Being kind to yourself- a story

 This month I have been receiving a daily email from Shamash Alidina (here ) and it has been a great point of focus during the working week to read the email and take a few moments.  

Moving forward this is something that I may do on the blog- a weekly update perhaps with a meditation. I will work on that idea...

In the meantime, I would like to share the story that Shamash sent out last week as it's been one that has resonated particularly well for me trying not to let the old impersonator syndrome come to the surface as a newbie at work.

Enjoy

***

Once upon a time there was a water bearer who carried two pots of water to his teacher each day.

Each day he would walk to the nearest stream, fill both pots with water, and walk back, one pot on each side of a pole he carried across his neck.

One pot was cracked, and so by the time the water bearer reached his teacher, it was only half full.

This continued for two years, with the water bearer only bringing one and a half pots of water.

The perfect pot was proud of its achievements.

The cracked pot was sad that it could only do half the job it was supposed to do.

One day, the cracked pot said to the water bearer, ‘I feel so upset and ashamed. I’m imperfect and I can’t hold a full pot of water. What use am I to anyone?’

The water bearer told the cracked pot to look on the ground as he carried it.

The cracked pot noticed the most beautiful wild flowers and plants on its side of the path.

The water bearer explained, ‘When I realised you were cracked, I decided to plant seeds on one side of the path, and every day, as you leak, you water that side of the path.

If you weren’t cracked, these gorgeous flowers wouldn’t be here for all to enjoy.’

Moral of the Story: Sometimes you may think you’re not perfect, or your mindfulness practise is not perfect, but how do you know?

This story goes to show that even a cracked pot can be seen as perfect just as it is.

In the same way, you’re perfect just the way you are, with all your imperfections – they’re what make you unique.

So, thank you for being a cracked pot!

***

How to be busy and mindful.

 New job is now a couple of weeks in and I am getting used ( slowly) to being the newbie at work. Plenty of opportunities to practice mindfulness!

I'd be lying if I said I was feeling on top of everything; and why would I be anyway?! So many things to take in. But taking a mindful approach and, perhaps most importantly, catching myself when I start to overthink/overplan is what I have been, and intend to carry on doing.

The standing posture when waiting for the photocopier or in the staffroom waiting to get to the coffee, the walking from one classroom to another, the time between, before and after the lessons. Coming home and really enjoying the cup of tea in the garden ( thank you late summer sun) or inside are all times to stop and just be. All of these are manageable during the busy day. Why is there so much emphasis on being busy all the time. I have gone down that road. I choose the path of taking more time to notice and act, to think and reflect, to respond not react - and when I take an unexpected turning I'll go with it and see what occurs and deal with it at the time. 

Back to the title- how to be busy and mindful; be a little less busy and a little more aware of the taste of the cup of coffee/tea, take time in a queue to breathe and just be in the moment, go outside ( even in the rain- have a coat!) and be kind to yourself and those around you.

This is one of my favourite quotes and I will unashamedly keep sharing it. 

September wordcloud

 

What is mindfulness?

Read an interesting piece this morning Here

Interesting to read views around the monetisation of mindfulness. Also some examples of businesses using it in a non mindful way 

Currently, mindfulness is unregulated in the UK as it's not a medical service in the way that seeing a psychiatrist or a counsellor is, but it's still a service that can support vulnerable people and therefore a mindfulness teacher has a duty of care to ensure the safety and confidentiality of participants.

I'm hoping to develop my practice and ultimately take classes/sessions and would ideally provide at no cost.  Employers have to take care of their employees ( well I'm not sure they HAVE to, but the good ones do) and money is put aside for CPD in many organisations. Wouldn't it be great for mindfulness to be recognised as a great way to support people . Prevention better than cure and all that. 

Rather than pay lip service and offer a one hour mindfulness/yoga session every now and again or just as a one off so that it can go into the HR folder, why not investigate providing regular sessions for staff to support their wellbeing . Within the working day.

Being part of a group of around 80 mindfulness teachers nearing completion of the MTTC run by Christopher Titmuss and his daughter Nshorna with support from mindfulness teachers from the US, Germany and India is a real.ptivilige and I'm excited to see where we all take our mindfulness practice moving forward. 

What is mindfulness? Something worth exploring.

"Mindfulness isn't difficult, we just need to remember to do it."

- Sharon Salzberg

Sleep tight

 Since the post about anxiety dreams I haven't had another one. 

I have been reading this from 'Calm' . Sleep habits are certainly a fascinating topic and I have several friends and close family members who really struggle with sleep so I like to think I have an element of understanding.

It could be somewhat disingenuous to credit mindfulness practice to stopping anxiety dreams, but I definitely believe that breathing and meditation can be exctremely beneficial. I woudl go as far as to suggest seeking medical support should sleeplessness/disturbed sleep patterns become problematic.  As a female going through menopause with hormones doing their own thing there are things that my body is doing that I have little control over. I have seen so many benefits and improvements to my sense of wellbeing as a result of embedding practices into my everyday life .

So, try breathing exercises before going to bed, try a body scan  or other meditation either in bed or just before going to bed. It will help to build routines and develop practice and might even allow for a longer and deeper sleep.

This article from mindful,org has lots more tips and suggestions.

Anxiety dreams and mindfulness part two

Well I carried out my intention last night and began with a loving kindness meditation when I went to bed . I then followed it with a body scan.  I'll add these to the blog in the coming weeks.

I have to admit to falling asleep before I finished the scan.  I then slept right through , no anxiety dreams . Chance? Luck? Result? I don't think I can give an answer at this point. Certainly food for thought...

New job starts tomorrow so I'll carry on each night this week and update at the weekend.

Anxiety dreams and mindfulness

 My new job begins this week and I am very excited for this. However, the last few nights have been somewhat restless with the onset of anxiety dreams.

Once up and awake it is easy to see them for what they are, acknowledge them and move on with my day. But it has got me thinking about how to use mindfulness strategies to deal with these. Something I haven't tried yet is to try a meditation before going to bed to address the fact that anxiety ( even at a subconscious level) is totally OK in this situation and will pass. I shall give this a try tonight and see if it makes a difference. 

A couple of interesting articles about dreams here from the British psychological society and here from Psychology today

It's quite usual for me before taking on something new to have broken sleep and anxiety dreams and maybe is just what it is. But I will do a body scan and guided meditation later this evening and will write tomorrow to share the outcome...