More Mindfulness - Week 1

Thank you for tuning in to the new series of More Mindfulness. Week 1 gives us the opportunity to revisit our practice and take stock of what mindfulness is all about and how it can help us in our daily lives. 

This week, I shared with you a quote which reminds us that "Part of the beauty of mindfulness meditation is that it puts you in touch with what's going on in your mind and that starts to help you be yourself. Starting to discover that it's OK to be who you are, and actually finding a little bit of relief from the harsh critic in your head is usually what keeps us going in the beginning." 

The application of mindfulness is potentially far reaching. The practice reminds us when we need to take time out. It teaches us that the negative thoughts we may have about ourselves are not necessarily true and encourages us to treat ourselves with more care and compassion - without feeling guilty. 

We also looked at the science of gratitude and how scientists have discovered that gratitude helps to soothe the nervous system and calm the body. And we revisited the notion of putting out the "welcome mat" to all our experiences that emerge as part of our present moment experience, and what this means in practice. 

Finally, this week's poems invite us to take a second look at the mind, how to befriend it and where we choose to place our attention. 

For those of you who would like to delve deeper, here is this week's selection of further reading links:

Guided Meditation: A 12-Minute Meditation to Arrive, Breath and Connect by Lili Powell. Click here.

Guided Meditation: Tibetan Singing Bowl by Gillian Higgins. Click here.

Article: How Your Brain Falls For the Wrong Ideas by Amishi Jha. Click here. 

This Week's Poems From Inward by Yung Pueblo

The mind 

Is a garden.

What we decide

To grow there will

Determine our prosperity.

When the mind feels wild and cloudy

It may be that something from deep within

Has come to the surface, an old burden

Seeking release, breathe, relax and let it go.

Hope to see you at next week's session when I will be looking at how the practice of mindfulness can impact our relationship with fear.   

Please do check out my new Mindful Life podcast on Spotify which you can find here.