Mindfulness Is Coming Home To Self
Breathing In - Breathing Out - Brings Me Back - To Myself
The Buddha once said, “My dear friends, don’t take refuge in anything outside of you. In every one of us there is a very safe island we can go to. Every time you go home to that island with mindful breathing, you create a space of relaxation, concentration, and insight. If you dwell on that island in yourself with your mindful breathing, you are safe. That is a place where you can take refuge whenever you feel fearful, uncertain, or confused.”
I love that Buddha refers to it in that way. Return to the island of self, means to come back to yourself, and become grounded. I know that my mindfulness practice has been extremely beneficial for calming me from the inside out. There is an inner strength that comes from going home to myself.
Emotions And Feelings
Most of us believe that if we could just get rid of our fear, anger and anxiety, we would be open and free to receive all that we need. However, all of these emotions and feelings are a part of us and it’s important that we know how to handle them with kindness and compassion. And when we can create the energy of mindfulness we can compassionately embrace our fears and our emotions.
You see, we all have the seeds of mindfulness and concentration inside. We are all quite capable of breathing mindfully, eating mindfully and walking mindfully. And when we remember to come back to the island of self and breath mindfully we generate energies of concentration and mindfulness in our daily lives. And in those moments of awareness and mindfulness we can learn to transform our fears and anxieties and let go of suffering.
Breathing Exercise
Try this mindful breathing exercise to bring you back to the island of self. You can use this simple mindful breathing exercise anywhere, any time.
Simply recite this poem as you breathe in and out, think of it as a song that brings you back to self.
Breathing In
Breathing Out
Brings Me Back
To Myself
The goal when practicing this is to help reduce tension in the body and your feelings/emotions. The goal isn’t to clear your mind or stop thinking, it’s to become aware of your thoughts and feelings, rather than getting lost in them.
The key is acceptance. Observe the thoughts and feelings that you notice in a non-judgmental way. When you notice a feeling of nervousness, simply state to yourself; “I notice that I am feeling nervous”. There is no need to judge or change the feeling.
Over time, your mindfulness practice gets easier and more comfortable. Remember to start small, one to three minutes max and when your thoughts drift away, bring yourself back to the breath with the poem from above.
I believe the best part of having a mindfulness practice is that you can take it with you anywhere. You can use it everywhere and at any time. And unlike your phone, which comes with it’s own set of anxieties, you can never lose it.
