What is mindfulness?
A. Leeke: We just experienced a mindful moment. Mindfulness is the birthright that we’ve all been given. We have it, our ancestors had it, our kids have it and their kids will have it. Mindfulness is this ability to be aware of what’s happening in the present moment. It’s the ability to be aware of what’s happening inside and outside of yourself. One way that we can be mindful is to remember that every single day we’re given 1,440 minutes. That’s right. 1,440 minutes. We each have one minute that you can dedicate to your birthright.
What’s so important about breath and breathing as it relates to mindfulness?
A. Leeke: It’s an anchor and it’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The breath is the beginning of our ability to take care of ourselves. When we breathe deeply, we send a message to our body to calm down with the breath. What is this thing called self care it’s the ability to nurture ourselves in ways that uplift us. So you’re nurturing your spirit, your heart, your mind, your body, and your breath, with your breath. Breath is one way to tap into mindfulness. It’s that ability to be aware of what’s happening at the present moment. And if you think back to your family and folks that came before you, you may have memories of grandparents, aunties, great grandparents, uncles saying, sit still, or them sitting and rocking and being quiet. They were living in the moment, practicing mindfulness.
Several things can prevent mindfulness. What are some of the things we should be aware of and how do we move into mindfulness despite those things?
N. Eggleston-Edhill: For me mindfulness is prevented when I try to take care of everything else outside of myself, honestly. I feel guilty because there’s other stuff that needs to be done. And I feel like I’m slacking.
G. McKinney: I have all of these important seemingly important tasks that need to get done that prevent mindfulness. I really don’t have time to breathe because in between each thing you go from one thing to the next and taking breath seems like a distraction.
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A. Leeke: Replace the guilt with grace. So when you start to feel guilty, think about the word grace. Grace is defined in many different ways, but I’m gonna say it. It’s already been given to you. You don’t have to do anything for it. You don’t have to feed anybody. You don’t have to multitask. You don’t have to do anything except receive it. So when the guilt starts to come, or important tasks overtake you, the intention is to replace the guilt with grace. An intention is a statement about how you wanna show up in the next moment in your life.
The ability to live in mindfulness can be a challenge. The facebook live discussion continues with more information as well as actual breathing examples to help you gain mindfulness in our life. Click the link to hear more. https://www.facebook.com/BlackDoctor.org/videos/461684292293231
