Practicing Mindfulness, Setting Intentions

Coming into this new year, I know that a lot of us are reflecting on not only the events of 2020, but also the incidents that have already occurred over the start of the new year. Current events have pushed me to share one of the most important aspects of my spiritual journey. Practicing mindfulness in my daily life is a small act that brings me peace and solitude; especially when there is a lot going on that is out of my control. It’s because of these qualities that I felt as though sharing this concept would be beneficial.

Let me begin by saying that mindfulness is not meditation. Meditation is done at a moment in time, whereas mindfulness is a constant awareness. It brings focus and attention to your feelings and experiences in the present moment in order to better connect with and process things without reacting frantically.

I think it is this intentionality that can be beneficial to all different religious groups in the sense that you can draw back to the values of your own faith tradition and use mindfulness techniques to ensure that these values are put into practice in your daily life. I think it is very impactful to live a life with complete intention, and it is often easy to forget those intentions if we are not being mindful of the situations that life throws at us.

We want to hold [joy], and in that very process of holding, the thing that you once enjoyed is gone because in the very holding there is dependence, there is fear, there is exclusion, and so the thing that gave joy, a sense of inward beauty is lost and life becomes enclosed … To know real Joy, one must go much deeper.

- J. Krishnamurti on mindfulness creating joy.

One of the ways we often incorporate mindfulness at our Interfaith meetings is by taking one minute of intentional silence at the start of our sessions. This is a really great way to draw each of us into the present moment and allow us to fully open our hearts in thoughtfulness and respect. I find that this is an incredibly beneficial tool to use when engaging in interfaith dialogue.

There are many activities that can be done to reach a state of mindfulness that don’t always include meditating. Another beneficial example is the use of sense perception. Paying attention to and actively using your senses can often bring you to a state of presence. This simply put means just being aware of what is going on around you and the things that you may commonly overlook. This could be paying extra attention to the sounds around you or perhaps even paying attention to the things you can physically touch or feel.

Life always gets in the way. Just like how there are often distractions that occur when you are meditating, there are also obstacles to mindfulness. It is fairly normal to have days that are simply busier or more stressful than others. Once we feel a negative emotion, it can be hard for us to even become aware that we are mentally or spiritually in a negative space. But once the realisation occurs, there is no need to feel guilty or to feel as though we have slipped up from the intentions that we set. But rather, we remind ourselves of these intentions and allow them to bring us back to an awareness of the present moment.

I hope this may have been more beneficial and that if it has reached you that it has inspired you to live with more intent.