The content below includes a range of tools, thoughts, insights and exercises to assist you with understanding and cultivating Mindfulness. You will find videos digging into what meditation can be, moments of mindful space, and practical experiments designed to help you see the workings of your mind. I invite you to find a bit of distance from your thoughts and feelings, so that you can examine them. When you make space in your mind for new realizations, it is my hope that you’ll uncover wondrous possibilities!
Photography can be an exercise in Mindfulness – pausing for a moment to fully take in and appreciate what is all around us.
This photo reminds me of the resilience of Nature. Why would the universe conspire to create something so beautiful, the combinations of shapes and colors, the thoughts that the image produces… doesn’t it make sense that we’re here to appreciate it all? Love and Gratitude.
Even though there is much turmoil in the world, I’m feeling pretty good overall about this year. I see more and more people beginning to:
At the beginning of a new year, there is often a desire to make some changes in your life. You perhaps see more clearly the limitations of your past views and perspectives, and how things could be better. You make resolutions to state your intentions. Unfortunately, this may be followed by inertia or sluggishness, an internal conflict that keeps you where you are. It requires energy to overcome this mental stuck-ness. Inspiration may be the key to finding that energy and getting yourself moving.
So, let’s unpack that a bit. What is Inspiration? Merriam Webster says:
1a: a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation
So maybe connect more closely with a higher power, however you define that higher power.
b: the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions
This is the end result!
c: the act of influencing or suggesting opinions
How about asking other people how they get inspired?
2: the act of drawing in specifically : the drawing of air into the lungs
Connecting to breath!
3a: the quality or state of being inspired
With practice, is it possible to put yourself in an inspired state of mind?
b: something that is inspired // “a scheme that was pure inspiration”
An object of inspiration!
4: an inspiring agent or influence
A person as inspiration!
Let’s bring all of this back around to the practice of Mindfulness. When we intermingle breathing with connecting to a higher power, we find the basis for a meditation.
What does it mean to you, specifically, to be inspired? How do you feel when you get inspired? Think about previous times you’ve felt inspired – your energy level, the expression on your face, the emotions you felt.
Take a moment to find a comfortable seat and take a few deep breaths, inspiring and expiring. Let the busyness of the day settle within you like ripples in a pond, diminishing over time.
As the thoughts clear and settle, drop the word inspiration into the pond. See how it shakes up the water, both surface and depths, until eventually the stillness returns. An inspiration is a way to shake things up, to rearrange a perspective or a view and to generate energy – energy that you can use towards something important to you.
As the stillness takes over again and you contemplate your breath, think about a feeling you get when you’re inspired, whatever it is. Does the feeling have a color, a scent or a shape? Something tangible? Be with the feeling and let your mind wander, see if something insistent is projecting on your awareness. Is inspiration knocking?
You can repeat this clearing and calming, then shaking up and reforming, and see what transpires! Once you feel a seed of inspiration, dwell on how it will feel to put that inspiration towards an important goal or change. Focus deeply on how good it feels and all of the details that make it real: the congratulations of loved ones and friends, emails you receive about it, the deep sigh of satisfaction. Make it real in your mind. Now create a short affirmative statement that captures the essence of your inspiration.
Feel gratitude for the work you’ve done with your higher self to create this inspiration. Inspire and be inspired! Happy 2020!
One of the first steps to becoming Mindful is to begin to notice what’s going on inside your mind. By becoming conscious of your thoughts, feelings and emotions, you begin to realize that you have choices about them.
A way in which you can confirm this is to consider the idea of positive thinking. Is it possible to consciously start to think more positively about the world?
At this time of year, it is the custom to give thanks for the bounties of the earth and for the good things in your life. Why not take a few minutes during this time to write down things for which you’re grateful? The act of doing this begins to change a fundamental part of your thought mechanisms; you’ll find that, as you consider the positives in your life, more of them appear. You begin to see the brighter side, you look for positive experiences, you see that you can indeed change the thoughts you think for the better.
A gratitude list can be used to help you overcome negative moments. I have a list on my phone and I add to it on a regular basis. If I’m ever on a downward path, I look at the list and choose something that appeals to me to think about. I’ll go into the details of the memories I have and see just how good this memory makes me feel. I immerse myself in the thoughts for a few minutes. If I still feel negative or even just flat, I’ll find another memory and do the same again. Almost always, my perspective will change and I’ll be lighter and clearer about life.
To start a Gratitude List:
Please let me know how this experience affects you by responding below – I’m betting you feel better more of the time!
Happy Thanksgiving!
This fall, Lorna Bennett and I hosted a series of four one-hour workshops designed to help participants begin a sitting meditation practice. Micro Meditations are an easy entry point to regular meditation, requiring only a few short minutes a day. This was the first series of this type that we’ve taught together, and it went really well!
For 3-5 minutes a day over a four week period, participants explored a number of aspects of meditation: noticing physical sensations, observing thoughts, feeling emotions. They attended four workshop sessions in which we discussed why meditation is a good thing to do, affecting stress levels and general health and creating positive states of mind that last all day. This feeling of well-being can become a driving force towards a more satisfying and inspiring life. We also talked about the obstacles we often encounter when trying to reach a meditative state – distractions, worries, physical discomfort – and how to move past them.
The sessions were very interactive, with most of the time spent discussing the experiences of the new meditators and how challenges can be turned into opportunities for deeper immersion. Each session also contained several opportunities to sit in meditation, guided by Lorna or by me. We structured those meditations to demonstrate how flexible and broad the possibilities are when you meditate.
Planting the seeds of a lifelong love of meditation is incredibly fulfilling. We loved teaching this workshop series and hope to offer another in the near future. If you think you’d like to join us, or host your own micro meditation training with us, please get in touch!
There are a few spots left in the upcoming Beginners Meditation Series, starting this Monday night! I’m very excited to be teaming up with Lorna Bennett for this series on Mindfulness meditation practice. Together, we’ll guide you through the essentials for beginning a transformational everyday seated meditation practice that will have lifelong lasting-power!
We’ll meet on Mondays in October – 10/7, 10/14, 10/21 & 10/28 – from 7:30-9pm at The Hidden Yoga Studio in Niwot, CO.
Get details and registration here.
Lorna is a teacher, speaker, coach and change consultant passionate about personal growth and transformation. She celebrates people turning themselves on – mentally, physically, and spiritually – to tune in, turn on, live freely, and love deeply. In addition to teaching meditation, Lorna is an experienced yoga and barre teacher, Reiki master, organizational change facilitator, published writer, and life/relationship coach. https://www.lornabennettcoaching.com/