Life Invites Us to Practice
The practice of mindfulness is a living, breathing thing. It isn’t something that only happens while meditating in a quiet room: some of the most vivid and lasting learnings are those that are discovered with our eyes wide open in the course of our everyday life.
Recently, like many others, I shifted into the world of online teaching. This has been an interesting development, and one of the gifts is that it is easier for me to “capture” pieces of lesson content to share with more people.
In the video below, I share…
How our formal practice relates to our everyday life
How life allows, invites, forces us to practice, to use and develop new ways of being:
We can intend to pay attention — we practice on purpose;
AND we will keep getting opportunities to practice spontaneously, like it or not.
Some current opportunities for practice...
Being with uncertainty, adapting to change;
Equanimity, flow, adjusting to new circumstances;
Compassion and Connection - giving others the benefit of the doubt, connecting in new ways;
Lovingkindness - sending warmth and kindness to those who are suffering from illness, separation, isolation, job/$ loss. We connect with our common humanity, with empathy;
Patience with self, kindness and curiosity as we navigate brand new situations.
Writing Prompt:
Take a few minutes to think and write:
How are you being invited to practice mindfulness in your daily living right now?
When you’re finished, keep this writing handy, and add to it as life continues to unfold. These opportunities for practice are like gifts that the storm brings in.
Try This:
Notice when you “catch” yourself. You have some negative thought or other old type of response, and you see it for what it is: an opportunity to choose differently. Notice these moments and take a moment to smile.
Be on the lookout for the gifts of this particular time of life. What opportunities are you receiving? Where are you being pushed toward something new? Recognize these as gifts, despite the complexity of this moment.