Mindfulness Program

Several weeks or rather, dare I say, several months ago (where does the time go!?!?!) I actually took my lunch hour and attended a webinar on mindfulness. I honestly really didn't know what to expect.  What were they going to tell me for an hour other than to slow down, turn off the technical devices (aka: technical distractions) and focus more? The biggest aha! moment for me was learning the true definition of being present. When I'm dwelling on something from the past or worried about something in the future, which I'm constantly doing, I'm not really present. I'm literally in the past or in the future.  In the past I would have told you sure, I'm in the present.  I just kind of figured, hey I'm here.  I'm listening to you.  But, my mind was always being pulled in another direction. 

The woman leading the seminar recommended that we find some kind of mindfulness program. 

So naturally I went to Google. There are so many programs out there, including several different types of apps that you can use.  But, I was personally drawn to the Palouse Mindfulness Program.  It's a free 8 week program that includes all of the materials you would use in an actual classroom setting.  The program provides you with a mix of readings, YouTube videos, and guided practices, all laid out in weekly increments so you focus on a certain topic each week. 

I really enjoyed the YouTube videos in particular. I was able to listen to these videos while at work when I had to do those mindless type tasks. Probably not the best to multitask like that when the whole purpose was to try to be more present, but hey... I would probably still be on week 1 if I didn't. And, I still learned a lot!

The course starts out learning about the importance of mindfulness and being present. You do some exercises to prove to yourself that you are actually missing out on some very wonderful parts of life.  The course then evolves into showing how being more mindful can change your outlook on life and how you view the world, thus affecting how you act and react to others.  The part I liked most, was that the program actually provides you with actions you can do to help you to change.

After going through the program, I've noticed how my view has changed.  Particularly, how I look at and deal with stressors and certain things that are emotionally painful for me, as well as how I'm prioritizing what is truly important in my life.  I'm working on developing my own practice of mindfulness, which is mostly through doing a short meditation practice daily (well... almost daily).  The program actually provides you with multiple ways to meditate and be mindful, which I've been mixing up into my standard sitting meditation, where I really just try to focus on one thing, like my breath.  It's been humbling because I am in no way a good meditator.  Without a doubt, have what is called monkey mind.  My thoughts just swing from one thing to the next, without giving what I'm trying to focus on any type of real attention. 

My goal is to continue to learn and explore all of the topics touched on in the Palouse Mindfulness Program.  I was already familiar with the expression "there's always something to learn" but what I'm finding the most fascinating is that you can always go deeper.  You can continue to learn the same things, but find a deeper level of understanding.