The Mindfulness Experience of
COURAGE TO BE
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Imagine your mind as a wide-open sky that can hold all experience. This empty space remains undisturbed as clouds pass. Mindfulness teaches us to access the clarity and freedom of this open sky - to center our bodies, explore our minds and hearts, connect and become aware of our inner worlds on a deeper level.
In many ways, mindfulness is radical and revolutionary. It is a living practice that asks us to see things clearly beyond biases and judgment. Mindfulness promises to wake us up. It can help strengthen our basic goodness, guide us to a healthier and wiser life, assist us in relationships with ourselves and others, and can lead to deep inner fulfillment.
In our fast-paced world with the constant pull towards distraction, mindfulness can teach us how to slow down and be present. While formal meditation is an important part of the practice, mindfulness can also be used during everyday moments. It can become a regular companion on our path, like an old friend or a home base. We can return to it regardless of the clouds or storms in the sky. With practice, mindful awareness is avaolable every moment. Ultimately, it's simple. Just pause and notice your experience with loving attention.
When we develop awareness, acceptance and kindness toward all aspects of our experience we can see that we have a natural radiance.
I am delighted to share some questions and practices here with you that have been meaningful to me. I know firsthand the boundless possibilities that mindfulness offers. The practices of awareness, attunement, contemplative prayer, meditation, gratitude, mindset work, and embodiment work have deepened my own faith and life experiences and enabled me to learn more about unconditional love - the receiving and the giving of it! The following mindfulness exercises combine themes of the songs I have written with life themes that I hope will inspire you and bring you into deeper peace and joy.
"May I meet this moment fully. May I meet it as a friend." -Sylvia Boorstein
One of the great things about mindfulness is that it helps you slow down and notice what you're thinking. When you pay attention to your mind, you'll most likely discover an endless stream of quickly changing thoughts rising and falling at any given moment. It can be quite surprising to realize this inner narrator is constantly offering plans, preferences, ideas, and memories!
The lyrics to my song, ETERNAL, reference the radiance that is possible for all of us to feel when we can start to remember that timeless essence that lives inside each one of us. I will put the lyrics below and then ask some exploration questions afterwards to give you an opportunity to explore your own mind a bit more.
Lyrics (by JennyRebecca)
I’m calling your name oooooh
Something's got to change
When things feel this way,
I don’t know my left from
my right I feel so insane
I need to stand up,
get out of the mud that’s been
weighing me down
And remember, just who I am
I am so much more than I comprehend
And when I am standing tall
I am glistening, I am full of hope
The ups and the downs ooooh
Keep swirling around
Each morning I try to set myself right
but I fight with my history
The patterns and thoughts I’ve had for so long,
and I know that I must
remember, just who I am
I am so much more than I comprehend
And when I am standing tall
I am glistening, I am full of hope
I’m outside of time. I’m outside of pain,
outside of my mind, when I feel this way
suddenly, I am free,
I am eternal.
oooh
In a moment, you remind me, and in seconds you can find me
Hear your voice like a whisper and my worries disappear
when will I learn that I don’t need to fight to receive?
And remember, just who I am
I am so much more than I comprehend
And when I am standing tall
I am glistening I am full of hope
I’m outside of time. I’m outside of pain,
outside of my mind, when I feel this way,
suddenly, I am free,
I am eternal.
When you observe your thoughts, you have the opportunity to rest in the silence and space between thoughts. And you can choose which thoughts you want to nurture and which thoughts you want to let go.
1. The mind is like a storyteller. Sometimes these stories are helpful and sometimes they're not. Is there a story you've been telling yourself lately? What is it? Could there be another way to look at it?
2. Find a comfortable position and close your eyes. Set a timer for 12 minutes. (12 minutes of meditation a day has been proven to have the best results by Dr. Amishi Jha.) Observe your thoughts and ask yourself the question, "I wonder what I'm going to think next?". When the timer goes off, reflect: Did the thoughts seem fixed or did they come and go? When you tried to imagine what you would think next did it effect your state of being?
3. Next time you feel bored, pause and notice something in your environment. Take note of its details. What's its color or shape? Is it moving or still? How does this activity of paying attention change your boredom?
