Mindfulness (The Practice)

Mindfulness is like being a scientist who is studying their own brain. When you feel a big feeling like anger or sadness, you do not have to be angry. Instead, you say hmm I notice that I am feeling angry right now. By naming the feeling, you put a little bit of space between you and the emotion. This gives you the power to stay calm and make good choices. It is like watching a storm from inside a sturdy house.

By naming the feeling you put a little bit of space between you and the emotion. There is a difference between being angry and noticing that you are angry. The first one is a fire. The second one is a firefighter. Same room. Very different roles. When you say I notice I am angry, the language creates a gap. A tiny gap. But in that gap lives your entire freedom. Because in that gap you can choose. Without the gap there is no choice. There is only reaction. Mindfulness is not about being calm. Mindfulness is about being aware. And awareness — even awareness of chaos — is always calm. The storm is not the house. And you are the house.

Mindfulness increases the signal-to-noise ratio in conscious processing. The gap between stimulus and response is where freedom lives. The storm is not the house. And you are the house.

SOUND: A Tibetan singing bowl ringing and fading slowly: the sound of attention being placed and held.

SMELL: Dried lavender flowers: the scent of the nervous system receiving permission to stand down.

TASTE: One single raisin eaten very slowly noticing every bump: the tongue becoming a microscope.

TOUCH: Petting a dog or cat and feeling their heartbeat: the hand practicing presence through another being.

SIGHT: A candle flame flickering back and forth: the eyes tracking the present moment in real time.

BODY: A body scan noticing your toes then knees then stomach: attention walking through the house of the body room by room.

Music: Fake It by Seether

Music: Don't Believe the Hype by Public Enemy

Part of The Observer & Awareness — CONSCIOUSNESS — Education Revelation