“Mindfulness gives you time. Time gives you choices. Choices, skillfully made, lead to freedom.”
— Bhante H. Gunaratana
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Ah it’s a tricky thing – mindfulness gets thrown around such much these days, the very word has become a cliche.
And yet what is it?
I had no idea, really, how to define it.
That is until someone told me, “It’s obvious when you compare it to its opposite, which is mindlessness. Then it’s simple!”
So true.
Mindfulness is the opposite of sleepwalking through life, blindly reacting and fighting phantoms. It’s being awake and alive to life as it actually plays out.
As such, mindfulness is as simple as noticing what is happening now.
Don’t worry about being present, or finding your centre or any jargon.
Just notice what’s around you and within you, here and now.
Stop for a moment and do it with me ...
Nice huh? A moment of pause, of clarity and ease.
And that is meditation too. The Tibetan word for meditation is “familiarisation” … which is perfect.
You’re not changing a single thing but what you notice. Instead of noticing your mind and its loop de loops about the past and the future and what’s wrong and what you need to work out and fix and change …
You stop and observe, notice and get curious about now.
Without agenda or expectation or judgement, a broader, more subtle and textured appreciation of what is happening comes online. You get familiar with now, but to a deeper level:
Life becomes alive, more dimensional, more filled with soul – and so the simple things of life get enhanced, fulfilling, satisfying.
You get familiar with your own mind and what it’s telling you; a beautiful thing because you realise you have thoughts but you are not them. Here you have choice. Thoughts are not a reality anymore, just an option.
Helpful or unhelpful – the quality becomes so much more obvious – and again, so useful because you see what following a particular train of thought or attitude does for your life.
Choice. You have time and space to make an assessment and a decision.
You’re not rushed any more; you realise you can take your time and you do things better and with a smile.
Mindfulness is supremely useful.
Now this is a skill. It just takes intentional practice. Repetition is key. Like all skill learning, practice where it’s easy – drinking a cuppa, brushing your teeth, walking down the way, watching tv … then see if you can bring it into ‘harder’ situations, places where you’re more likely to forget.
No problem if you do forget, it’s the remembering that counts; remembering is the repetition. Jump back on the horse and train your ability to notice now.
You can even bring a little appreciation and gratitude in too. Notice what you like, what’s pleasant and good about now.
Don’t try and feel grateful, keep it simple. Notice what’s good, that’s all.
Every part of your life improves when you show up for it, and that’s all mindfulness is. Showing up.
Keep it that simple and enjoy!
Go well,
Arjuna
PS.
Let me know how you get on, okay? I’d love to help.
You can’t do this wrong, so just play.
Explore your moments and make the most of them.