Investigating

In participating in a mindful practice, you gain access to and cultivate tools that can help you respond more skillfully to the inner challenges as well as the external things that happen around you. The breath and the noting are techniques that strengthen an attention to presence and awareness. Breathing is something you do each second of everyday, a constant reminder of what’s here, and our connection to a space of calm, balance and productivity. The noting technique is acknowledging and giving note to unproductive thoughts, overwhelming feelings and reactive emotions that pull you away from that space of calm, being fully present. And like any meaningful process you participate with, it takes intention to find opportunities to be able to train consistently. The tools to train to experience more balance, productivity and purpose are within all of us; the key is being curious to investigate and explore ways to better yourself. And that takes courage.  

 Real but not true. Our struggles aren’t in the things themselves-the thoughts, feelings and emotions, our struggles are in the way we attach and relate to our struggles. Anger, anxiety, fear, worry, stress are all real feelings, but what we tell ourselves and how we attach to what we believe may not be true. Developing and training the breath and noting technique are the tools that allow you to investigate how to detach from the storylines and barriers we create along with the thoughts and emotions. 

We all have different experiences, but at the same time we can all relate to anxiety, anger, fears and insecurities. Investigating how you attach or identify with these things is an opportunity to explore more skillful ways to relate to your inner struggles and the challenging events life is bound to throw at you. There’s a tendency to be critical and unkind in becoming aware of some of the barriers you’ve created. And this restrictive reaction only strengthens the loop you’ve attached to. A gentle and kind approach to yourself and your practice is the key to freedom. 

This week see if you can find some opportunities to notice without judging what pulls you away from presence and how you respond or react to whatever comes up. Reflect on a thought , feeling or an emotion you feel strongly attached to and are curious about experiencing differently. How you do anything is how you can do everything.