Waiting

I teach a drawing as mindfulness class every Saturday, offering a structure for drawing and watching our minds at work.  Sometimes even with a structure I am in 'I don't know what to do land'.  When I accepted the not knowing, and stopped resisting all that waiting and longing to know....this cartoon arrived.  And made me laugh.  Acceptance of what's happening, seeing that clearly, is how creativity arises in me.  What a gift.

Paperclip Meditation

I gave myself the task of meditating on a paperclip for 15 minutes.  My mind never shut up..."how long can i stay with this, this is so stupid, i can't do this, oh forget it, why did i even pick a paperclip its so boring, there is nothing here, nothing is happening, i cant stand this, this is ridiculous, my nose is running, i should just stop" I noted this is IMPATIENCE, DOUBT, FEAR, RESISTANCE, JUDGMENT. My more positive mind continued" allow IT to come to you, stop insisting, demanding, imposing your will. stop demanding to know, to get somewhere, to connect, just shut up, breathe, stay, relax..."
Allowing my thoughts to 'spin out of control' WITHOUT ACTING ON THEM (I wanted to quit, throw the paperclip against the wall) opened my heart, softened me, got me closer to myself, more present and LESS AFRAID.  It wasn't really about the paperclip...it was about STAYING with my intention.  I am deeply grateful for this great gift of meditation...to watch my fear and suffering melt away seems a miracle to me.

Don't World-Free World

What does it really mean to be 'free'?  in our bodies, our minds, our spirits?  Notice which voices shut you down, tense you up, make you feel afraid.  Notice which voices open your heart and inspire your creativity.  We have a choice which internal voices to listen to, to follow, to believe.  It takes practice to hear and follow the voices that encourage well-being.

Perspective On A Paint Container

So many ways to define something...to 'see' something.  How we define, interpret, use anything has consequences.  We are free to see things as we need or want to.  This applies to plastic containers, feelings, situations, people, disease...anything...

Yes Please

Mindfulness is about accepting the thoughts and feelings that we experience 'on our path'...everything that arises in us..our pain, our joy, struggles and ease.  Failure is welcome as equally as success, as we simply observe, feel, and honor each moment of our lives.  Every moment, every place we find ourselves is moving us in some way through this life.  Every experience forms us, shapes us, teaches us.  Saying 'yes' to it all takes courage and a willingness to live life as it is, fully engaged.

Small Things

How can we appreciate the small things we do? Or hear? Or see? Or feel?

A small papercut still hurts.

A small pebble in our shoe can annoy us.

A small kind word can lift our spirits.

A small paperclip holds a lot of paper.

A small pill can help a lot.

A small match can light a BIG fire.

We might think less of a small act of caring than a GREAT BIG GLOBAL ACTION but washing a dish, recycling a bag, thanking the cashier, taking a single breath before reacting, matters.

Anything we give our full attention to is worthwhile…no matter how small.

Mindful Practice:

Today be aware of the small things in your life. Notice how they affect you.

A small decision.  The small voice inside you.  A small gesture.  A small step.

Choose a small object or event in your life…draw or write about it…make a story, a song, a painting, a sculpture out of this small thing.

Pay attention to the small things…they, and you, matter.

Mindful TV: Watching the Breath

I had this idea that it might be helpful to practice being mindful if there was a TV in front of me telling me how to do that moment to moment...

Yelling

Sometimes empathy requires staying with something long enough to realize what's really going on.

A Grumbling Experience

In meditation practice I am paying attention to my experience.   I notice when I am thinking about what I'm feeling/experiencing.   Labeling what I am feeling/experiencing is a technique that helps me see my experience as it is. The idea is to accept the experience, which means just feel what's happening without judging, fixing or having to DO something about it.