Two weeks have passed now since my first mindfulness course and I’m reflecting now on how the course has impacted my life. I can definitely see that I am becoming more mindful, particularly when it comes to being reactive. I’ve been noticing that when events happen which cause me to feel a rise in emotions I am now feeling more connected to how that feels in the body and what it means. I think I can attribute a lot of this to the body scans which has become one of my favourite practices. Now instead of losing myself in my reaction to something, I am more able to be aware of how I am feeling and am being more mindful in my reactions.
In my work as an archaeologist recently I have been finding myself doing long hours and coming home very achy. The body scans have been great for this too, experiencing the sensations in my body and taking this with me to work to be more mindful of how I use my body. I’ve been working an amazing site recently which unfortunately I cannot say too much about due to confidentiality, this is probably for the best as otherwise you might be reading an archaeology essay rather than a blog! This has also been hard work and very tedious at times, where once again the mindfulness training leaks back in. Sitting quite uncomfortably, carefully trowelling and finding nothing is perfect for practicing mindfulness and being present. Turning some of the more monotonous aspects of my job as a time to be present and there with the archaeology and the history and to appreciate what I am doing and how amazing this job can be. This is also making me more appreciative and exited when we do find things, and we have found some amazing stuff!
Finally one member of the group was talking about how they enjoy mindfully listening to music. I love music, pre-lockdown I would be at a gig every other week, but I’d never mindfully listened. I tried this recently and it really is a whole new way to experience sound. A great way to have a short practice that fits into every day, particularly if you are commuting. I find myself putting on my headphones on the bus and taking a few minutes, the length of a song or two to mindfully listen. In this space I have noticed aspects of the music, even my favourite songs, that I had never noticed or appreciated before. So if I can recommend anything I’ve picked up, I would suggest giving this a go!
That’s me for now, have a great week!
Jenny.
If you’d like to start training in Mindfulness, our next level 1 course begins on November 2nd and will be on Tuesday evenings, with Alan Hughes and James Milford. Y
Jenny will be interviewing our Mindfulness Associations tutors for our new Podcast: Mindful Mentors. If you’d like to ask any of our tutors any questions then please email Jenny at support@mindfulnessassociation.net