4. Is there anything you're trying to force in your life right now? What kinds of thoughts are present when you push?
As you pay attention to your inner world, you'll probably notice your inner critic and negative mind states coming up. This negativity is rooted in feelings of unworthiness, insecurity and fear, causing a disconnection with ourselves, others, and the world around us. It's normal to have times of difficulty, anxiety, and struggle. You can't always change your circumstances, but you can work with how you relate to them.
An attitude of love, kindness, connection, and compassion counteracts negativity and is an important companion when practicing mindfulness. Practicing self-care and kindness softens our hearts and teaches us how to hold ourselves, our lives, and others with gentleness in every moment.
When it feels difficult to have an attitude of loving kindness, I will sometimes listen for the voice of hope. This, you can interpret as your intuition, your inner wisdom, as God's voice, or divine guidance. But asking myself, in those moments when it feels hard to connect to love and compassion, "What would the voice of hope say?" has helped me so much and given me guidance and encouragement in times that I need it.
Here are the lyrics to my song HEARTSONG:
You heard the song, it held you up
It was the song you always knew was yours
It gave you hope
And you’ve been searching all your life for this melody
To take you home
Sometimes you find it in the strangest places and it makes you feel not so alone
When you find you
in the center of your heart
You know exactly who you are
When you meet you,
You know everything, everything
Is gonna be just fine
It’s gonna be alright
Your heart song
Is singing through your life
It’s singing through your eyes
It’s singing through your smile
Your heart song
Is everything, everything
It’s the voice you hear inside
You heard the song
It fashioned all of your skin and bones together
And just like any haunting melody
It comes and goes just like the weather
When you find you
in the center of your heart
You know exactly who you are
When you meet you
You know everything, everything
Is gonna be just fine
It’s gonna be alright
Your heart song
Is singing through your life
It’s singing through your eyes
It’s singing through your smile
Your heart song
Is everything, everything
It’s the voice you hear inside
It’s been calling in the night
Your heart song
Is the presence you can find
When you feel like you've been blind
And you breathe in love and light
And you realize, it’s been there the whole time
Singing, singing,
Singing, singing
You are so beautiful
Singing, singing,
You are so beautiful
You've got a beautiful heart
You're heart song, is everything, everything
It's the voice you hear inside.
Mindfulness Activations for HEARTSONG
- Place your awareness on the physical location of the heart. Notice any feelings that arise. What does the heart feel like right now? Is it tight? Soft? Is it easy or hard to connect with? What might make it feel softer? More tender? What might help you feel more connected in this moment?
- What is the Voice of Hope saying to you right now? What would it have you know in this moment?
- Choose a simple loving phrase or mantra to use today. As you go through your day, repeat this phrase to yourself as a way to care for yourself. What mantra did you choose?
- If your heart were a song, what would it be singing right now?
"When you love someone, the best thing you can offer is your presence. How can you love if you are not there?"
-Thich Nhat Hanh
Lyrics: (written by JennyRebecca & Andrew Ronning)
I’d die every day, a thousand deaths,
a thousand ways, for your love, for your love,
I'd wait a million years
to see your face as it appears
through your love, your love,
I can't breathe, I can't sleep,
every thought your heart beat,
I am surrounded by your love,
surrounded by your love,
who you are suddenly
has me stunned and spinning,
I am surrounded by your love,
surrounded by your love
I’d face the greatest shame,
I’d risk it all, and bear the pain,
for your love, for your love,
I’d brave the battle cries
when chaos reigns and demons fly, for your love, for your love,
When I sense you are near, angel choirs are all I hear
I am surrounded by your love, surrounded by your love
I can't breathe, I can't sleep,
every thought your heart beat,
I am surrounded by your love,
surrounded by your love,
as it falls over me, I am drowning in your love, surrounded by your love,
as it falls over me, I am surrounded by your love, I am drowning, abounding in your love,
I give myself over, over, over to you,
I give myself over, over, over completely to you,
Mindfulness Activations for SURROUNDED
CELEBRATION AND APPRECIATION
Every day we have the opportunity to sew seeds of gratitude and joy. When we take the time to consider the present moment, we can find that there is SO much to appreciate and celebrate! Gratitude is a practice that helps us be present with wholehearted attention. Studies show that taking note of what you're thankful for leads to more happiness. It could be a kind word from a loved one, the feeling of sunshine on your face, or finding a deep appreciation for your inner strength and beauty. Whatever the cause for celebration, this pracitce can help us access contentment and joy.
