By Teresa Miller<\/p>\n
What\u2019s true about the nature of mindfulness?
\nHow does it resemble the summer season?<\/p>\n
Like the fireflies of June whose lights flicker on and off in random, moving patterns, steady unceasing mindfulness is elusive. We may be meditating with attention on the breath, only to realize that suddenly we\u2019re miles away from our bodies, lost in a movie trailer about our life \u2013 as it was 15 minutes ago or 15 years ago.<\/p>\n
Like the fireworks of July whose sounds, colors and shapes entertain and distract us, mindful concentration may be punctuated by sudden strident thoughts or emotions that sidetrack us.<\/p>\n
Like the hot stillness of August whose relentless heat waves may befuddle us, we can drift into states of sleepiness, confusion or numbness.<\/p>\n
None of these mind states is a problem\u2026if we remember that we\u2019re not changing our experience but rather our relationship to our experience.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>This is not to say we won\u2019t judge or have expectations; that\u2019s the mind\u2019s work \u2013 an attempt to keep us safe.<\/p>\n Mindful awareness is about noticing when sensations or thoughts or emotions have us tangled up, locked in a story or a behavior that is counterproductive to the well-being of our life.<\/p>\n The moment we notice the lock down, we are awake to this present moment; now we have choices.<\/p>\n You might reflect on this process using the following as guidelines:<\/p>\n pause<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 take a few deep breaths to establish a calm, alert, receptive\u00a0state (like allowing a cup of muddy water to settle, become clear)<\/p>\n suspend judgment <\/em><\/strong>\u2013 step back, becoming the camera director who\u2019s \u00a0filming you, your thoughts and your movements<\/p>\n observe with focused attention \u2013 <\/em><\/strong>see the story, the assumption, the\u00a0fear that\u2019s driving the story or the belief; let go<\/p>\n extend compassion<\/em><\/strong> to yourself; become a kind witness to your life. \u201dThis is the human experience of _______________ (resentment, <\/em>irritation,<\/em> anger, hurt, sorrow)\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n allow<\/em><\/strong> intuition, vision or insight to arise \u2013 we let come<\/p>\n Summer season of fireflies, fireworks, heat changes; another one arrives. We ride the choppy surface of rising and falling waves, knowing awareness of a deeper calm beneath.<\/p>\n In the words of Wu Men, a Chinese poet,<\/p>\n Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, By Teresa Miller<\/p>\n What\u2019s true about the nature of mindfulness? Like the fireflies of June whose lights flicker on and off in random, moving patterns, steady unceasing mindfulness is elusive. We may be meditating with attention on the breath, only to realize that suddenly we\u2019re miles away from our bodies, lost in a movie trailer about our life \u2013 as it was 15 minutes ago or 15 years ago.<\/p>\n Like the fireworks of July whose sounds, colors and shapes entertain and distract us, mindful concentration may be punctuated by sudden strident thoughts or emotions that sidetrack us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1202,"featured_media":1812,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-monthly-musings"],"acf":false,"yoast_head":"\n
\na cool breeze in summer, snow in winter.
\nIf your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things,
\nthis is the best season of your life.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\nHow does it resemble the summer season?<\/p>\n