I have traveled quite a bit this year compared to the last few years. Although I enjoy traveling and all the experiences it brings into one’s life, I am also aware of how travel impacts patterns, routines and consistency. This entry is a mindful reflection of the benefits of mixing things up sometimes and the benefits of consistency in our lives.
In Full Catastrophe Living, Jon Kabat-Zinn writes about the importance of commitment, self-discipline and intentionality. He asserts that having a regular mindfulness practice requires a certain amount of each of these qualities. As I engage in work, play, and travel, the consistency of my mindfulness practice is easily influenced. With travel, routines are interrupted. With spring arriving, there are more opportunities to be engaged in outdoor activities. In my professional life, I am consistently experiencing the changes of starting with clients, teaching new classes/courses and workshops and ending with clients, classes/courses and workshops. I have come to enjoy and accept the ongoing changes in my personal and professional life, and I notice that I must be very intentional with consistency for those people, places, things and practices that I value and want to maintain in my life, even amongst the ongoing change. Consistency is what continually holds the space for being intentional about and observing the benefits of mindfulness practice. My regular formal and informal mindfulness practices alert me to automatic patterns going on in my mind and body.
I notice that during times of stress and/or mindlessness, I may fall into automatic routines and patterns. The automatic routines can sometimes serve as a good support for me as I navigate whatever difficulty has arisen. Other times, when I’m experiencing difficulty and/or life is not offering as much joy, change and mixing patterns and routines up a bit can be very beneficial. This practice of beginning anew or with a different lens can offer new perspective that I might not have considered previously. When I pause, reflect and attend to what is arising in the present moment, there is opportunity to learn and observe something new or different. If we get set in our ways and focused on doing the same routines without an awareness practice, we risk missing out on valuable information, opportunities, perspective and experiences.
Regular meditation time provides an opportunity for me to check in with awareness on my states of being and make realistic and reasonable choices for my health and well-being. The consistency of a regular meditation practice promotes my ability to be aware of and observe both the value of routine and the value of change and mixing things up.
We will address consistency and change in the next Monthly Mindfulness Practice on June 4th. Please see the listing on the Events Page for additional information and to begin practicing with renewed consistency! Below I have included some links for additional information about starting a new habit and creating a consistent mindfulness practice.
Wishing you well,
Karen
Comments