I invite you to step out of auto-pilot mode and into this present moment with 3 mindful breaths
Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
-Victor Frankl
-link to blog post "Retreat into Your Life” http://www.thankthenow.com/retreat‐into‐your‐life/
Hello Everyone,
Two weeks ago, I invited the nine participants of an MBCT group I was leading to receive mindfulness practice daily reminders. As we all know from experience, mindful awareness is pretty simple, but remembering to practice mindful awareness can be very challenging.
The daily reminder is now being sent (bcc’d) to other people who have expressed interest in this type of support for their mindfulness practice.
These daily reminders are intended to help us remember our intention to practice present moment awareness through formal and informal mindfulness practice, and to support tang interest in expanding and deepening our mindfulness practice.
Each daily reminder begins with an invitation to take three mindful breaths. The contents of the email vary in subject matter as well as mode of expression (any combination of a quote, link to a relevant article or blog post, link to a relevant video, image, and/or practice suggestion.)
The intention is that the daily reminder email be, to quote Forrest Gump’s mother, “like a box of chocolates: You never know what you are going to get” I am hoping that the variation and novelty in the content and format of the daily email reminders may help to sustain interest and motivation. Novelty encourages attention and a curious “beginner’s mind” orientation. Sameness encourages automaticity.
In our society, we are already bombarded with multiple demands for our time and attention, and the daily reminders are not intended to add to that stress, but rather to support a practice that is meant to reduce stress.
Please only open the reminder emails if/when you have a couple of minutes to fully attend to it. There will likely be some days, when you will either not be connected with the internet or not have the time or inclination to open it.
You may only have time to attend to the first part, (3 mindful breaths) which in itself may hopefully prime you to practice returning to present moment awareness as often as possible throughout your day.
If you do not have the time or interest in reading or watching the contents of the rest of the email, that is ok. This is something to notice without getting caught up in judgment. In fact it is a good practice to be discerning and deliberate about what, where and when you direct your attention. So there will be times when you will actually be practicing mindfulness by intentionally choosing not to read the contents of the Mindfulness practice reminder emails!!
Please feel free to forward any of the emails or links to anyone you think may be interested. If you know anyone who would like to be on the bcc list, please invite them to email me to request being added to the list.
Please also let me know if you would like your name removed from the list at any time.
This email reminder experiment is in evolution, and I welcome any feedback from you regarding what may or may not be helpful for future reminders in terms of content and format.
I am about to participate in a mindfulness retreat until August 10. As there is not internet access during the retreat, you will not be receiving the next reminder until August 11.
Wishing you all a healthy, safe, happy and peaceful few days, with lots of mindful moments.
Lee
Have a mindful day
M. Lee Freedman, MD,CM, FRCP©
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