Listening
The poet, David Whyte writes, "What is precious inside us does not care to be known by the mind in ways that diminish its presence..." (from The Winter of Listening). It is often difficult to recognize that my way of thinking about myself is less than what I can be. I stop myself from trying something new because it does not match my conception of myself. I justify a decision to settle for less because I am convinced that I would fail if I made the attempt - or maybe it is just more comfortable to believe my rationalization than it it to hold the higher standard of expectation that comes from being the best person I can be even when it is inconvenient. One of the challenges of mindfulness is to become familiar with the capacity of our own life to be richer and fuller than we think it can be, and to not diminish what is precious inside us. The mindful exercise is a way to expand beyond the limits of our own expectations. John Weaver, Psy.D.
Comments
John, I appreciate the insight around listening. It is hard to do, to listen to my inner voice. I have noticed that I can listen to my chattery-mind voice and use that as a bell of mindfulness to ground myself, and bring my awareness back into my body, so my energy and awareness are not so scattered. It seems when I pay attention this way, I am able to let go of the worry and be more present in the moment. It seems that my listening is important to my awareness. Thank you for the message.
Posted by: Patty Inskeep | December 18, 2008 11:18 PM
There are so many opportunities during this holiday season to be mindful and at the same time I am overwhelmed with internal "chatter". I sit with my grandaughters decorating cookies and the moment I try to be less mindful, they are tugging at my sleeve "nema, more cookies". The sweet reminder that I need to be present for them. I recently spent some time with a colleague from Brazil and he told me that "being present" is a gift that you give to yourself and others. My gift to myself is putting "inhale and exhale" on the top of my "to do" list. The first step in my mindful practice.
Posted by: Cindy Jackson | December 23, 2008 04:49 PM
For many reasons I have been trying to pay more attention to my inner voice and not the constant chatter of noise in my head...Being in the moment here and Now has become a more important part of my overall health.
Posted by: Rachel | December 24, 2008 02:13 AM
After reading this days ago, I keep coming back to reread. What a powerful message and how true. "I stop myself from trying something new because it does not match my conception of myself." Awareness, they say, is the first step. And then the question, how do I turn this awareness into action? An important challenge as the the New Year begins.
And, as the holiday slips past I must say how grateful I am for mindfulness practice as I enjoyed with complete focus and attention our 2 year old granddaughter standing at the patio door Christmas Eve morning squealing with excitement, "It's snowing, it's snowing". And so many magical, memorable moments we enjoyed while she and her parents were here.
Happy New Year All..
Kathie
Posted by: Kathie | December 28, 2008 04:37 PM