Considering I want this site to be about mindfulness and travel, I figured I should give you a bit of the backstory about how I began practicing mindfulness and meditation. Let’s start simple. A google search yields the following definitions of mindfulness:
the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.
and
a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
BINGO. That summarizes things pretty well. Mindfulness is the practice of being present and acknowledging what is currently going on in your life, knowing nothing is permanent. Impermanence is a key word in mindfulness circles, because honestly, nothing is permanent. Knowing this, you are more likely to accept and acknowledge things you have no power to change, while acknowledging the things you can change, which usually consists of yourself and your reactions to what life throws your way. It’s the practice of understanding and allowing the mind to be, as often times it’s tough to control.
That said, I’ve always been interested in the topic, but never really understood meditation or how it fit into the picture of mindfulness. Almost two years ago, I went through a real doozy of a fast, intense, traumatic relationship. Without getting into the details of that debacle, one day in the midst of being entirely confused, scared, and unsure of my next move, I stumbled into Kramer’s bookstore (I miss you) in Washington, DC. And that’s where I found the holy grail of mindfulness and meditation, a book by Jon Kabat-Zinn called Wherever You Go, There You Are
This book is an absolute game-changer. Meaning that it absolutely changed my life. Jon Kabat-Zinn quite simply explains mindfulness and how it can improve your life, but goes even deeper to explain how to perform basic meditation techniques and how they apply to mindfulness. Having never been able to wrap my head around meditation - how to do it, why it was useful, anything really - this book absolutely transformed my life. After reading it, I was able to perform basic meditation techniques but more importantly, understand their usefulness in daily life. Obviously, I highly recommend you read it.
After reading this book, I knew I wanted to go a bit further with mindfulness and meditation, so looked more into Jon Kabat-Zinn’s work, only to find that he pioneered a course specifically on the topic called Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Naturally, I knew I wanted to do this course. Go big or go home. So do the course I did in May 2015 through the Insight Meditation Center of Washington, which by the way is an amazing mindfulness community in Washington, DC, if you happen to be there. Check out their calendar of events an attend a free class. I can guarantee you won’t regret it.
Okay I got sidetracked. MBSR. Yep, did the course, and it was literally amazing and more life-changing than the book. I had intended to do a full review on the course for you, but I’ll have to save that for a later day. In summary, it was an eight week course consisting of 2.5 hour classes one night a week, a lot of homework and self-meditation practice at home, and a weekend day-long silent retreat. It’s intense, but oh so worthwhile. My instructor, Bill Mies, was amazing, and I learned so much not just from him, but from the other 10 participants. The class consists of meditation instruction and also lots of class participation, where others can share their experiences and thoughts on the meditations we learned throughout the class.
Honestly, this class was better than therapy. Because it’s so interactive and intense, you end up sharing your life story with the other participants. I made some great friends from the class, because we were all so open and sharing so much about ourselves during it that we created some intense connections. The real takeaway though is that I learned all of the basic insight or vipassana meditation techniques that I now apply during my daily meditation practice. If you want to learn how to meditate, this is the place.
After participating in this amazing course, I’ve participated in a weekend silent meditation retreat, have signed up for a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) in Bali, am signed up for a five day silent meditation retreat immediately following the YTT, and intend to eventually do a 10 day vipassana retreat somewhere in the world after proving I can get through the five days. Here’s one of my favorite articles describing the 10 day vipassana retreat experience. This hilarious article definitely inspires.
I am not sure where this mindful journey will take me, all I know is that I’m incredibly interested in it and the human mind. No one perfects mindfulness and meditation, it is a constant effort and learning process, and I intend to keep learning and growing to appreciate life and the present a bit more fully. I’d love to help others get started as well, so if you have any questions about what I’ve done, where I’m going, or if you need resources to help you on your journey, reach out!
Welcome to the mindful life.
*Cover photo taken somewhere in the Central Highlands of Vietnam in February 2017
With metta (loving kindness),
Jodi
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