Mindfulness and the Busy Mind

I have been procrastinating, it’s my go-to when things seem hard. I haven’t written anything in a while especially not personal, and writing a blog felt like a big step. Over the past few weeks, thoughts like “I’ve never written a blog before, I should do more research…what if it’s boring?” led to avoidance and unanticipated difficulty in accomplishing this thing that I had set out to do.

It was obvious that I was making this harder on myself than it needed to be and that my busy mind was getting in the way of productivity.  It’s all quite normal for our minds to behave in this way.  After all, these thoughts were being brought to my attention because my mind was trying to be helpful.  For this reason, maybe I could avoid getting frustrated or embarrassed and analyze what thoughts needed my attention and which did not.  This practice of bringing awareness to thoughts, behaviours and experiences is at the heart of mindfulness practice.

So what is mindfulness? Eckhart Tolle - a teacher and expert in this field - once said that he didn’t love the term mindfulness because it indicates that the mind is full.  He prefers the term presence, which accurately describes the goal of mindfulness practice. Mindfulness teaches us that in order to live life in all its fullness, we must bring presence to our everyday experiences.

I have been meditating and taking mindfulness training for many years and this past year I decided to make a focused effort on being more present throughout the day.  I noticed that when life slows down, as it did over the holidays with the 3-day snowstorm, my mind wanted the spotlight and demanded my full attention. It would bring me back in time when I was embarrassed by something someone had said at work and then quickly jumped forward to planning future events because after all, life is short and I need to bring more excitement to my life in 2023!  Day after day, I watched with amazement as my mind bounced back and forth from replays of the past to planning for the future, spending very little time in the present moment.

Once I became aware of this cycle, I was able to stay in the present moment for longer periods and savour the richness of the holiday experiences that I didn’t want to miss, like playing cards with my kids and taking in the sights and sounds of nature while walking the dog.  Presence has even brought enjoyment to daily tasks like brushing teeth, folding laundry and washing dishes.  By bringing more awareness to the present moment, I am able to savour amazing experiences, notice subtleties in neutral experiences and move through difficult times with more ease.

If you’d like to learn more about mindfulness and how to be more present or build on your existing practice, I will hold an Introduction to Mindfulness workshop where we can explore these practices together. Please join me on Saturday January 28th at 11am!

I hope 2023 brings you much peace, joy and vitality!

-Jenny Doucet, Yoga Instructor

To register for Jenny’s mindfulness workshop, click here.