In late June 2014, I wrote a note in my phone of three simple “I am” statements to set the tone for my summer. Pushing aside the millions of things to get done and ways to make two months off from the day job count, I set these “I am” statements at the core of my desires for that time. At the heart of all of the “stuff” I had to do and wanted to do that summer, my true intentions were in these “I am” statements. I typed:
I am
-reading.
-practicing yoga.
-mindful.
I didn’t even know what mindful meant or why I typed it— it just appeared there on the screen. I am mindful… ok. Let that sit.
I found a yoga studio near to where we were living. I signed up for a month unlimited and then another month unlimited. I took classes 3-5 times per week for the entire summer. I am practicing yoga… finally. For months before that, I was thinking about it. And I was telling myself that I “should” be practicing yoga. But I never seemed to quite get around to it. I let everything else jump the line and take up my precious time. All it took was setting that clear intention: I am practicing yoga. Like magic, I was.
I found two teachers whose style and energy matched what I was seeking in my practice and made darn sure to show up at their classes. I dove all in, as I’m prone to do. One of those teachers offered free guided meditation after classes, as the schedule allowed. I stayed. She shared about her practices, her studies through UMass. Medical School in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and her “real life” applications of these simple-yet-complex practices. She had something here. I hung on every word.
A friendship blossomed. At the time, I hadn’t consciously revisited my note in my phone with my summer intentions, my “I am” statements. But I was learning about mindfulness, that word I typed without knowing why. My new mediation coach and friend recommended books that she was reading. We started to hang out. We shared this glorious spark of brilliance. I knew I found a soul sister in Debbie. Toward the end of August 2014, while rolling up my yoga mat after one of Debbie’s last yoga classes for the summer, I opened the notes in my phone… and there it was: I am mindful. I manifested a practice, a coach and a friend with three words. Don’t question the process. Be open to being guided. Set the intentions that are in your heart and take the action steps as they unfold.
This past Thursday, I had the honor of sitting at a full-day retreat of over 100 educators led by my soul sister Debbie and her colleague in mindfulness Cory. They led us through the practices and applications of this life-saving, life-expanding gift called Mindfulness. They are the real-deal. I, who often cannot exhale without checking my phone 17 times, did not even check the time from 7:30 am until 4:35 pm. That’s the magic that Debbie and Cory shared.
We learned about our relationship to stress, how to be with what is here, how to develop our mental fitness… I could go on and on. I took 17 pages of notes. But, if I can share only one take-away with you, it is this: replace resistance with curiosity. Approach your day with an element of awe and wonder.
Debbie, I bow to you. I am mindful.