One of the most challenging yet intriguing attitudes of mindfulness is beginner’s mind.  Like an innocent young child with no previous experience, you rely on your senses to receive information and learn first hand.  This is essential when practicing mindfulness as it frees you from old patterns of limited thinking and fixed knowledge.  With beginner’s mind, you are naturally open and curious to explore.  See yourself as a tender young being, ready to bloom to your full potential!

When practicing mindfulness, an attitude of non-judgemental observation is essential.  Let go of the desire to be somewhere else or to need specific outcomes.  For example, if you hold resentment for another, you may be saying to yourself, “They should apologize” or “I should not feel this way”.  Holding onto thoughts like these constrict your true self and full potential.

Free yourself by accepting things just the way they are.  Recognize and honour your true feelings, then direct your energy towards healing and growing.  Instead of saying the above statements, you might choose to say instead, “That is history.  I now choose to heal myself and move forward.  Maintaining an open mind and non-judgmental attitude yields great power for liberating yourself.

Self-compassion begins with awareness.  Bring awareness to negative thoughts when they arise and how they affect you.  For instance, if you feel resentment, notice your bodily sensations and associated thoughts in that moment.  Is your body tense and do your thoughts consume you, preventing you from living life fully?  Perhaps you would like to use your energy more wisely.  Recognize the implications of holding pain and consciously work to free yourself.

Imagine yourself free of this pain.  See yourself softening to a place of gentle loving kindness.  Allow the wise part of yourself to arise and tenderly hold your pain, to create space for emotional healing.  Perhaps you may choose to release it by journaling, writing a letter without sending it, talking to a friend or professional, or engaging in physical release through exercise, massage or other forms of body therapy.  Experiment with a variety of healthy ways until all of your pain is released.  Self-compassion is an on-going process that requires unconditional love, acceptance and patience to evolve in your own natural way.

In practicing mindfulness, acceptance and compassion for oneself is most important.  Surrender those driving voices within that tell you what you should be doing, where you should be at, and what should be happening in your life.  Release all expectations for being anyplace else but where you are currently at and rest in the reality of the present moment.

Mindfulness allows you to appreciate moments fully and recognize your own true nature and desire to live from the heart.  Living from the heart means seeing the goodness that resides in you and in the world.  It is honouring the interconnected nature of all living things, honouring your whole self and others in the web of life.  Commit to cultivating a strong sense of self-acceptance and self-compassion as your first step to living more in harmony with the world.

Picture a home overlooking the ocean.  It is a grand old home painted in vibrant tones.  Through endless seasons of exposure to intense sun, wind, and rainstorms, the exterior walls have gradually faded to reveal its’ true color.  A majestic redwood magically appears revealing a life lesson for all of us to learn from.

Similar to the majestic redwood home, the essence of you lies beneath the roles you have taken on throughout your life.  Beneath parent, employee, friend, and partner lies your authentic being.  Just as the redwood reveals truth of its’ origin and natural character, so too does your body.  Your body is the means with which your soul communicates to you.  Listen to those internal cues, heed those inner sensations that connect you with your true beauty within.

Body wisdom is all about personal best.  When following body wisdom, there is no place for competition either with your self or others.  Anytime you are focused on specific outcomes such as beating old records or winning against others, body wisdom takes a back seat.  During these times, the thinking mind prevails as the body is pushed to perform at whatever cost.

Bring mindfulness to what is most important.  Find the right balance between physical and spiritual wellbeing.  Remember that your body is not a machine and that it benefits from the appropriate amount of care and exercise.  Take care of your body and your body will take care of you!.

When you are attuned to your body’s wisdom, you catch imbalances before they become problematic.  In comparison to the past when you were caught up with the busyness of life and disregarding internal cues, you now hear messages with great clarity and heed the signals within.  The benefits are profound.

When you become sensitive to your body, you become sensitive to life.  Aware of the many subtleties in life, you begin to see the interconnected nature of everything on this planet.  You realize there is a beautiful rhythmic energy at play, supporting the livelihood of all.

Body pain and tension can get the better of us if we disregard signals from within.  Ignoring discomfort is like alienating yourself.  Instead, befriend your body and listen deeply to what it is saying.  Maybe it is telling you to slow down, take a break, or try a different approach.  Perhaps this is an opportunity for you to develop new skills and habits for long-term health.  Chronic aches and pain can be effectively addressed with the practice of mindfulness.

Make today the day you become your body’s best friend. Pay attention to it with loving kindness and non-judgmental attention.  Vow to work with your body to heal any pain you are experiencing.  Find time for self-care and commit to wellness now.  Science reveals the body has the capacity to heal itself naturally and regenerate healthy cells.  Why not support this miracle within.  Awareness is key.  Mindfully choose your next step towards better health today.

You are the expert of your life, your mind, and your body.  If you doubt this, then at the very least, believe you are in the best position to become an expert of your life, mind and body with mindful attention!  Bring non-judgemental awareness to every aspect of your life.  Mindfulness is an adventure like no other!

Observe your sensory experiences in the here and now.  Bring awareness to your body.   See your body as a vibrant temple which gives you life.  Focus on your breath and its rhythmic flow, coming in and out of your body like waves on a beach.  Bring awareness to physical sensations, from the crown of your head to toes.  Relax any tension or tightness you feel by softening those areas with deep and relaxing breaths.  Imagine the tension leaving your body with each out breath.  Envision your body healthy and at ease.  Hold this image with you as you go about your day.  Practice this regularly throughout the week and you will be amazed how a few minutes of mindfulness leads to enhanced quality of life!

Mindfulness reminds us that we are human.  We are complex beings comprised of mind, body and spirit.  Our authentic nature lies at the core of our being, under layers of experiences that have shaped us since birth.  Those experiences contribute to who we are today, including illusions of inadequacy as discussed in the previous three posts on small self.  Mindfulness dissolves those illusions very naturally and brings us back to the reality we were all born whole and complete, with a divine essence flowing through each and every one of us.

The practice of mindfulness evokes personal best. When you live mindfully, you become aware of incongruities between your inner and outer worlds.  You stop identifying with small self and repeating old habits that block your potential.  You stop comparing yourself to others and instead, honour your authentic nature and unique gifts.  This revolutionary step forward is one of the greatest blessings mindfulness offers.  Through self-acceptance, you free yourself to be all that you were meant to be.