Especially for the song SURROUNDED, I feel like appreciation and celebration are mindfulness practices that fit with the theme of this song! There is something about the practices of celebration and appreciation that really start a MOMENTUM of joy to arise from deep within and make us feel surrounded by love.
- Think of something tht made you smile today, or if you're doing this practice in the morning, something that made you smile yestereday. What was it?
- Take a moment and think of your favorite place. Picture this place and let yourself feel gratitude. Where did you choose?
- Make a list of qualities you admire in others. Take time to appreciate these qualities and even write a letter to someone you love, telling them what you admire and appreciate about them.
- Find one place in your body that you appreciate. Let yourself enjoy it. Maybe it's because of how it looks or maybe it's because it does something for you. What did you choose? Why?
- Call to mind a time when someone helped you. INvite a feeling of thankfulness into your body, heart and mind. Why were you grateful for that help? What difference did it make?
Lyrics: We go through every day,
trying to find our way
Hoping that we’re avoiding danger,
And though our efforts wane,
Take one look in my face,
You can’t deny that there’s a stranger
expression that points to pain.
The bravest, oh, the bravest are the tender
The bravest, the bravest are the tender ones
The bravest, the bravest are the tender ones,
The loving are the daring, the brave ones are the caring and the tender ones
We go through every day, trying to find our way
Hoping that we’re avoiding danger,
Every moment’s change the circumstances raise,
I’m holding on trying to savor the parts of myself that won’t deny the pain.
The bravest, oh the bravest are the tender
The bravest, the bravest are the tender ones
The bravest, the bravest are the tender ones,
The loving are the daring, the brave ones are the caring and the tender ones
The tender ones, the tender ones,
The gentle ones, the gentle ones,
The fragile ones, the fragile ones,
Mindfulness Activations for THE BRAVEST
- Is there resistance that you are feeling now? What can you start to surrender and let go of?
- We spend so much time avoiding our pain. One of the wisest people I know told me the only real way to heal is to go "through the wound". How we respond to pain is one of the most important things we can learn in life - maybe the biggest key to life is learning to respond to pain with tender hearts. In what areas of your life could you adjust your heart posture to be more tender?
- Brainstorm some positive affirmations about how you want to feel. Get creative. Do you want to feel whole?Accomplished? Enthusiastic? Strong? Magical? Overflowing? Spend some time feeling into those feelings and meditate on what those feelings would change in your present moment.
- Find places to insert honesty and vulnerability into an otherwise casual exchange, such as, when someone asks you how you are doing, answer honestly.
- Who are the people in your life who help bring out your bravery and tenderheartedness? Spend some time in gratitude and appreciation for those people.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE SONG
Lyrics: To be heard
Is one of the greatest gifts we ever could receive
It’s one of the things that we so often really need
And one of the simplest things that we could ever give to someone else
Oh I can give the gift
That no one wants to give
Oh I can start to offer this
And even if my heart is aching for an ear
I’ve been given it before and I remember
When I’m really seen and really heard
It feels like magic
There is nothing that I couldn’t do
When I’m really feeling understood
Than all that’s tragic fades into the distance
And I’m full of so much courage
Oh I can give the gift
That no one wants to give
Oh I can start to offer this
And even if my heart is aching for an ear
I’ve been given it before and I remember
Mindfulness Activations for TO BE HEARD
- We all have such a deep need to be heard. When was the last time you really listened to yourSELF and your needs and desires?
- What activities help you to connect with these kinds of "inner listening" experiences?
- Aim to clear your mind for the next 10 minutes. Invite your thoughts to slow down. Imagine your brain activity becoming quieter with every breath. Are there thoughts that are difficult to quiet?
- Notice what you are thinking and feeling right now. If it had a color, what color would it be?