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Mindfulness and Learning in the Moment

October 26, 2012 •

Over the years I’ve learned that pat­terns can emerge from unex­pected events, chal­lenges, adven­tures, or con­ver­sa­tions with friends or clients. Pas­sages in books leap out at me. Dif­fuse sparks, obser­va­tions and read­ings even­tu­ally resolve into a pat­tern that hints at changes to come.

Lack­ing a crys­tal ball, it’s only in look­ing back that I see the mile­stones or trig­gers that fore­shad­owed those changes.

I sense that such a pat­tern is emerg­ing now.

Learning to Embrace Change

What I’ve learned is to be open to future pos­si­bil­i­ties, to embrace the dis­com­fort of change — the unset­tling feel­ings of not know­ing what the spe­cific changes might be. My non­ra­tional, intu­itive mind has become bet­ter at fore­see­ing when some­thing new may be just around the cor­ner. What those changes might entail is unclear; when is also unknown and unknow­able… It seems enough for the moment to be open to the pos­si­bil­ity of some­thing dif­fer­ent.

zen-flowerThese days I find myself won­der­ing how my yoga prac­tice will seep into daily life “off the mat,” how the clar­ity and bal­ance found on the mat can infuse work life and nour­ish client inter­ac­tions. (The impact on friends and fam­ily is already clear.) Pro­fes­sion­ally speak­ing, the impli­ca­tions or con­se­quences are not yet clear, at least not to the ratio­nal mind. But intu­ition sug­gests that 5 years of yoga prac­tice will slowly but surely work through me in ways that enable clients find their own paths to greater clar­ity and bal­ance.

The sig­nals are start­ing to emerge…

Learning the Practice of Mindfulness

Last week I picked up a copy of Mind­ful­ness for Begin­ners while wan­der­ing aim­lessly but hap­pily around Pow­ell’s Book­store in Port­land. This book found me, rather than I it; I was cap­ti­vated by the back-cover blurb:

Any­thing and every­thing can become our teacher of the moment, remind­ing us of the pos­si­bil­ity of being fully present: the gen­tle caress of air on our skin, the play of light, the look on some­one’s face… a fleet­ing thought in the mind. Any­thing. Every­thing. If it is met in aware­ness.

— Jon Kabat-Zinn, in Mind­ful­ness for Begin­ners

I’ve begin to work through this book, savor­ing each page. It’s com­ing with me to this week­end’s yoga retreat at Sleep­ing Lady.

Signposts

Another sig­nal: this mon­th’s cover story of the Har­vard Busi­ness Review, urg­ing read­ers to “Change Faster.”

Yet another sig­nal, today’s blog post on HBR, “Mind­ful­ness Helps You Become a Bet­ter Leader.”

Sev­eral col­leagues have died unex­pect­edly this year. The one-year anniver­sary of my niece’s death from can­cer at age 21 is next week, another niece turned 13 today. Friends are talk­ing more openly about retir­ing in the next few years. These are all reminders that “life hap­pens,” whether you’re ready or not.

New clients are reach­ing out, seek­ing help with new direc­tions and oppor­tu­ni­ties they are pur­su­ing.

I’ve resigned my pro bono role as an entre­pre­neur­ial coach for Ser­aph, which will free up time for other oppor­tu­ni­ties (as of year end). It was a tough deci­sion but there are new­com­ers who deserve the fun and thrill of help­ing starry-eyed founders tell their sto­ries more effec­tively.

Change is in the air. I just need to apply my begin­ner’s mind to the prac­tice of mind­ful­ness, and be open to embrac­ing new pos­si­bil­i­ties that might emerge.

About This Blog

Reflec­tions on life, travel, books, and yoga. Think­ing out loud about the pur­suit of mind­ful­ness and well-being.

Learn­ing how to recover from the loss of a beloved spouse, and then to find a trans­for­ma­tive path for­ward.

About Me

Semi-retired marketing exec, transitioning from a career in high tech. Now "managed" by two Tonkinese cats. Missing travel and friends on the West Coast. Avid reader and foodie. Staying active with long walks, biking, kayaking and yoga.

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