Mindfulness &

how to be aware in an unaware world

Tag: reflection

  • Wisdom

    Wisdom

    “The wise expect nothing, hope for nothing, thus avoiding all disappointment and anxiety.”
    – Alexandra David-Néel

    However, hope can be the greatest of things, says Andy Dufresne.

    (Just because I share these quotes doesn’t mean I always agree with them. My reasoning behind sharing them is to help me write engaging blog posts as well as push me to think through them.)

    I also may agree with them during one point in my life and then disagree with them during another, that’s called the human condition. However, the point is to understand the mind of the author, not to find disagreement with them.

    Disagreement should be a productive jumping-off point, a seeking to understand the core of the argument and see the other person’s side of view with more clarity.

    Disappointment sucks, yes, but it’s also a catalyst to change. It’s in learning why we are disappointed with a certain outcome or person that we learn to have meaningful conversations and let go of the ego.

    Expectations lead to unnecessary “what if” storylines in the mind.

    Which can grow and grow, creating anxiety and angst in even the calmest of minds. Let’s take a simple high-school crush as an example: What if they don’t like me? What if I can’t talk to them? What if I don’t know what to say? What if they like someone else?

    These “what ifs” can go on in perpetuity or until we see them from enough of a distance and watch them pass away.

    The mind is a truly tricky place to navigate. Without the awareness to see thoughts, we will inevitably be consumed by them.

    And without the practice of awareness (meditation, noting, visualizing), we will not be aware long enough to let thoughts pass.

    Personally, I would change this quote to read: “The wise expect little, hope when all seems lost, and thus see disappointment and anxiety as passing clouds far above them.”

    I encourage you to seek what troubles your mind today: write it down, speak it out loud, and tell someone who will actively listen (not necessarily in that order).

    It’s in understanding our disappointments, anxieties, frustrations, and emotions that we better our relationship with our minds.

    Three Links

    1. Why You Need Wisdom (read)
    2. How to Disagree Better (audio) 
    3. What is Wisdom? (video)

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  • Headspace

    Headspace

    “The only way of putting the mind at ease is to let go of the desire to want it to be different.”
    – Andy Puddicombe

    Ever since I heard this quote after a guided meditation on the influential meditation app, Headspace, my life has changed in the greatest, grandest, and tiniest ways.

    I even remember the day. I was sitting on a couch in the basement of a family friend’s home in Highlands Ranch, Colorado on my phone mindlessly scrolling through the app store. I paused, as many do, on the words Meditation, Mindfulness, and Headspace strung together next to an orange ball that is the Headspace logo.

    Out of instinct I downloaded the app and tried the free ten-day introduction to meditation and sat with the most curious mind.

    I think I meditated every day that entire month, trying a new meditation course back to back. Here was a former monk and meditation guide talking about some really difficult emotions and yet conveying the surest ability to work through them with meditation.

    The longer I listened to his voice, the more I practiced, and the more I practiced, the more sure I became in my ability to work through my own emotions.

    It was so beautiful to know that such a simple yet profound thing existed and that the culmination of all this guy’s knowledge and experience was accessible right there on my phone.

    I continued to meditate almost every day for eight years now. It was as if I had found the one thing I could do so naturally and made a strong habit out of it.

    Headspace has tools to help everyone from all walks of life and circumstances find meditation and turn it into a daily practice. Andy reminds listeners that mediation is the practice of a lifetime, and that results can be seen after the first exercise, but that natural inclination to be mindful throughout the entire day comes after years of consistent practice.

    The app has now expanded to include more than just a guided morning meditation, but also sleep, music, video, animations, and even therapy sections.

    Whereas I was once easily anxious, worried, forgetful, and unfocused, I slowly tuned into my feelings, sensations, and thoughts, seeing them for the first time at a distance rather than as they occurred.

    I felt as if I gained a superpower, and others in my life noticed too. They saw I was more aware, and as a result more mindful of my words and actions.

    Naturally, I began helping my family and friends more. I started noticing where to love (through acts of service and words of affirmation).

    The lessons Andy taught have stuck with me for all these years. And although he doesn’t even know me (yet), he has profoundly changed my life.

    I have also come to embrace Andy’s philosophy: that the world is impermanent, constantly changing, moving, and shifting over time.

    And when we step back to see this change at even the slightest distance, we gain a natural perspective of kindness and compassion.

    This is, after all, the essence of mindfulness: to be present in an open, and kind way.

    And meditation is, after all, the practice of pausing to recognize the present in an open and kind way.

    I encourage you to pause, even if it’s for five minutes.

    Close your eyes and notice the world around you.

    What do you hear, smell, taste, and feel? How do they make you feel? Where does the mind wander? What is your Headspace like?

    Three Links

    1. The Headspace App
    2. The Voice of Headspace, Andy Puddicombe
    3. The Definition of Impermanence

    Thank you for your time and attention in reading this post. It is a rare gift. Feel free to leave a comment or share too. You can also buy me a coffee here if you feel so inclined!