Body-mind connection
What I also find fascinating is the body-mind connection – how the way we use our bodies can influence our mental state. We can get a sense of this with a very simple exercise – walk around the room twice, once with the head down and shoulders slumped forward, staring at the floor; the second time with the head high.
Warm-hearted attention
‘Attention without feeling, I began to learn, is only a report. An openness — an empathy — was necessary if the attention was to matter.’ Mary Oliver
Receptive spaciousness
‘Presence is the bare awareness of the receptive spaciousness of our mind.’ Daniel Siegel, The Mindful Brain
A well-tended life
A well-tended life is less a matter of ‘this is what you should do’, but more a question of ‘I wonder what might be needed today, given this time and place, and my particular circumstances?’
Sparks of life
Waking up in the morning
I vow with all beings
to be ready for sparks of the Dharma
from flowers or children or birds.
Applying mindfulness to challenges – Part 2
A second mindfulness strategy, which may be a new coping mechanism, is to open up and turn towards challenges in a healthy way.