Seth Andrews of "The Thinking Atheist Podcast" interviewed Dr. Ron Siegel about the "Science of Mindfulness." I listened to the podcast, but here is the video of the interview. He raised some interesting points I hadn't considered about how we care for our minds.

I now realize "mindfulness" is what I'm doing when I take my evening walks, at the end of the day, and sit on my favorite log for about 5 minutes, facing into the wind while I mentally clear my head of the daily thoughts and odds and ends swirling around in there, and I come out of it far more content. There's a reason I do it at the end of the day, rather than the beginning. Very relaxing to set aside the work-a-day thoughts.

As I finish up my walk I am treated to live music in the air, and usually take another 5-10 minute stop to let my mind get transported through whatever story is being told by the singer. "Fly me to the moon..." or "Somewhere over the rainbow..." and other random musical interludes played for the folks at the outdoor/open air restaurant/bar.

Other nights I take my bike out for a ride along the coast and sit on my favorite rock in silence, again allowing the wind to blow in my face, clearing my mind of all else by watching the scenery go by as I pedal.

Do you have a daily routine of clearing your mind, or focusing on something else for a short period of time? Do you find it helpful for your peace of mind or contentedness?