Modern Mindfulness
I discovered yoga while living in Penang, Malaysia - on the coast of an island town.
A simple walk to down town.
Mountains in the distance.
A short ride to the beach past my favorite Starbucks.
It was dreamy.
Although I was in the throws of recovering from burnout and learning how to beat my depression, in many ways - it was easy.
Life in Penang is much slower than life in Houston, TX.
And even though I had responsibilities, they were limited to a handful of people I knew on the island and a few minimal tasks I was still in charge of throughout the day.
Arriving back in America brought a whole new meaning to the need for practicing presence.
Things move FAST here.
The sheer number of people to keep up with on a daily basis overwhelmed me.
And many of the ways I practiced yoga in Malaysia, were not accessible to my life back in America.
I didn’t have the same 5 hours to practice yoga, journal, meditate, and go on a leisurely walk in nature before starting my day.
Add in the commute alone to my corporate job and half my day was gone.
I knew I had to find another way to keep my practice alive.
Thus began my journey into what I now call Modern Mindfulness, because I do believe we can access the PEACE of the ancient monks and gurus, without leaving our lives behind and living silently in a monastery, though sometimes that sounds wonderful!
Here’s what I have come to see works well for me and my modern life:
A daily movement practice:
I LOVE yoga because the practice itself is an act of mindfulness. It incorporates the elements of breath, intention, and body awareness, all of which help the mind and body connection deepen.
This takes me 30 minutes (plus I host loads of 30 minute yoga practices inside The Virtual Yoga Studio)
A daily intention setting practice:
I choose a word or short phrase of how I want to feel or what I want to accomplish within the day. I make it extremely realistic and I check back in on it throughout the day.
For example, today my intention is presence. I noticed myself getting worried about what has to be done tomorrow, so I bring my awareness back to the present moment. I remind myself I am prepared for the project that I am working on tomorrow and worrying about it today won’t make a difference for tomorrow. It will only add stress to an otherwise peaceful day.
It sounds too easy, but in practice it’s a muscle to work and grow.
It takes me <2 minutes to set the intention and I come back to it as often as I need to throughout the day
A meditation practice:
I utilize different meditation themes depending on the season. For example, I’m hosting a series in The Virtual Yoga Studio right now called Meditation for Manifesting and it’s all about making room for more of what you want.
I don’t meditate daily, but do have 1-2 days a week that I do a shorter meditation and some journaling. Typically at the start of the week, month, or before a new project.
This takes me 10-15 minutes
There are times when I bring in extra tools, of course. Some of my favorites are mindfulness meditation, grounding, breathwork, co regulating, and journaling. But practicing presence or living mindfully is a daily choice, a moment by moment choice and sometimes the only thing at our disposal is our breath.
In the simplest way possible, mindfulness can happen by simply becoming aware of your breath.
Over
and
over
again.
It’s here we learn to live present.
Warmly,
Kasidy