Hello beautiful one,
I'm Kelly Dennis.
Welcome to mindful moment number one.
What exactly is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment on purpose without judgment according to John Kabat-Zinn.
Another definition of mindfulness is that it is distinguishing awareness from mental activity,
Learning to become aware of our mental states without being caught in them.
That's according to Jack Kornfield.
John Kabat-Zinn identifies nine attitudes of mindfulness that are very helpful to keep in mind when you are engaging in a practice of mindfulness.
The first one as mentioned in his definition is non-judgment.
This is observation without jumping to the conclusion that's what's happening during our meditation is good or bad.
Patience is another attitude and this is simply understanding and accepting that things must happen in their own time and we don't need to force them.
Beginner's mind is the willingness to perceive things and experience them as if it is the first time you've ever experienced it.
Trust is also important.
Trusting your own intuition and authority.
If it doesn't feel right to you,
Honor those feelings.
Let go of what doesn't seem to serve you.
Another attitude is non-striving.
This can be a hard one for us as human beings.
We need to just allow the process to unfold,
Releasing the expectations.
Acceptance is trying not to force things to be different than they really are.
Letting go is another attitude and this is non-attachment.
Letting the experience be whatever it is in that moment and being open to it.
It's helpful to bring an attitude of gratefulness to your practice and also can be helpful to bring an attitude of generosity.
Each of these attitudes is interwoven with each other.
Another part of mindfulness that we want to talk about is intention,
Attention,
And attitude.
Setting an intention for your practice.
Mindfulness is a conscious choice that we make.
We also can have a willingness to place our attention in a kind and compassionate way,
Facilitating those other attitudes.
Awareness is the ability to observe ourselves without becoming attached or becoming one with those particular thoughts,
Feelings,
Or experiences.
So it is true mindfulness is simple but it's not easy.
So right now go ahead and in your environment around you either pick up an object or look at an object and practice for a moment bringing your mindful attention to it.
Right now setting an intention to be mindful and bringing your attention to that particular object.
Noticing the color,
The texture,
How the object interacts with other objects near it,
And perhaps noticing how many times your mind wandered while you're looking at that object.
Probably at least once or twice in that very short period of time.
That's perfectly normal.
That's what minds do.
Now see if you can gently bring your attention mindfully back to that object and looking at it as if you're seeing it for the first time.
What do you notice about this object?
Maybe there's something you've never been aware of before and if you can pick up the object and feel its texture,
Its weight.
You might find that your mind wants to go to connections.
Maybe this object reminds you of something so that would be the attachment.
Your mind wants to attach and engage with the object.
Just see if you can step back and mindfully observe in this moment.
Well done.
I hope you'll join me for other mindful moments coming soon.
Mindfulness really helps us to reduce our stress,
To become more aware,
Disengage from autopilot and the mental activity,
And to be able to live our lives more fully and completely.
I'm Kelli Dennis.
Thank you for joining me today.
Namaste.
