The A To Zen Of Living Mindfully

For our first letter "A", we introduce one of foundational attitudes of Mindfulness: Acceptance. Whether in meditation, relationships or everyday life, we are confronted with countless opportunities to practise this. It isn't always easy - especially when it comes to difficult moments or situations. It's often easier to resist than accept! And hearing "you got to accept it" rarely supports us. So today, we'll take a closer look at acceptance and share a guided meditation, to help cultivate this fundamental attitude.

Our next 2 letters - B and C - introduce another Attitude of Mindfulness in Beginner's Mind. How we re-learn to see the world, as if through the eyes of a child. Approaching tasks, relationships and daily life with a felt sense of wonder, openness and curiosity. And next we'll explore 'Compassion', something we are conditioned to offer others but so often neglect to bring to ourselves. So together, we will practice self-compassion in meditation, offering ourselves words of comfort, for a moment of difficulty. And recognising how this is a common experience for all of us.

Another 2 letters today - D and E - exploring Doing and Being, and Empathy. We all spend a lot of time doing. We get things done. But we can easily get caught up in productivity, at the cost of our health, wellbeing and stress levels! Spending more time 'being' fully in the moment, is a great counterbalance . But equally unsupportive, if we strive for perfection. So finding balance is key. And with Empathy, we recognise the difficulty in truly 'walking in another's shoes'. But it is possible to develop our empathetic capacity. So together, we'll complete a 10,000 things guided practice, adapted from the work of neuroscientist, Rick Hanson. It will help us walk in another's shoes and bring a little more empathy into our lives.

We can't do much in life, or be mindful, without our attention. So our next letter "F" will help us understand the importance of "Focused attention", particularly in meditation practice. We'll discuss the different ways we can do this, when to bring kindness, and share a simple practice to build our capacity for focus. Our 2nd letter "G" is devoted to another mindfulness attitude - Gratitude. We discuss how gratitude goes beyond 'thankfulness'. And the physical, mental and emotional benefits we experience when we practice it, both at home and in our workplaces. We finish up with 5 powerful and accessible ways to build a gratitude habit in daily life.

We can't simply reach a state of Happiness and remain there. Our happiness levels change over the years. Likewise the conditions, relationships and circumstances to make this possible. But we only ever find happiness in one place. The present. So today, we'll share 7 ways you can grow your happiness, right now. Our 2nd letter today, is 'I' for Intention - something which can easily be confused, with the goals or ambitions we have. Today we'll explore the meaning of our intentions - how they can be our guiding principles, to help us reach 'happiness' or whatever we may seek. We'll share a list of healthy intentions too.

With today's 3 letters, we recognise that living mindfully is only ever a "Journey" that you can take. No one can live mindfully for you. No one can respond, instead of reacting to the difficulty and challenge that comes your way. And on our journey through life, whilst we gather great knowledge from external sources, our greatest source of "Knowledge" is found within. We finish off Day 6 with another attitude of Mindfulness - Letting Go - the antidote to grasping, clinging and holding on to 'how things should be' or 'once were'. Together we'll practise a guided meditation dedicated to letting go of those thoughts, feelings or emotions we might cling to. Its called "Leaves on a Stream".

If you search online for mindfulness meditation, 99% of the images returned will be people sitting cross-legged in lotus. No surprise many people feel they need to sit cross-legged! But of course, you don't have to. Standing, lying down, walking and mindful eating and other ways work too. Mindful movement is a great alternative to a sitting or static posture. It helps increase flexibility, strengthens muscles and releases tension. And for me personally, a fantastic way to work within your limits, explore the edges and cultivate mind-body connection. Today we share a guided practice to allow you do this standing, sitting at your desk, or outside in nature.

Today we'll discuss Non-Judgement, an attitude of mindfulness we practice on repeat in meditation, especially when we ‘Observe thinking’ which is our 2nd letter of Day 8. We discuss our endless stream of thinking and how we can be non-judgemental, instead of our automatic - good/bad, right/wrong system of labelling - which generates stress and emotional reactivity. And just as we can't rush development in meditation, or 'make results happen' in work, our mindfulness practice moves nowhere fast without Patience. It's our 3rd letter of Day 8. And another foundational attitude of Mindfulness, where we allow things to unfold in their own time. Mindfulness is itself an act of patience after all - being with the present moment, no matter what it contains.

"I don't have time to relax or meditate" OR "I'm too busy". Everyone has said these words at some point. But if we hear them on repeat, it's a clear sign we need to pause and reflect on our lives. On what is important. On what we might need to change for our health, happiness and wellbeing. But it isn't always easy with our responsibilities, our state of mind, or the challenging roles we have. So today, we share some Quick Practices to help us intentionally step out of autopilot, reflect on our day, or respond self supportively in a moment of fight-flight-freeze. Each can be done in minutes, or in short bursts over the course of your day. And each will provide space and perspective, to help change that record we are stuck on.

The attitudes of Mindfulness - Non-Striving and Trust - go hand in hand. So much of our lives are goal orientated - to overcome challenges, or to perform in our roles. But if we always strive for perfection, to complete, or to win, we can accumulate stress and frustration. It can mask deeper seated feelings too - a fear of disapproval, or failure. Non-striving helps us to let go of this and together with Trust, our second letter of Day 10, it is a grounding combination which restores our confidence in things being 'ok'. Having a basic trust in our intuition, our abilities and capacity for healing. Together, we'll finish the day with a guided meditation to deepen trust in ourselves.

Our next 3 letters U, V and W teach us about change - how our "Understanding" deepens with experiences, good, bad and neutral over the years. Especially when we are mindful and connected. It's these very experiences which shape and form the "Values" we uphold. Those we set for ourselves or hold ourselves accountable to. And those we encounter or admire, in organisations and people we meet. Today we will ask some self-reflective questions to check in our existing, or emerging values. And taking this fresh knowledge, explore "Wisdom" in mindfulness. How compassion and empathy for others, deepens our wisdom and perspective taking. And how adopting a beginner's mind helps cultivate it anew.

For our final day we finish off with X, Y and Zen. "X marks a STOP" is a call to action to notice the real treasures in life. Not those on the next horizon, or the next big goal - but those we notice here and now: our loved ones, our connection with nature and our mindful moments of reflection and calm. We recognise that our greatest teacher in mindfulness will always be "Your Experience" and we finish off our guided tour, by revisiting an historical source of Mindfulness - Zen. We discuss the similarities and differences between modern mindfulness and Zen. And we'll end our time together, by sharing a visual practice, inspired by a special source for me. To help us become mindful of the 'the good' we enjoy in nature, in life and relationships. Full circle in our A-Zen of Living Mindfully.