Mindful (or Mindless?)
Are you mindlessly heartful?
It's funny that I call this blog in my newsletter "monthly mindfulness" because I don't even really believe in the word. The word originally came from the Pali language of ancient India and roughly translates as "awareness" which I think is much more accurate. Lately in my talks and classes I have been talking about this word, Mindfulness, and replacing it with "Heartfulness" because it's been my direct experience that people are moving through a shift that is much less mind-based and much more heart-full.
It's been my own experience as well.
I used to have a strong meditation practice throughout my 20s and sporadically into my mid 30s and when my son was born, all routines seemed to go out the window. After some stressful years of figuring it all out as a single mom, running my own business and having brand new duties and a human to look after, stuff got tense. Namely, my shoulders, and my neck.
Occipital Neuralgia they call it. And it's incredibly debilitating.
As an entrepreneur, I'm always looking for the next best book or podcast or emerging author or video to eat up and I kept hearing a theme from successful, have-their-$h*t-together people: Meditate.
It's funny. After practicing yoga now for over 20 years, and teaching for almost 7, I can get a little silly in my classes. The practice of yoga and meditation was always a serious one for me, but as I grow older, I realize that, even though life can be hard, it's our attitude towards it that makes all the difference. In my classes, when I talk about and walk my students through a meditation or "centering" at the beginning of class, I have them focus on the breath, blah, blah, blah...but then I say, "If you're trying this at home, and for the first 5 - 10 minutes, if all you do is think thoughts that make up a to-do list, GREAT! WRITE THEM DOWN! Get them out of your head!
Now you've just made room for more insights to come through. Bravo. And the more you sit in this awareness (this mind-less awareness) and move your breath more into your heart, it's amazing what insights and ideas will come through.
Have you ever had a really good feeling in your gut - like you wanted to do something or go somewhere, but then your mind started arguing with itself? Like, "Jennie - you shouldn't do that - you have to work at this measly $15/hr paying job where no one respects you - you must STAY!" Yea, that one. When you ignore that feeling and stay because you're "supposed to," that's you ignoring your smartest teacher: your heart - your intuition - the Universe or God pulling you in the direction of your purpose.
I have a business and success coach who I pay a subscription fee to every month and I've gotten SO MUCH out of her work this past year. I've loved it. I've gotten so much good information, met such amazing people, and have grown considerably from doing her work. I missed the last two calls because I've been producing more videos, getting more speaking gigs and have enrolled more customers who need attention. My body screamed at me (like literally, a strong feeling in my gut) to STOP the subscription. My mind started arguing, "But you get so much out of it! It's made you who you ARE! There are so many resources there!" and twice in meditation I got the same feeling: "STOP." So I cancelled. I felt so free. That day I posted 5 new videos to YouTube.
If meditation is hard for you, go for a run first. Do some physical yoga postures first. Go for a swim. Move your body so you FEEEEEL more from your body first. Then shower, please. Then sit. Sit in a chair. Sit on the floor. Sit in a comfortable position, preferably with your spine straight and tall. And just focus on your breath. If a thought comes up that you need to hold onto, write it down. Come back to the breath. If another thought comes up, write it down. Now come back to the breath. If the first time is only 10 minutes, great. If you need to set an alarm, sure thing. I dare you to do it longer and longer until 30 minutes feels like a breeze.
Just like riding a bike, when I re-started a consistent practice of sitting, clarity flooded my whole being. My wish is for you to feel the same - and to gain insights beyond your wildest dreams. What else are you aware of in your every day life? What do you consume on the daily - by way of food, people, television, information. Let Seth Godin give you some advice about this Halloween and all the delicious candy you're going to consume. My cleanse will be done mid-October (follow me here!). I've already got my fair-trade chocolate picked out.
Om namah