Practicing Mindfulness

For just over two months now, I've been training in and practicing mindfulness. I took part in the Mindfulness Based Stress Release training in March 2019, led by Katarina Lundblad, a certified mindfulness teacher. Since my native language is Swedish, I chose to take the training in Swedish, though I fully believe there are many excellent Finnish-speaking mindfulness teachers out there too.

I've practiced this every single day, with the exception of maybe five days when it was simply too late in the evening and I chose to go to bed instead. I've mainly practiced mindfulness - that is, presence - in the evenings, sitting on my "half-moon" cushion, which I got right after the training. You can find them here: https://www.treenikamat.fi/fi/haku?form_token=search&q=puolikuu - though there's plenty of other fun stuff on there too. I think getting that cushion was a genuinely great decision, because it's helped me find a comfortable sitting position much more easily, including the cross-legged position, which had been my biggest challenge. It's going a lot better now, but I definitely notice right away if I've skimped on stretching after a gym session, because my body feels both tense and stiff.

These so-called "moments just for me," where I get to simply be with myself, listen to my own breathing and my own pulse, and tune in to what's happening and what I'm feeling in my body, have helped me enormously. These moments have also helped me maintain a sense of inner calm and balance. It's been interesting to notice that on days that have been heavy and challenging, my thoughts tend to become more restless once I sit down. But I do feel that the practice has developed my ability to notice just how fleeting thoughts really are. I let the thoughts come, sense what they stir up in me, and let them drift on in some way. I've also realized that relaxing music combined with focusing on my own pulse works best for me. I'll admit that on a couple of occasions I've stopped partway through, once I realized nothing was really happening - meaning it had turned into a kind of performance, and when that happens, it simply doesn't work. But that's completely fine.

I've also made an effort to be more present in every other moment as well. For example, during a walk, I take in what I see, notice the scents, and generally tune in to how I'm feeling. When I run into someone I know, I make a point of being fully present in that moment, in that situation, and really listening. I practiced this during my mental training education too, but as they say, we're never really "finished." I feel this is a challenge for all of us. We're glued to our phones, or wearing some wristband that tells us a message has arrived, or that we're still 3,000 steps short of today's goal.

I think I can already say that this works for me, and that practicing mindfulness by sitting on my cushion has become a habit. It's simply part of my everyday life now. I'll admit it's sometimes genuinely challenging - thoughts race, thoughts get stuck, and clarity disappears. There are also moments when the challenges of everyday life eat up too much energy and my strength runs low. But I believe that learning to notice that feeling early on is already a big step toward being able to handle the situation - with the help of mindfulness. And this is something I'll keep going with.

I've also decided to take part in the mindfulness continuation training in December, after which I'll get to lead mindfulness sessions myself. Looking forward to that.