What's Coming Up?

“Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will); being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won’t).” – James Baraz

As you may have read earlier in the year, remembering to rumble is our mantra for 2016. A big part of making this real is tuning into what needs to be rumbled with. As we navigate busyness, vulnerability and what’s next, what’s coming up can go unnoticed or be pushed into a ‘deal with that later’ pile. This is why this quote below from Jon Kabat Zinn has been an important one for us this year, acting as an anchor within our individual and shared journey of potential.

“What is arising becomes the curriculum.” – Jon Kabat Zinn

I first heard these words during The Mindfulness Summit last October. Melli O’Brien, the driving force behind this online event, was interviewing Jon Kabat Zinn as part of her interview a day schedule with inspiring men and women from around the world. I loved the simplicity (and complexity) of the statement he made as he spoke about meditation. So often we can believe that meditation or mindfulness practices must result in a perfectly clear and peaceful mind. Really these practices provide us with moments (of varying lengths) of paying attention, focusing in without judgement, acceptance of what is, expressions of gratitude and getting curious about what is coming up.

“Having the courage to reckon with our emotions and to rumble with our stories is the path to writing our brave new ending and the path that leads to wholeheartedness.” – Brené Brown

All of this relates to why; we integrate practices into our days that serve particular purposes. If we don’t ‘have the courage to reckon with our emotions and to rumble with our stories’, then the ripples created by fear, inaction and potentially misplaced energies continue to prove and justify judgements (often critical) of ourselves, others and/or the world around us. But as we practice coming back to paying attention and embracing what comes up with curiosity, compassion and values guided purpose, we open up those paths ‘to write brave new endings’ and opportunities for ‘wholeheartedness’.

“What you resist persists. And only what you look at, and own, can disappear. You make it disappear by simply changing your mind about it.” – Neale Donald Walsch

We will keep remembering (and forgetting) to rumble this year. Each moment provides us with a new chance to practice!

“Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it.” – Sharon Salzberg