Gifts of Mindfulness
Mindfulness meditation was my first big step toward balance. It was the first tool that helped me understand my thoughts were not law over my life.
More people understand that now since mental health has finally become a bigger part of our lexicon (hooray!). But back in the day, I genuinely had never read, heard, or even thought that could be the case.
I started with a more traditional practice joining a sweet little group at the local Unitarian Church, and have since come to realize that seeking mindfulness in everything you do has a profound and lasting impact. Meditation is a tool that helps you practice mindfulness so that you can experience it more throughout your life.
One of the masters of mindfulness, Jon Kabat-Zinn, defines it as, “The awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.”
I’ll share lots more about mindfulness as we go along on our blog journey together – what it is and ways to incorporate it into your everyday life, but first I want to share the gifts I found from it.
Caveat: Know Thyself comes into play here, mindfulness meditation may not give you the same gifts, or any gifts, or you may need a different kind of practice to find YOUR balance.
My Gifts from Mindfulness:
Detachment. This was the key to my mental health journey, detaching from thoughts that didn’t serve me and understanding that was possible. This helped me sleep, and if you’ve been following along, Sleep was step one in finding more mental and physical wellness.
Presence. Truly being in the space that I occupy with friends, family, coworkers etc. allows me to form deeper relationships. Not being distracted by too many thoughts that pull me away from the connection brings so much more richness to my life.
Awareness. I feel in tune with my body and am able to better understand what it needs because I am present. “Listen to the whispers,” is a phrase I use often when I’m teaching yoga or meditation. Your body whispers about what it needs before it screams (injury, illness, etc.), mindfulness helps tap into that. (The trick then is to act on those whispers, there are some places I’m good at that, some where I’m still a work in progress.)
Joy. When you find something in your daily life where mindfulness comes easier, the joy that comes from it is immense. For me, that is baking, cooking, yoga, and exercise (that last one is where I struggle to listen to the whispers). When I can spend time doing these things in pure, blissful focus, the rest of my day is better for it.
