One of the myths of mindfulness, is that one just sits with a blank mind (whatever that might mean to you), and stares into a “zen” space and state of mind.
Jon Kabat Zinn addresses this myth in his Mindfulness for Beginners.
Whatever the quality of your experience in a particular moment, what is most important is your awareness of it. Can you make room for awareness of what is unfolding, whether you like what is happening or not, whether it is pleasant or not? Can you rest in awareness, even for one breath, or even for one in-breath, before reacting to try to escape or make things different? Inhabiting awareness is the essence of mindfulness practice, no matter what you are experiencing, whether it arises in formal meditation or in going about your life. Life itself becomes the meditation practice as we learn to take up residency in awareness- the essential dimension of our being that is already ours but with which we are so unfamiliar that we frequently cannot put it to use at the very times in our lives that we need it the most.
But if, through bringing an ongoing intentionality and gentle discipline to both formal and informal practice, mindfulness were to function increasingly as our “default; setting” so to speak, our baseline condition that we come back to instinctively when we lose our emotional balance momentarily, then it could serve as a profoundly healthy and reliable resource for us in challenging times…
What is most important is your awareness of “a particular moment”. Awareness is waking up to your experience of each moment. It is recognizing both the calm and the joy that may arise in formal practice and in life. It is also recognizing the pain, the tension and the suffering that may also be part of your experience. Awareness is noting… and allowing - even welcoming it all.
On the golf course over the weekend, I found myself enjoying a day on the golf course. When I approached the ball, I was focused on dropping down into an enjoyable calm, meditative state - to calm my nerves upon hitting the ball. I was playing with a friend, and by the second hole, I realized that she was taking her round seriously in terms of a competitive spirit. At that moment as I walked up to my ball which gratefully had made its way onto the fairway. I brought to my game an added surge of energy as I had experienced a shift in mindset; I happily moved with awareness into a slightly honed skill set. This very small shift and renewed attitude allowed me to enjoy playing at a slightly higher level.
This story illustrates how a tiny shift in awareness may have a meaningful effect in life… This is by way of introduction to Tiny Habits, The Small Changes that Change Everything. In this astounding book, B.J. Fogg, PhD, discusses Tiny Habits as one of a few of Fogg’s behavior designs. When you read Dr. Fogg’s book, you will become aware of both Tiny Habits and Behavior design, and the transformational changes that may arise from even a tiny shift in behavior.
For me, my story of my resurrected game on the golf course is a metaphor for our lived experience. Yes, it is wonderful to sit - in a very calm “zen” state, approaching equanimity. If we are to truly live - at some point we need to step into our “game”- through connecting with those around us; and living with “intentionality and gentle discipline”.