It was a beautiful sunny summer day, and there I was feeling a little angry with myself for slacking off on my meditation practice. Then my granddaughter Anna, aged 7, ran up and pulled my arm.
“Come on, Grandma. Come play with me!
So I followed her as she ran through the green grass to the back garden where she discovered that the snow peas were now full. Delighted, she opened a capsule and handed it to me, her eyes sparkling.
“Look! Let’s have a bowl.
Together, we returned to the house for the bright turquoise bowl that we would soon fill with fresh, plump peas. As we later sat together in the sun, picking and shelling our little harvest, Anna smiled and said, “Aren’t they beautiful?”
Yes, they were.
What is the “purpose” of mindfulness?
This moment made me think a lot about the “purpose” of mindfulness practices. What exactly are we trying to accomplish?
Is it a matter of slavishly repeating a series of movements or following a memorized story to clear the mind and return to the center, to anchor oneself? Is it using the “proper” words and thought patterns prescribed by this or that guru in the hopes of disciplining the mind and finding peace?
Even though our society seems to emphasize going our own way and doing what we want – “you do it,” as they say – it is easy for us to get caught up in prescriptive behaviors and practices riddled with rules which may not actually harmonize. with our own being. We may think there is one correct way to do yoga, to practice mindfulness, to meditate – and if we struggle with that, then it’s our fault.
But mindfulness is not necessarily a rule-governed process, a set of 1-2-3 procedures that you must follow to reap the benefits.
Mindfulness is a state of simply being in the moment and accepting what it gives without judgment. It’s about being where we are, in the moment we are, so that we can be prepared to respond appropriately to this reality.
The Many Ways to Practice Mindfulness
Understood in this way, we can observe mindfulness across the full range of human activity, not just in formal meditative practices.
For example, there is my dear friend Carl, who was injured in a plane crash that left him without the use of his legs. However, years later, he built a small plane himself. He even machined his own parts! In order to meet FAA regulations, he had to document every part of the construction.
And to hear him tell it, the five-year process of developing this plan has been just as challenging as the moment it first took flight.
I see Carl as a teacher of mindfulness, just as I see him in my musician friends as they delightfully play note after note, absorbed in the ease of playing that comes from years of practice. I see it in the teachers with whom I work, who remain present at every skinned knee, at every homework assignment, at every parent meeting.
I think they know a thing or two or ten about mindfulness.
Let’s be realistic
There are so many ways to practice. All are an expression of authenticity. When we are open and present to the experience before us, we are pushed to respond with our true selves.
Authenticity is the key to true human connection.
More: Mindfulness really flourishes in the community
Flight panel image by Meggar, via Wikimedia Commons
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