Happy World Mindfulness Day!
As a mindfulness meditation teacher, I love to celebrate this day. Mindfulness has been an essential part of my own healing journey, and a few years ago, I decided to teach it.
I completed the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP) with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, and I can honestly say it was a life-changing experience in many positive ways. Teaching mindfulness to high performers is now part of my life's work, and I'm grateful to share more here!
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a particular way of paying attention and showing up in our moment-to-moment existence. There are three key qualities to mindful awareness:
It is done on purpose. I often say, "We are paying attention with intention."
It is present. We pay attention to what is happening at this moment, here and now.
It's free of judgment.
In addition to these three qualities, Jon Kabat-Zinn reminds us that mindfulness equally means heartfulness. He shares:
"If you're not hearing mindfulness in some deep way as heartfulness, you're not really understanding it. Compassion and kindness towards oneself are intrinsically woven into it. You could think of mindfulness as wise and affectionate attention."
Dr. Kabat Zinn reminds us that mindfulness and compassion are like two wings of a bird. For a bird to fly, it needs the wing of mindful awareness and the wing of compassion and kindness.
I have to share a story about mindfulness and compassion in the spirit of World Mindfulness Day...
My son and his friends are die-hard explorers. Every day after school, they run home, drop their backpacks at the door, and run out in the hopes of finding reptiles and other little creatures around our neighborhood. They have found all the creeks, nooks, and crannies where these little critters live, and our background has become home to four frogs, 11 mudpuppies, and "the catch of the day."
They are very kind to the animals. They try to recreate their habitats, feed them their natural diet, and let them go free after a couple of days of caring for them.
Yesterday, Mason and his two friends came back from their expedition, and I heard one little boy say, "It's a good thing he knows CPR. We rescued a frog, and we're going to save its life."
I looked out to see another little boy doing gentle chest compressions on a lifeless frog. Mason grabbed a straw and tried to breathe life into its little airway. They also cleared the airway blocked by a chunk of worm they had previously tried to feed it.
As a medical provider, I was quite impressed with how much they knew about resuscitative efforts! But I was most impressed with the level of compassion and care they naturally had for this tiny little frog.
They worked on it for several minutes but realized it had passed on. They named it "Team Champion" because they all worked as a team to save him, and they felt this tiny amphibian was a champion in his own right.
Team Champion is buried in our front yard, and the spirit of compassion, childlike innocence, and the reminder for our innate goodness will forever be etched in his little tombstone.
My Mindful Gift to You Today
I invite you to practice mindfulness today. It's often easier to practice with another's guidance. In this way, you can relax and let go of doing anything.
The meditation below is from a previous group offering, and it's perfect for World Mindfulness Day. In this guided mindfulness meditation, you'll connect more deeply to presence through the breath, the body, and sounds, ultimately giving your entire being a chance to rest, relax, and just be.
Find a comfortable, quiet place, and give yourself the gift of mindfulness.
Your body and mind will thank you for it.
Looking to learn more about mindfulness and meditation?
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