The Frozen Moment

Have you ever felt the irresistible urge to push the PAUSE button on God’s time machine to be able to freeze time and step into a particular moment? What an extraordinary experience it would be.

Captivated by the flow of time Hungarian photographer Adam Magyar was capable of achieving just that – in a brilliantly creative way. Magyar takes meditative images at crowded metro station platforms in the world’s most densely populated metropolises using a unique shooting technique. He relies on an industrial camera operated by a special mechanism and program designed by himself.

View his high speed video recording made in New York City at Grand Central station:

Source: https://vimeo.com/83664407

The mindful moment

How often do we find ourselves lost in the forest of our thoughts completely ignoring our environment? How many of these travellers, do you think, would remember this episode from their journey a week later?

Most probably the majority of them were either dwelling on the past or projecting into the future when the shot was taken. But let us admit, in their place you would be doing the same thing, wouldn’t you?

Standing on a platform waiting for your metro car to arrive does not seem to be an interesting scene to be attentive to. Yet, moments like this offer an excellent opportunity to practice mindfulness.

STOP

In the toolbox of mindfulness techniques there is a very simple yet valuable exercise called STOP. Let us see what this easy-to-remember acronym stands for:

S – stop for a moment

T – take a few breaths to help you reconnect with the present moment by tuning in to your breathing. Breathing cannot happen at any other time than the present moment so this simple redirection of attention will make is possible for you to take a break from whatever you are doing.

O – observe what you are doing right now. Ask yourself questions such as What am I doing, feeling, thinking right now? What sensations do I have in my body right now? What does it feel to be involved in this activity? How do I feel about doing it/ having to do it?

P – proceed and resume your activity with this new sense of mindful awareness. Notice the changes taking place (or triggered by yourself) as a result of this mini-meditation.

This exercise takes up very little of your time and can be applied virtually anywhere and anytime. It is especially recommended for those who find themselves frequently distracted.

By allowing you to monitor your actions and yourself more closely you have a better chance getting back on the track which is leading you to the direction you were heading to.