Hi,
My name is Carolyn Ziehl.
Thank you for joining me today as we practice mindfulness together using meditation and journaling.
According to Merriam-Webster,
The definition of mindfulness is the practice of maintaining a non-judgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts,
Emotions,
Or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis.
When I think about that definition,
To be non-judgmental,
To be in a state of heightened or complete awareness on a moment-to-moment basis,
I get a little bit intimidated because I'm allowing my thoughts to focus on a part of that definition where I think I'm supposed to be perfect.
And it's in these thoughts of thinking I'm supposed to be in this heightened and complete awareness all the time that take me out of the present moment.
It's a perfect example of how our thoughts shape our reality,
How our thoughts shape how we view things,
How our thoughts shape how we act.
If I'm not being compassionate with myself,
How am I going to show up for others around me with compassion?
When I judge myself,
It's so easy to judge others.
And now,
Under these extreme circumstances,
Being mindful,
Practicing compassion is so important because it makes a difference in the world.
Our thoughts have frequency.
Our thoughts have energy.
And when we're able to come back to the present moment to anchor ourselves in the details of our breath,
Of our heartbeat,
We're practicing mindfulness and we're practicing compassion.
And if we could show compassion for ourselves,
We can show compassion for those around us,
For those far away,
For the world,
For the human collective.
We need compassion and mindfulness now more than ever.
And today I'd like to use writing and meditation to practice mindfulness and compassion toward yourself.
It's through the art and the practice of writing that you're able to focus in the present moment.
And it doesn't matter what you write about.
You can write about the future.
You can write about the past or the present moment because it's the actual act of putting pen to page that anchors you in the current moment.
Each word you write,
Each sentence you write brings you in to the present,
Brings you into a state of mindfulness,
The mere act of writing,
Forming words,
Forming sentences.
I think it's really cool.
And today we'll use writing and we'll focus in on the details of what you hear and see and feel.
And it doesn't matter what you write about.
You're just going to use writing to practice mindfulness.
So let's practice.
What you'll need is a journal,
An open mind and an open heart.
Find yourself in a comfortable position,
Ideally seated with your journal by your side.
And when you're ready,
Close your eyes.
And notice your breath.
Notice the details of your breath,
How it feels when you breathe in and when you breathe out.
Notice if your breath is shallow or deep.
Notice the details of your belly rising and your belly falling.
Notice any sounds around you in the room or outside.
Noticing the details without judgment,
You're just witnessing the details of this moment and this moment and this moment.
The When you feel ready,
I invite you to turn toward your journal and write.
And the same way you notice the details of your breath and the sounds around you,
I invite you to write about the details that you hear and see and feel in this moment.
So you might write,
I hear a crow.
Or you might write,
I feel my heartbeat.
You might write,
I hear the laughter of a child outside.
And in the writing of these details,
If a thought comes up,
A remembering,
Write that.
That's okay.
Just write about the details,
Write about whatever comes to mind,
And remember there's no wrong or right way to do this exercise.
So turn toward your journal and do some writing.
I'll give you some quiet time.
I'll give you some quiet time.
I'll give you some quiet time.
As you write,
Don't analyze,
Don't try to write about anything.
Just write about the details around you and wherever they lead,
Just write that.
I'll give you about another minute and I'll come back.
GO restaurant!
You When you feel ready,
Come back to your body,
Closing your eyes,
And notice how you feel in this moment.
There's no wrong way to feel or no right way to feel.
You may feel great,
You may feel calm,
You may feel nervous,
You may feel agitated,
You may feel at peace.
However you feel,
Just take note of it.
Witness that.
And remember,
This is a process,
An exercise,
That you can do on a daily basis.
If you feel that you want to do more writing,
You might turn toward your journal again at the end of this meditation.
This is just another tool for your toolkit,
For your mindfulness toolkit that you can pull out and that can anchor you into the present moment.
Another tool that is part of your practice of mindfulness.
I want to thank you for spending some time with me meditating and journaling and practicing mindfulness.
I wish you much health,
Love,
Light,
Much goodwill toward yourself and toward others.
Thank you so much.
Namaste.
