Too Busy to Practice Mindfulness?
Posted: April 26, 2017
“I’ve been too busy to practice this week,” said the mindfulness student(s). No doubt, we’re BUSY! We spend lots of time keeping our heads above water, trying to get it all done. Adding another task, no matter how helpful to our health and wellness can feel burdensome.
But are we really too busy to practice? Are you too busy to practice? Really?
You might ask yourself . . . Do I feel guilty or resistant when I pause and allow myself to just be – to feel the body, to follow the breath, to let go of an agenda? Where do I land on my “to do” list – before or after the laundry? Does practice feel nourishing, selfish, anxiety provoking, self-indulgent, all of the above?
It seems that we’re getting more and more done, but feeling less and less satisfied. Getting checkmarks while longing for endless summer days of running free, totally absorbed in a game of stickball . . . the lazy days of hanging out with friends, doing nothing important. At the end of the day, with all of our accomplishments, are we feeling any less anxious? More genuinely fulfilled?
I know prominent people with tremendous pressures and crazy travel schedules who still find time to practice. No, they make
time to practice! It’s a priority. Practice is fueled by their commitment to the greater good, infused with the self-compassion that breeds compassion for others. They’re helping humanity to reach the best of its potential. We can, too. In doing so, we’re caring for the world, perhaps tilting it in the direction of more kindness and gentility.
So please, let’s take this moment to feel our bodies, to feel our breath, to let our minds rest. To care for our own bit of humanity, where we have the greatest impact. To feel the connection to something bigger, greater than the worries and dramas that drain us and keep us stuck. And if we do this again and again, we’ll be changing our brain, one moment at a time, changing our lives, one breath at a time, changing our world, one person at a time. But also recognizing that sometimes we really are too busy to practice, and letting that be ok, too.
time to practice! It’s a priority. Practice is fueled by their commitment to the greater good, infused with the self-compassion that breeds compassion for others. They’re helping humanity to reach the best of its potential. We can, too. In doing so, we’re caring for the world, perhaps tilting it in the direction of more kindness and gentility.
So please, let’s take this moment to feel our bodies, to feel our breath, to let our minds rest. To care for our own bit of humanity, where we have the greatest impact. To feel the connection to something bigger, greater than the worries and dramas that drain us and keep us stuck. And if we do this again and again, we’ll be changing our brain, one moment at a time, changing our lives, one breath at a time, changing our world, one person at a time. But also recognizing that sometimes we really are too busy to practice, and letting that be ok, too.