Mindful Fridays

Being present

10/22/2021

Sometimes the easiest thing is to just be in the moment, other times we are living in the past or perseverating on the future. The art of mindfulness is just taking that, a mindful moment. Stopping for just a moment. Taking a deep breath. Feeling the air come in through your nose and out through your mouth. Letting all your awareness focus on just that moment.

As we are back together full time, there is joy and there is anxiety. We are wired for connection and yet we are having to relearn how to be together. Sharing space, making ourselves more flexible to the needs around us, reconnecting on all levels. This can bring up anxiety, exhaustion, joy, and all other feelings. By taking just a moment to take a breath, we can re-center ourselves and find some space to be with each other.

Please join me today in stopping when you feel overwhelmed and just noticing your breath. Let me know how it goes.

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Monday October 1

10/1/2018

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As we I restart this blog and weekly entries, I wanted to make sure we started with the why's of mindfulness. Sometimes I will re-share blog posts that inspire me, sometimes it will come from my own understanding and experiences with mindfulness. As the fall air begins to cool Portland and we are 4 weeks into the school year, this quote absolutely resonated with me today.

If you do not know who John Kabat-Zinn is, please take some time to acquaint yourself with him. He's known to many as the father of mindfulness. He's an MIT grad who discovered mindfulness while attending MIT in the early 1970's. After studying with many zen & buddhist teachers he developed Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). He stripped all Buddhist framework from the mindfulness practice and focused solely on the act of mindfulness.

For me when I am in the swirl of the day to day of life, work, parenting, partnership AND trying to take care of myself, mindfulness can seem like yet one more thing for me to add into my day to day life. Yet when I take even 3 minutes of seated mindful practice, my day and my life slows down and becomes more connected. I have more patience for my students as well as my own children. I can look at what might be causing me stress or anxiety, and simply notice what it is doing to my own thoughts and actions and perhaps let a bit of that stress go. Honestly some days just doing 3 minutes feels like torture as well! I can't slow down my mind and it can be really hard. THIS is the beauty of this practice, it's not WRONG to struggle with slowing down, it's simply just is.

I invite you to take a 3-minute break once a day this week and see how it impacts your day. Feel free to comment below if you notice anything that you'd like to share.

Come back next Monday for another meditation on mindfulness

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Mindful Fridays

Being present

Monday October 1

Shannon Foxley

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