On building a mindfulness practice

On building a mindfulness practice

I thought I’d share this month’s issue of Gypsy Wanderings to give you a taste of the kind of letters I share in my monthly emails. I enjoy writing these letters every month – it feels so much more intimate than blogging, and somehow, a lot more personal too. I imagine you, my dear Wanderers, sitting with a cup of coffee and reading these words, and I hope they strike a chord with you each month too. You can sign up for Gypsy Wanderings at the bottom of this post. xx

Hello loves,

I’m watching the sunlight dappling through the window; the gentle swaying of the leaves outside creating a flickering, fluttering pattern of shadow and light on the white marble floor. The boys {my two tom cats, Simba and Loki} are fast asleep by the balcony door. The house is quiet – all I can hear is the soft whirl of the fan and the chirping of the birds on the windowsill.

These stolen moments of quiet solitude fill my heart with peace. All the cares of the world seem to slip away, and all I am aware of is the rise and fall of my breath; the perfection of this moment – I’m not thinking of the past or making plans for the future – I’m just here. Now. And all is well with the world.

And then the moment is broken, as the sharp ring of the phone pulls me away from this quietude.

Moments like these, ephemeral and rare, just serve to remind me of the importance of quiet time – of silencing the chatter of the monkey mind, of being in the present moment, of making some time for mindfulness and meditation and silence.

But it isn’t always easy to remember to stop and bring my awareness to the present moment. With all the distractions that surround me, making time for quiet contemplation seems to slip to the back burner sometimes. I wonder, do you feel the same way too? And what do you do to remind yourself to take a pause from time to time?

One thing that had helped me to build a regular mindfulness practice was to combine it with my love for photography. A few years ago I had set myself a daily photography challenge – to capture at least one moment of ordinary beauty every day. That exercise helped me to build in moments of mindful awareness in my days – to practice the pause and be aware of what is in front of and around me. From there stemmed the idea for The Mindful Break.

This simple, fun Instagram challenge serves as a good reminder to check in with yourself, step into a more mindful space, and to build some accountability into the practice! I do hope you’ll join me again this year.

 

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A post shared by Shinjini?Artist~Tarot Reader (@moderngypsy.in) on

This fun, free, 15-day Instagram challenge is meant as a reminder to remain aware of the present moment. This isn’t about capturing the prettiest image or staging a beautiful shot {although you can certainly do that – mindfully}. It’s about giving yourself the time and mind space to mindfully record the moments, the sights, the awe that you want to cherish. You can find out more about the challenge and how to participate on the main challenge page. And if you like, do pop in your Instagram account in the linky on the page. I hope to connect with you lovely people on Instagram later this month!

Oh, and don’t forget to download The Mindful Break ebook! You’ll find it in the Wander’s Library {Note: If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter yet, you can download the ebook from the main challenge page}

I hope you enjoyed this letter! To get these in your inbox every month, enter your email below!  And if you liked what you read, please do pin this post <– {automagically formatted for Pinterest :)}!xx

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Modern Gypsy

View posts by Modern Gypsy

I’m an artist and art educator, podcaster, tarot reader, and writer. I share my discoveries along the path to inspire you to live a more creative, soul-centered life. Receive my love letters for more of my musings on life and creativity. P.S. I love Instagram - join me there?

26 Comments

  1. I love the idea of mindfully enjoying/appreciating a normal moment of the day. I don’t do it often enough, specially now as the children are home almost all day due to exams. That’s not to say I don’t have those moments, just that I don’t notice them enough. I shall be joining you for the mindful break challenge.

  2. Pingback: Six Productive Ways to Slow Down: #MondayBlogs #NatashaMusing

  9. I have to tell you, Shinjini, while reading your letter, I became anxious with the pressure of so much to read and so less time with me and then a line somwhere in between brought me back to the present. I took a deep breath and told myself it is okay to read as much as I can.
    I am doing the the mindful break challenge on Instagram with my limited photography skill. however, the visiting others part, liking and commenting is tiring for me.

    • Deep breaths, Anamika. Do only as much as you can, and choose how and where you want to spend your time. As for the Mindful Break, you are under no obligation to visit others or comment. Your wellbeing comes first. Use this challenge to help yourself to be more mindful, to build in more pauses – that’s the core reason why I started it! <3

  10. I agree with Tulika. I love the concept, but I have been guilty of not doing it. Your posts inspire me to find the time to pause and just relish the present, possibly mundane moment. Thank you!

  15. I crashed and burned last night, today is a day of rest, but wanted to stop by as your blog always offers me comfort and a sense of peace.

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