindful living is a process of experiencing life, moment by moment, accepting it for what it is, without judgement.

Take a breath as you read this. Inhale. Know you are inhaling. Feel the body as you inhale. Exhale. Know you are breathing out. Let go of each breath fully -- don't hold on, just let it go.

So now let's talk summer: What do I do about my overcrowded calendar? So maybe you have some things on the plan that would be hard to change without causing trouble. No problem. But for all the rest, try some simple tips and techniques that will slow things down, so you can hop off that hamster wheel of summer frenzy and learn to enjoy the season, moment by moment.

Happiness is not a Pursuit

We tend to think that "happiness" or "relaxation" are out there somewhere. They are things to be obtained, pursued. It's a hunt! We think happiness is something we have to go somewhere to find or buy. After all, we waited all winter long. Now we have to cram it all in! Sound relaxing? (NOT!) And all that "shopping" for experiences only creates more trouble for us.

Example: We plan road trips, take lessons, go to camp (whatever) to make for a happy summer. This is happiness as pursuit.

The ability to have the happiness we seek is right here. No road trip needed. No special equipment required. It's like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, remember? She had what she needed with her all along. And so do we!

Our natural state of mind is quiet, peaceful, full of joy and clear as a pond on a perfectly still day. All the happiness we seek is something we already have. There's nowhere to go and nothing to buy. Isn't it wonderful? The thing we most wish for is already in our possession, we just have to realize it.

But don't take my word for it. Try these ideas and practices out for yourself.

Simplify your morning

Develop simple routines for every morning. Wake up and do the basic things the body requires. Leave the TV and the radio and the media off. Brush teeth. Wash the face. Be aware of your breath and the body. Greet the day quietly, rain or shine, just as it is. Step outside while the rest of the family still sleeps and stand or sit and take in the sunrise. Observe how the sights and sounds change without holding on to any one of them, no matter how lovely.

On the weekend, try doing this with your family. Arise without speaking and have a plan to gather quietly and sit in peaceful silence to greet the day. Hold off on talking until a set time.

Instead of mourning over the impermanence, savor each moment for what it is. Then? Let it go! What would that look like in terms of summer?

Freedom of Indecision

Let someone else make the plans for a day without your input. This eliminates your own picking and choosing. Accept whatever plan is made without getting caught by liking or disliking what someone else selects. Focus your attention on what you are doing without holding on to any one moment. Observe each moment come and go naturally. Enjoy to the fullest that which gives pleasure to others without thinking of what you might prefer. You can always take turns.

Since there is nowhere to go and nothing to get, we can stop running and mindfully be present to acknowledge what is.

The Power of One

Whatever you do when you head out for relaxation, try to do that one thing only. Allow yourself to be fully present by leaving work behind you. Leave the work cell behind. When you drive to the beach, just drive to the beach. When you walk, just walk. Take time to notice the body, the breath.

Smell the flowers. Drink the iced coffee. Play in the mud puddle. Do it all and try to hold off on your own internal assessment and comment. Instead of scheduling a busy day, take the day as it comes. Let the kids be bored and dig around for something to do. Let things unfold as they will.

Try breaking your plans for the day. Before you all head out for whatever is on the calendar, try asking, "who really wants to go do X, Y, or Z?" Make a spontaneous new plan to do nothing.

I'm suggesting that when you open up to the present moment by taking a regular breath, by throwing in the towel on plans and making time for quiet, you'll discover that you can be mindfully present without judgement. In abandoning judgement, you'll find the freedom and peace of a more quiet mind. In being present with what is, you will experience life more mindfully, with nothing left over. This way, we can all savor each moment as it is, resist the impulse to hang on to it.

We can enjoy what's happening and be ready to let it go at a moment's notice. This allows us access to a mindful summer, lived moment by moment without stress or frustration, without the heavy schedule. The time opens for us like a flower coming into bloom. We can enjoy the flower while it lasts and let it go when it's time to do so. And this will give us the summer we always wanted. Peaceful, unhurried. The summer we dreamed of all winter long.

Article written by

Hillary Johnson

Calm and Consciousness

Hillary Johnson is the founder and lead instructor for Calm Chicago, dedicated to uniting body, breath and mind through stress-reduction training.  Hillary gives Chicagoans an eastern flavored reality check to an often-too-busy western lifestyle via training in taijiquan, meditation and qigong.