To be fully immersed, to be fully present, to be open and aware. To have my feet on the ground, grounded to the earth. To feel, to express, to understand, to understand my impact in life. To make conscious decisions, to act from a place of awareness. These are the first things that come to my mind, when I think about being mindful, about what it means. How it is how I wish to live, how I strive to live, but it is not always easy. There are so many things that distract us, that pull our attention away from the present moment. Our heads in the past, our hearts lost, our bodies weighted down, by expectations and worries.
To feel lighter, to understand what is important in life, to understand the importance of living one's life. Yes to have your mind full, your life full, but of what really matters.
To take a breath, a deep breath in and feel my presence. To take in my surroundings, to be fully aware. As though time itself stops, momentarily. All of which, helps oneself to be more connected, to the environment, to themselves. That to me, is what is most important. Feeling connected to life, feeling alive.
It's not always possible to wake up everyday, in deep gratitude. I would like to say that I manage to, but I don't. Some days I wake up feeling heavy, feeling burdened. Because life is tough, it's challenging. I don't believe that it's possible to only ever experience happiness, I wouldn't even want to live like that, even if I could. Life is all about the experiences we have. Full bodies experiences.
Taking a breath, grounding oneself, knowing that it is this moment that really matters, this moment that we should focus on. To not let our thoughts get the better of ourselves, our emotions, our fears. To take a breath, let yourself feel, to fully experience.
When you reach that, your mind becomes less cluttered, you create more space, decluttering the things that once swam around and around, keeping you bouncing from the past to the future. Your head in the clouds, your head in the sand.
Creating more space, is healing, understanding that less really means more. Less possessions, that once keep you so occupied, the many things that slowly take over your life. The worries. the stress. Minimalism, is to me, an extension of being mindful, of living mindfully.
When you are fully aware, you understand what you need to live, to truly live, not just survive. You understand that it is one's own well being, that really matters. having the time to do the things you love, things that make you happy. That make you feel free. For me, it's being in nature, choosing how I spend my days, choosing how I live my life. Dancing, always making time for dancing.
Trying to be mindful in all that I do. It's been quite the journey, quite the unfurling. From the way in which I breath, to how I speak to myself, to how I react to each moment. How I choose to react, knowing it is my choice, how I react.
This is my response to the Daily Theme Initiative from the wonderful Minimalist Community.
How does mindfulness fit into your life as a minimalist? Do you cultivate a weekly mindfulness practice, or play it by ear?
All photos used in this post are my own.
