Big Ol’

A lovely lady I know, who specialises in mindfulness, was talking to me about her practice. And what she said gently shifted the way I think [love that].

A lot of times [she said] people feel so much pressure to meditate; it becomes a Big Ol’ Should. Yep [I nodded].

But there are gentler ways to incorporate it into your everyday life [she added]. You can start by focusing on an individual moment during the day when you pay attention and take a deep breath – it might be when you start the car or when you’re washing your hands. And when that becomes a habit, you can add another moment. And pretty soon you’re moving through your day from one mindful moment to the next. Like a connect-the-dots.

The other thing she said was this: that mindfulness can be understood as a focus on the senses. To practice mindfulness you don’t have to wake up super early each day, sit in a certain position and meditate for an hour. You can simply listen with purpose to a piece of music or pay attention to the way your coffee tastes or focus on how the water feels as you’re standing in the shower.

I love an approach to mindful living that is accessible and that makes you feel better rather than worse about yourself.

Top notch.

Tags: balance, happiness, mindfulness