In order to be mindful I have to meditate at least an hour a day. Who has time for that?
Mindfulness is about being aware of the present moment without judgement. And bringing yourself back to the present moment as much as you are able, every time you notice your mind has wandered off. That’s it.
It sounds super simple and it actually is, once you learn some techniques and deeper understanding about how our minds work.
Meditation of course is a helpful way to train the mind, to build focus, to connect with your deeper self, and is a part of mindfulness, but it is not the only way or the prerequisite way to having more mindfulness in your life.
Mindfulness helps us to be with our circumstances with more acceptance, compassion for ourselves and others, resilience, and less emotional distress. Mindfulness helps us to go about the precious work of being human beings (we are not called human doings after all!) with more ease.
When you learn mindfulness skills, you will be surprised to find many many opportunities throughout your regular day where a dose of mindful attention can be applied, and you will begin to notice positive results from that.
Mindfulness is not about having the luxury of time and resources to go away on a week long meditation retreat and experience complete peace in a zen-like setting; it’s about being present in the moments of washing dishes, driving, holding your children, deciding what to wear to work today for that important meeting, composing an email, being unable to fall back asleep, knowing you have to talk to your partner about something upsetting, feeling sad that you have no weekend plans and no one to do them with anyways, working hard, experiencing family conflict, dealing with health issues. And so many other moments of daily living. You can ‘do’ mindfulness when you are vacuuming, folding clothes, waiting in line, gardening, cooking, exercising, resting, showering, reading emails, eating, talking, writing, leading, venting, planning, evaluating, (virtually any -ing word!), etc.
The HOT MESS TO COOL OASIS course is designed to help you learn about the value of mindfulness, as it applies to and fits in with your daily life – without having to meditate for an hour a day. You will be able to make a plan for yourself of practices that you are inclined to stick with and that you are successful at finding room for in your already busy day, that will help you to feel more peace in your heart as you face life’s daily struggles. And you will feel better as you learn about mindfulness and how to make it more a moment to moment lifestyle rather than an hours long formal practice.
You might love to have the luxury of a free couple of hours a day that you could dedicate to a meditation practice, but that’s not the reality of your life. But not having a few free hours doesn’t mean you have to miss out on experiencing the benefits of mindfulness in your life.
To learn more about the HOT MESS TO COOL OASIS in SIX WEEKS course, read more here.
If you missed the FREE e-course “More Calm and Less Worry in Your Busy Life”, please sign up here.
Listening with Heart
Cindi Rivera, MFT
Marriage, Family Therapist
www.cindiriveratherapy.com
[email protected]
(510)482-4445