Practising mindfulness
It’s been a while since I last blogged. April was a busy month and this busy-ness has got me thinking!
In and amongst all the busy-ness I was lucky enough to take 5 days away on a meditation retreat. I was at the beautifully nurturing Dru Yoga training centre in Snowdonia and, whilst I was there partly to get my continued professional development (CPD) points, it’s also a great opportunity for me to slow down, recharge and take stock. Snowdon Lodge is a fantastic place to do this, calm and peaceful and even better because you can only get a phone signal if you walk a little way down the valley, so checking my phone, text messages and emails constantly isn’t an option. I have no choice but to be still, be present and rest.
I have to admit, it takes me a little while to slow down, however, once I do, my body is so grateful. I always know when I am “due” a retreat because I feel scattered and find it difficult to focus on 1 thing at a time. I’m always looking for the next job to do, my mind is almost constantly planning and thinking, and I can easily start to feel overwhelmed. Of course, I do my daily yoga and meditation practise and this, I know, keeps me going, giving me the energy and clarity I need, but sometimes I just need a little bit of extra help.
So, for me, going on retreat reminds me that I am a human being, not a human doing. It reminds me that I need to balance all the busy-ness and activity with stillness.
There are many methods to help us get into a state of meditation – visualisations, breathing techniques, sense with drawl, mantra, candle gazing….but true meditation is just being, not thinking, not visualising, not listening to music, not focussing on something, just being, just being, relaxed and yet totally conscious, fully awake, fully present, just being.
It’s my experience that this is so much easier to type than do! However I do keep practising! It’s the moments of pure consciousness that keep me practising, because even in that short time I completely recognise, and feel the benefit of meditation. Benefits that spill out into my everyday life.
Meditation is the tool I need to reconnect with myself, allowing me to be still long enough to hear what the real Isabel wants and needs. I whole-heartedly believe that some stillness and silence is essential for our good health and is the only chance we have of really living the life we truly deserve. Without stillness and silence how can we ever hear our inner wisdom?
I hope that has whetted your appetite, as I plan to blog a bit more about the benefits of meditation! Until then, please give yourself the gift of some stillness, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Focus on being a human being not a human doing 🙂