Dear Avery,
After a stressful week of work, I knew I needed to feed my soul with goodness. After work on Friday, I went to a candlelit yoga session, and the teacher encouraged us to stay for the “Restore Mindfulness” class afterwards. And since I’m on a kick of staying in the moment, and accepting things as they come to me… I absolutely stayed!
I sat for an hour perched up on two yoga blocks with my legs underneath me. Eyes closed. Paying attention to my breath, my body, my coming and going thoughts, and to my instructor’s voice.
Half way through the session, a loud constant noise came from somewhere. Loud air conditioner? Rising the basketball hoops from the court below us? WHATEVER it was, my immediate thoughts were:
Thought 1: How rude!
Thought 2: Don’t they know we are focusing on mindfulness?
Thought 3: Ughhhh. Will someone turn that off? This is so annoying.
Thought 4: I can’t focus.
During my thought process, the instructor said something so profound. She said, “Meet all sounds as they come. While it is easy to immediately judge the sound for interrupting our life, we should in turn adapt to the sound – embrace the way it comes to our ears – and meet it in this space.”
My annoyance immediately floated away. I turned that judgement off. I turned my thoughts into acceptance. I met the sound where it was. Visualized the vibrations going into my ears, and became one with it. The sound went away a few minutes later, and then I welcomed the quiet with the same approach. Ahhhhhhh. So simple. Such a small way to tweak your thinking.
From there, I started thinking:
What if we did that with people?
What if we simply met people where they are – who they are – as they are?
What if we let go of judgments, and embraced people in that exact space?
Lovely thought, right? Starts with each of us. Love and accept people as they are, not what they’ve done or who they were yesterday. Love them for who they are now. Love yourself as you are now.
Where ever you are, be all there.
With love,
Aunt Megs
With Love, Aunt Megs 