Mindful Monday

This meditation accompanies our 21st March No 8 Podcast on Managing a change. Today’s practice “Exploring a change”, it brings awareness and focuses to exploring a change that you might be experiencing now or have recently been through. Change is an inevitable part of the human experience be it at home or work, in fact, change is everywhere inside us and outside us. Yet so often we do not move through the change consciously, with awareness and focus.  Meditation can also support you in managing change. This is a sitting meditation. 

Happiness is a loaded concept, with expectations, hope, yearning, and confusion. What makes happiness seem so elusive has more to do with how you relate to the idea of it than with how you really feel, and it’s different for everyone. Happiness isn’t a fixed point, it’s always in flux so you can be happy one moment and that feeling is gone in the next. You can’t strive for happiness and it’s not something you can touch. Rather, it’s about noticing the ordinary moments in your life that give you joy, make you happy and help you recognise the happiness already within you. 

This meditation accompanies our 15th March No 7 Podcast on Exploring Happiness. Today’s meditation is called “Connecting to the happiness within through gratitude” and practice is focused on putting your attention on all that you have to be thankful for, acknowledging it, and expressing gratitude for it. In turn, this will help you connect to the happiness that is part of your inherent nature, leading you to a sense of satisfaction and reconnection with your mind’s happy state. 

The phrase “curiosity killed the cat” may be true, but in fact curiosity fuels high levels of creativity in us. This creativity enables us to lean into uncertainty with a positive attitude – relaxing and opening our minds to new ideas, skills and ways of solving problems. In mindfulness practices (either at home or in the workplace), the importance of being in the moment, the invitation to have a beginner’s mind and be non-judgmental encourages curiosity. 

This meditation accompanies our 8 March No 6 Podcast on Being curious. Today’s meditation is called “Resting in Awareness” and practice is focused on bringing awareness to your breath, thoughts and sounds. Bringing curiosity to your mindful practice as you to begin to pay attention with a sense of wonder, to notice what is happening and accepting it in the present moment. 

“Mindful awareness of our bodies is a portal to full aliveness, wisdom and love” says Tara Brach. Bodies already know how to sing, dance, morn and celebrate. They communicate that to us daily. But do you feel the aliveness in your body? What is between you and really being at home in your body right now? Listening to the moment to moment clues your body gives you about how you’re feeling (lightness, energy), excitement, heaviness, or dread helps you to navigate and manage your own wellbeing. Rather to just be in it, awakening to its aliveness.

This meditation accompanies our 1st March No 5 Podcast on Body Awareness. Today’s meditation is called “Compassionate Body Scan” and it focuses on your body by bringing awareness to some of the parts and acknowledging how they work. Arriving and inhabiting each part, building up your capacity for acknowledging, caring and appreciating your body assist us in being awake in our bodies. 

This meditation accompanies our 22nd  February No 4 Podcast on Intentions. Today’s meditation is called “Setting an intention” and offering the opportunity to explore and set an intention aligned to your life and a small intention that might serve you in a meeting, meditation or conversation. 

Everything in our lives starts with an intention. The careers we choose, the places we live, the people we surround ourselves with. An intention is not the same as a goal. Dr. Wayne Dyer says, “Our intention creates our reality.” Ask yourself, “What matters most to you?” This could form a powerful intention, for which you can align your thoughts and attitude for the day, week or months ahead. Having a clear intention at your fingertips can help guide your actions as you move through the day. 

We are social beings by nature. “How we bond and stay attached to others is at the core of our resilience, self-esteem and physical health” says Louis Cozolino (psychology professor & author). Connecting through friendships provides richness in life, makes us feel safe, encourages curiosity and good mental health. Bringing a mindful awareness approach to your friendships enables you to explore them; to feel joy and loss; to experience shared vulnerability with another in kindness and with curiosity.