Choosing mindfulness

A reflective moment at Avery Point, Groton, CT

During the Thanksgiving holiday, I read a lot of articles, blog posts and heard personal intentions about mindfulness and gratitude and its importance for well-being.  It was beautiful that so many people had focused their attention on such life-affirming practices and perspectives.  Often, I have thought how amazing it would be if I could be in that mental, emotional and spiritual place more often.

And then, my day starts. The to-do list starts ticking through my head:  what needs to be done at work, how far behind I am on a particular project or in addressing some issue or another... and, wow, I really need to get my car tuned up… when WAS the last time I got the oil changed??  Blah, blah, blah, on and on it goes, a constant stream of seemingly endless chatter.  And if I don’t pause and remember that I am the thinker of these thoughts, rather than these thoughts controlling me, momentum builds and I find myself in a reactive stance instead of grounded and centered.

Over the years, I’ve sought numerous ways to infuse more mindfulness, gratitude and appreciation into my day as these practices go hand in hand.  In being mindful, fully present to the moment and observing without judgment, the experience of gratitude and appreciation naturally follow.  Sometimes these moments happen spontaneously, like the day I was hiking in Western Maryland through a patch of newly fallen snow.  Alone, I walked under a pine tree and became acutely aware of the silence surrounding me, the crunch of snow cushioned by countless pine needles beneath the tree.  It was as if I had been walking on a cloud.  Suddenly, I was aware of the vapor caused by my breathing, the crisp scent of the air, and how the cloudy sky and snow made it feel like I was in a black-and-white photograph.  A sense of wonder and expansiveness filled me.  I felt one with everything, a deep and profound sense of appreciation and well-being, and very much aware and present in my body.

Moments like that are harder to come by unless I keep a daily meditation practice.  And even then, some days I sit and have to surrender to the fact that my 20 minutes was an endless loop of “what should I wear today?”  So I have learned from my wise mentor, Béatrice, that one of the best things I can do for myself (and for the people I might encounter during the day because I might be cranky) is to be easy about it, lean into it and not try so hard, and to have an arsenal of practices from which to choose.  And so I choose practices that resonate with me given where I am at the moment.  For example, writing stream of consciousness in my journal for 20 minutes might feel right one day.  A meditation focusing on the breath might be more helpful another day.  Sometimes 10 minutes of yoga is all I have time to do before I have to rush out the door.  Or one of my favorite things is dancing for an hour.  And on those delicious days when I have absolutely nothing planned, which seems a rare commodity these days, I might do all of the above.  For me, all of these practices are exercises in mindfulness as they bring me fully into the present moment, and make me feel centered and nurtured.

Recently, I’ve been practicing setting an intention before going to bed to be conscious and deliberate about my thoughts the next day, as best as I can.  Before getting out of bed the next morning, I softly try to remember the intention I set the night before.  Laying there, still half asleep, I reach for feelings of gratitude and appreciation:  for the comfort of my bed, sunlight streaming through my half-opened blinds, my loving family and for the day ahead of me.  Usually, once I get to work, it can be a challenge to remember that intention and appreciation as the stream of emails start coming in and the busyness of the day takes over.  So, I’ve set a calendar reminder to pop up every hour to drink more water, and another one every 15 minutes to stand, stretch, breathe and smile.  I might just hit the snooze button on the reminder several times and ignore it on a very hectic day, but often it just takes a moment to remember, breathe and come home to myself.

Mindfulness is more than meditation --  it’s a way of being, fully present, aware and awake.  It's an approach to life that more often than not, requires choice and moment by moment practice.  And sometimes, if you can be mindful for at least 17 seconds, gratitude and appreciation surely follow.

What are some of the ways you choose mindfulness?  Drop us a line -- we'd love to hear from you!

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