What is mindfulness? Today I hear
the word mindful thrown in this mixed bag of words like love, kindness,
compassion and consciousness, yet do we know mindful means. What mindful really
looks like in the day to day reality of living? As spiritual beings having a
human experience, we are blessed with a range of emotions, choices, and
experiences that make up our character assets and defects in which both our
spiritual beings and our ego’s can take delight in or feed vigorously on. This
writer would like you to think that she practices diligently twice a day,
sitting in meditation, and then enter the world of the living in a perfect
state of spiritual bliss. However that would not be true. It is easy to
practice spirituality in the privacy of your meditation space. But that is not
the world I live in or the house for that matter. Therefore my meditation practice
is the perfect place to practice imperfection and cultivate the sense of
mindfulness. Every moment can be an opportunity to practice mindfulness
Today meditation is made more
complicated than it was or is meant to be. Meditation at its core was made to
be simple. We do not need apps, special cushions, or guided meditations to be
one with the divine energy. Meditation in its simplest form, is the cycle of
breath. Breathe In- Pause- Breathe Out- Pause. Wash, rinse repeat. It is in the
pause, where mindfulness can first be cultivated. Breath is a natural part of
life, after all no breath, no life. But it is in the pause, that everything can
be found. Past and future becomes irrelevant. Eckert Tolle has it right, when
he speaks of the Power of Now. “Nothing has happened in the past; it happened
in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the
Now.”
- Eckert Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightment
- Eckert Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightment
It is in the pause we can connect to being present now, and it
is in the now, we can be mindful. And when we practice mindfulness than we have
access to all things divine and the energy that is ours by birthright. The
ego/mind has a powerful hold in our human experience, firmly attached to a
particular belief, or a way of thinking that we have been conditioned to
believe. It is this conditioned mind that allows little peace in meditation.
Instead of focusing on the serenity of now, we make our mediation practice an
endless list of tasks, chores and past and future stories that we make our
priorities. And so the wheel of thought takes us prisoners even in the still of
meditation. No wonder we react when opportunities are presented to grow, rather
than act with the presence of mindfulness. So how does one quiet the mind and
open to the possibilities of the heart that is Divine Love and endless
possibilities. We start quietly with the breath. Find a quiet place to sit,
with no distractions. Lean into the quiet. Lean into that discomfort. Sit
comfortably, close your eyes and breathe. Enjoy the sensation, after all your
breath is life. Notice how we breathe in, pause, breathe out, pause.
Now be aware
all we have is this very moment, where the breath is.
Breathe in Love
Pause to be
mindful of that love and energy.
Breathe Out Fear/Discomfort/Ego
Pause to be
mindful that we are not our thoughts.
Wash, Rinse, Repeat.
