The greatest regret is being what others would want you to be rather than being yourself. ~ Shannon L. Alder
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Rebel reader, I've been thinking about the "Mindfulness Revolution" a lot lately. I've been thinking about what being mindful means to me. I've been thinking about "shoulds" and "have-tos" and "thou shalts." I've been wondering if I've been doing things "all wrong." Or "all right." Or more likely, somewhere in-between.
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Frankly, mindfulness was becoming boring to me. I think part of the boredom is how mindfulness is portrayed as this holy act. Mindful people are depicted as calm, slim, with an inner-I'm-totally-at-peace-with-everything glow. Mindful people never swear. They don't yell at drivers who cut them off on the freeway. They are always present and in the moment with their children and partners. They probably are very physically fit, vegans and never, ever, EVER fart. Mindful people aren't really human. Or so this onslaught of media is seeming to say.
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I've been thinking about how make mindfulness "sexy." How to make it fun and exciting. How to have be a little less "ooooohhhhhhmmmmmm" and little more uncontrolled and spontaneous. For me. Because seriously, I'm not any of those things I listed above. I have the mouth of a sailor most days. I yell at drivers who cut me off. And I zone out on my phone or laptop sometimes. I eat meat (mmmm... bacon...) and while I have run two half-marathons in my life, I'm actually not a very physically active person beyond yoga and skipping and playing tag with my girl. Oh, and yes, I do fart. And while all that is true, I do tend to be present more often than not. I can catch myself from having a screaming fit and breathe. I can usually turn a cranky mood into one filled with raucous laughter. And I can notice when I'm zoning out on a screen a little too much and need to check back in with folks. It's taken practice. Years of practice and growth and understanding myself and my triggers. Years of practice acknowledging that I really do need to take care of me so I can be present. Years of exploring and experimenting and coming to a place of accepting that a Buddhist nun I will never be. And you what? I'm okay with that.
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My goal for my mindfulness practice is not to have that "inner-I'm-totally-at-peace-with-everything glow." No. The goal of my mindfulness practice is to enjoy life. My life. To connect to the people I love. To experience laughter and spontaneity and connection. To be true to Me, whoever I am in whatever moment. To be fully me, now. And that may mean swearing like a sailor at the person who cut me off on the freeway. It may mean turning off my laptop and having a tickle fight with my girl. It may mean taking lots of breaths and checking in with my body or maybe it means going and punching the crap out of a pillow or punching bag. It may mean creating art, or having a spontaneous dance party in our living room, or going for a walk, or kissing my husband just because, or going on a date with one of my best friends because we need some grown up time away from the kids. My mindfulness practice may sometimes look calm and peaceful. And sometimes it won't at all. And that's the way I want it. Because I want to experience all of life. I want to be present for it. I want ME to be present for it. Not some "model of mindfulness" rather the true me right now. I'd love for you to explore what being mindful means to you over the next couple weeks. And I'd love to hear your thoughts about it. Simply hit reply and tell me what you think.
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P.S. There's still a little bit of time to register for Grounding in Grace. We began gathering on Friday (Jan 31st) and I will close registration on Sunday, February 2nd. For more information and to register, click here.
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Owning it: Being and becomingFor the last several months I have been floating around our house when I need to work. One day in our "big bedroom" to write a paper; another in our tiny living room to read; yet another down in our family room to record a video for one of my programs. Nomadically wandering around our home, seeking out That Perfect-for-me ...
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This Deeper KnowingI wanted to write today. I wanted to deeply settle into myself and my voice. I wanted to be creative, to allow the words to flow. Words about grace. Words about connection. Words about settling into one's own skin.
Yet my brain was chatty. It didn't want to settle and write. I couldn't form whole thoughts and felt my ...
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Grounding in Grace :: What it isGrounding in Grace is a course in Body-Centered Mindfulness Practices. It was designed for both beginners and "old-hats" to mindfulness practices. It contains guided meditations, mindfulness and body-grounding exercises and some mindfulness-focused soul work to help you become aware of roadblocks in your practice.
Grounding in Grace ...
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Instagram Love Instagram: I LOVE IT!! I'm a very visual person, and IG is my perfect fix to both share part of my life through photographs and to see lots of amazing images of others across the globe. I have my account set to private, however I'd love to add you and follow you too! I'm @gwynnraimondi Look forward to seeing you soon! <3
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Gwynn Raimondi Compassionate body-centered mindfulness guide. Cultivator of pleasure and play. Inspiring deeply grounded connections in the lives of many. Connecting You to the Beauty of the Present Moment
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