Welcome to the Mindfulness Weekly
I have been practicing mindfulness and meditation for several years and it has truly been and continues to be a healing, and liberating practice within my life. Both my wellness journey and the culmination of my experiences, inspired me to obtain a certification as both a mindfulness facilitator, and coach. Here’s little snippet to help you learn a little about my journey along with the intention behind this newsletter.
For as long as I can remember I have spent a majority of my time and efforts planning the many ways in which I could invest my efforts to achieve my goals. Be it career advancement, relationships, or material gains, I persistently attached and denied myself from experiencing any joy until, I achieved my intended goals. Only to be underwhelmed with the level of happiness that I experienced.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. - Buddha
In fact, the distance between what I envisioned and what I actually experienced grew wider with each accomplishment. Time and time again, I repeated this narrative to no avail. Regardless of the situation, or circumstance, the sacrifice and delayed gratification never supplied me with what I sought.
So much of what we have been taught has conditioned us to believe that striving, achieving, and accomplishing holds the key to happiness. In many ways, it felt as if attaching my happiness to external measures of achievement was a farce. After many failed attempts, I soon came to the realization that there had to be a better way.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. - Buddha
This inspired me to delve into the wellness space. From the high end fitness apparel, exclusive wellness retreats, costly organic foods, and over priced fitness spaces and venues, practically everything within the space promoted the narrative that accessibility was equated with status and privilege.
Although these spaces outwardly presented themselves as inclusive, I often did not feel that I could fully delve into practice. It wasn’t until I began having conversations with others, that I soon realized that inaccessibility is a common thread, especially among Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC).
Determined not to allow this deficiency to derail my progress, I dove headfirst into reading, researching, and exploring self care, wellness, mindfulness, and spirituality. This prompted me to go within with the practice of journaling to investigate why I was depriving myself from experiencing the joys that come with each passing day.
With a little self reflection I was not necessarily happy with all of the things that I learned. The more I learned about the practice of gratitude, and present moment awareness, I began to see that I was not living within the present moment.
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. - Buddha
By projecting my awareness onto the future, and reflecting on past experiences I was depriving myself of the joys of living, experiencing, and accepting life as it unfolds. The more I experienced these insights, the more it blew my mind. Now that I had this new understanding, I couldn’t possibly revert back to my old habits. I now had to embrace a new way of life.
Only reading books, listening to talks, and other resources can only take you but so far. So I gradually began to dip my toes into meditation. Mind you, I had absolutely no idea of what I was doing. Every-time I practiced it felt as if I was missing the mark, as I was instantly filled with self-doubt and an innate fear of doing it wrong. This was a challenge to say the least.
Keep in mind this was a number of years ago, mindfulness and mediation was not at the forefront of everyones mind like it is today. I felt many things, mostly alone and infused with the feeling that it was not meant for me. I tried many routes to finally “get it.” It wasn’t until I found a supportive spiritual community at The Agape International Spiritual Center, that I finally felt that I was at home and that practice is not only for me, but for any, and everyone, who is open, and available, to seek it.
Meditation is the only intentional, systematic human activity which at bottom is about not trying to improve yourself or get anywhere else, but simply to realize where you already are. - Jon Kabat-Zinn
In theory, the concepts of Mindfulness and meditation is simple. However, it is not always easy to integrate it into every aspect of our lives. Unlike most things consistency is key. It’s not just something you practice every once in a while, but the kind of daily practice, that you embody every moment. This is what makes it complex. With the practice of non-judgement, when you miss the mark you pick yourself up and begin again regardless of how many times it may take.
That’s life: starting over, one breath at a time. - Sharon Salzberg
Mindfulness practice is not a destination, its a lifestyle. I hope you have enjoyed this first post outlining a glimpse into my journey through lens of my experience.
If this resonates with you, and you have not yet subscribed, I invite you to join this community and embark on this journey with me.