Mindful Moment

Practicing Mindfulness – Doing the work in the moment

I try to have mindfulness as part of my formal retinue and practice everyday. I consider that as part of being authentic to myself and for my clients – after all if I’m going to ask my clients to try it then I better be willing implement it in my life on a daily basis as well. Like all things I go through cycles. Sometimes I’m totally in the groove of the practice in a “formal” way taking time to meditate – the longer time out from my daily routine world. Then there are the times when I’m just doing good to take a few moments to focus on my breath and reflect on showing up for my daily life with intention and getting off autopilot mode.

Yesterday was one of those days where I was just going through the motions on auto-pilot and even with a frustration. The weather had interrupted my schedule for the week with snow, ice, no power, and having to close down the barn to clients. I in turn feel bad that we can’t be there for our clients and the mud, ice, and water runoff create loads of annoying issues around the barn.

I was slipping and sliding with the wheel barrow. Going through the daily chores that come with horses I realized I was having not so healthy thoughts about how much I didn’t like how I was spending my day so far. I gently brought my mind back and off it went again…if I had a Gator” this would be easier… if I had power I wouldn’t have to be putting buckets all around the drip line to catch water to haul to the troughs…ok mind that is a lovely train of thought lets focus on the present. I think I managed one whole second in the moment, then back it went to a negative slant.

I could have continued to gently and kindly bring my attention back to the present moment, but the problem was I didn’t like the present moment so my mind was doing what it does so well – protecting me from it. I didn’t want a connection to it.

I decided to change approaches and practice a “3 Minute Breathing Space” practice. It is a really nice portable mindfulness “mini” mediation practice that is one of the first ones we teach our clients to use during moments of avoidance or when they are struggling to remain present for whatever reason.

I stopped at the edge of the run-in that was in the sun and relatively dry. I took a moment to ground my body with letting my eyes go soft. I noticed (without judgement) what my thoughts, feelings, and body sensations were in that moment. Answer I felt the sun, heard the horses eating, and felt annoyed with the day. Then I moved on to focusing on my breath. I could feel restriction in breathing. My breath stopped just at the top of my chest. After a few rounds my breath started to free and started to flow more.

I moved onto the final stage of the 3 minute breathing space. I opened up my awareness back to the present moment and the “all” around me. The first thing I noticed again was the he light reflecting in the water in the puddles. It was beautiful! It was dancing on all the puddles throughout the paddock. As the wind gently blew ripples would catch even more light. Then I saw that that there was a flow of water from one puddle to the next. I noticed a small piece of hay flowing from one puddle to the next. It would run with the current and sometimes stop moving in a little “eddy” in the puddle. The wind would blow again and off it go, following the current again. Wow, the connection and flow was amazing!!! Peppy, one of our more aloof horses came to join me at my side. His breathing and mine became as one. All the negative thoughts had melted away and were replaced with beauty and connection to this moment in time. The rhythmic sound of the horses breathing. The drops of water falling into buckets. The sound of the trees moving in the breeze. The dance of light on the water. The gifts of the present! I closed the practice with thanks and gratitude and returned to my chores – they were still harder than a typical day but now my mind was in a different space and they were no longer a burden but a chance for me to notice small little moments of flow and connection.

Try a 3 minute breathing space for yourself and let me know what rises to your attention that you might have missed on autopilot.

Enjoy the little moments!

Sending light and love,
Michelle