Cultivating Mindfulness in the New Year
A calendar new year brings with it new resolutions or intentions for what we wish to change, create, and manifest into being for the upcoming year. It is also a time to reflect on the beauty and challenges of the previous year. A new year marks a concrete time for transformation and rebirth, letting go of old patterns that may no longer serve our highest purpose and happiness and permission to bring in the new. We are invited to look closely at our lives, honor where we are at, and hit the "reset" button, if we so choose. So, where do we begin?
Creating our own daily mindfulness practice is a beautiful way to begin to empty out and allow space for clarity, presence, and divine inspiration to enter in. There are endless descriptions of what mindfulness "is", but we must remember that WE get to explore and create what our own mindfulness practice will be on any given day, in any given moment. A mindfulness practice starts with an intention to call in our most radiant light, whatever that may be for us. It is creating a space, physically and energetically, to empty our vessel and be open to receiving our own deep knowing, our own inspired intuition, our inner wisdom that is there waiting to be uncovered and revealed. It is about manifesting a life of deep joy, purpose, and activating and radiating that out into the world. It is about feeling ALIVE!
In 2016, we often find ourselves living in constant (24 hours a day!) infiltration of information, distractions, and being overly connected to our technology. While there is beauty in living at a time when transparency, ideas, and global connections are awakening the collective consciousness, it is also becoming more and more crucial to find real ways to bring balance back into our own human experience. Just like anything new that we consciously choose to bring into our lives, whether it is a new workout routine, a new way of eating, a new hobby, a new relationship, we MUST find ways to make them a priority and commitment. And this takes PRACTICE. Practice means being gentle with ourselves, trial and error, pushing through the fear, honoring failures and successes. A consistent practice of anything means we grow, expand, and get closer to our highest purpose. How do you commit to a new practice? How do you bust through the fear and self doubt?
So, back to cultivating mindfulness. We all have our own thoughts and ideas about what MINDFULNESS is. They may not even be our own thoughts of what it means, but images and ideas that history, religion, and society have pushed into our psyche. When you hear the word MINDFULNESS, what comes up for you? Meditation, nature, prayer, presence, conscious awareness, woo-woo? Now take a deep breath and connect with whatever is coming up for you. This is a great place to start. Clearing out any preconceived ideas and allowing a newness around MINDFULNESS to rise to the surface is a great beginning step. Remember, this is YOUR practice and you get to choose how to make this practice your very own. It can certainly be inspiring to read about others experiences and practices with mindfulness, but leave external comparisons and what does not resonate with you at the door.
So, what is a mindfulness practice, you may ask? Ancient traditions and cultures have all passed on stories, writings, and teachings of the power of being in a state of mindfulness to access abundant experiences of expansive consciousness, bringing about a greater awareness of divine love, peace, and connection. This has been achieved through various breath work techniques, yoga, deep meditative states, dance and body movement, and nature connection rituals, to name a few.
In the book A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, it's authors Elisha Goldstein and Bob Stahl discuss the following 8 attitudes of mindfulness that I find to be helpful reminders for anyone wanting to create or grow a mindfulness practice. I also want to add that breath work and using the breath as the anchor is at the center of any mindfulness practice.
1. Beginners Mind. This is seeing things as new and fresh, as if for the first time, with a sense of curiosity. Free of expectations from past experiences.
2. Non-judgment. Being an impartial witness to your experience, without editing, intellectualizing, judging, or getting lost in your own thoughts. It is being in observation and taking note of, but not labeling thoughts, feelings, or sensations as good or bad, right or wrong, fair or unfair.
3. Acceptance. A willingness to see things the way they are. Nothing more, nothing less. In Buddhist teachings, there is a mantra that speaks to this quality of acceptance- "Maybe so. Maybe not."
4. Non-striving. With this quality of awareness, there is no goal other than to be yourself. There is no grasping or seeking any result or trying to get anywhere other than where you are. This can be challenging in our western culture and in America, in particular, where the foundation of our country is based on the ideals of Manifest Destiny.
5. Trust. Learning to trust ones own experience, feelings, inner life and intuition.
6. Letting Be. This is different from letting GO, which implies that there is still something to DO. Letting BE allows things to be exactly as they are, with nothing to change or alter.
7. Patience. Knowing that "this too shall pass." All things unfold and blossom in their own time.
8. Self-compassion. This quality of awareness cultivates love for yourself as you are, without self-blame, shame, or criticism. If you want to take a deeper dive into self-compassion, Brene Browns work surrounding vulnerability and shame is particularly enlightening, inspiring, and helpful. Tara Brachs podcast and books, Radical Acceptance in particular, explore self compassion and worthiness.
The more you cultivate a consistent practice, the more you build these 8 qualities of mindfulness with joy and devotion.
If we are just beginning to explore a mindfulness practice and are feeling overwhelmed or struggling to commit, there is a great "tool" that can be easily incorporated into our daily lives, no matter what situation we find ourself in (this is also a GREAT way to start exploring mindfulness with children). It is called a S.T.O.P. Meditation:
S: Stop
T: Take a Breath
O: Observe
P: Proceed with what is most important and true right now
Remember to be gentle with yourself. Honor what is coming up for you. Processing and self reflection are important and meaningful parts of any mindfulness practice, in order to fully understand and integrate our experiences. I find it helpful to journal about whatever is coming up for me in order to gain a deeper understanding. Having a safe "tribe" of people to share your inner "awakenings" with help us feel supported during our evolution. A tribe is there to be our WITNESS and hold space for us, without trying to "fix", "change", or "solve". It is feeling safe and open to being vulnerable in who we are and where we are at, without judgment.
May 2016 be a time of truth, transformation, joy and purpose for you, wherever you are on your journey.
Love and light,
Gretchen