Monday Mindfulness

Cultivating Strength, Joy, Calm & Resilience


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Cradled in Grief

Johann Hari once said, “We grieve because we have loved. We grieve because the person we have lost mattered to us.”

Grief is not a linear process.

It is an ebb and flow of emotions

and choices that we navigate,

between holding on and letting go.

Like this water,

tears move,

ever changing in shape and patterns.

The flowers that bloom and subsequently fade away

help us find our way back

to a place in our hearts,

to remember

the beauty,

the joy,

and the love,

to soften for just a moment

the pain,

the aloneness,

the fear of having to live beyond this very moment.

Set it all down,

come into this moment.

Let it hold you.

Let it nurture you,

stroking your cheek,

embracing you with softness and sweetness.

For the next few moments,

let everything else go.

You are loved,

and held,

more than you will ever know.


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Whole Harmony

Life force

breath

heals

softens

opens

the body

relaxes

the mind

promotes

courage

offers

ease

and

fuels

my

power.

Still

grateful

gentle

kind

accepting

breathing

I am

a great

force

of energy.

Feeling

healthy

and

strong

in the

soft

and

caring

rest

slowness

and

power

in my

every

breath.


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Constant Source

Attract.

Repel.

Draw in.

Push back.

Play with gravity.

It is your choice how close or far away the energy they bring will orbit you.

Their rugged terrain, gaseous atmospheres, unruly conditions, or waterfalls, nirvana and bliss all belong to them.

See them,

Be grateful for them.

Allow them to be just as they are.

You are the sun.

The constant source of your own truth.

Capable of adjusting their orbits,

Cultivating trust and safety,

Assured in the joy and peace that comes from being at the center of your universe.


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Unfolding Into Me

It’s so hard to come out of this cocoon,

Perfectly fitting around me,

The barrier I need to dampen sensations and dull the sharp contrast of the outer world and what’s going on inside of me.

I arrive at the precipice of transformation, the seal broken on my familiar encasing,

The time now ripe for my evolution.

Thinking the hard part is past me,

The formation of this new way of being is here.

And yet as the cocoon slices open, there is no longer a sense of security, of the familiar, or predictability.

These new wings are wet and heavy, my footing unsure.

My nourishment and direction are uncertain.

Yet, I find the courage to spread my wings, scattering the newly applied and still wet coating that will ultimately protect me.

Now settling into this new being,

I look out at the vast horizon.

Vibrant colors, textures and shapes seem distantly familiar,

Invigorating my curiosity,

Reminding me vaguely of what I once was and what I now will be.

It is time.

I flutter my wings.

I am free.


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Splat! Eeek! Oh!

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Thought I had the shower all to myself.  Turns out a little frog thought the same.

As I hurried around the corner to turn on the water, it sprung from the wall to the ground with a giant splat. The sound was enormous!

My heart recoiled at the explosion.  Fear grabbed me.  It pulled the breath from my chest.  My body tensed from head to toe ready to respond.  My mind raced through the options…fight…or…flee…I froze.

It was at that moment I wondered – if I hadn’t been in such a hurry, if I hadn’t been so distracted with thoughts and urgency, would I have had the same reaction?

If I had been truly present and more attuned to my surroundings, would I have rounded the corner more gently?  Would the frog and I perhaps have exchanged a glance but then carried on with our business?

Because I was in such a hurry and so distracted, I had created an unsettled space for both the frog and me.

Oh, how fear takes advantage of us and sneaks in to catch us when we are off balance. And how our actions impact others’ experiences.  That poor frog would certainly have benefited from a little more care and focus from me…and I would have actually been able to get a shower instead of taking that time to sort through my surging fears and emotions.

 


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All Wrapped Up

All Wrapped Up

There comes a time and space where each of us longs to curl up in a snuggly blanket, to feel the pressure on our skin, the cocoon of warmth and connection.  This need for contact, pressure, and restriction is also the driver for the invitation of struggle, suffering, and conflict into our lives.

With difficulty pressing in upon me, I will always still find the same comfort and ease on the inside if I allow it.

It is simply a matter of the material of the wrap and the lens with which I see it that determines whether I feel it as nurturing or limiting.

The wrap is just a reminder to feel what’s on the inside – to know the true essence of me, undefined by the fabric of my experience.