Wowee! We’re already half way through July, which means we're half way through the year! Time sure flies! If you set any goals for yourself, how are they coming along?
If you haven’t quite made the progress you would have liked, no worries! July is another great opportunity to stop, take stock and assess where you currently are and what you think you'd like to accomplish during the second half of the year.
So, Let’s Get to It!
I’ve said it before, and I’m sure this won’t be the last time—but it is good to periodically Pause and take a look backward in order to move forward—so, let’s take a moment to review some of the basic themes and topics we’ve covered up until now.
In the very first part of the year...
- generally speaking, we touched on how to go about creating a mindset for not only getting started, but also successfully sticking to your goals or plans.
- but more specifically, we reviewed some of the common questions, challenges and obstacles people often encounter when trying to get started with their meditation practice such as the how (technique), where (location) and when (how long; time of day) of practice, and exploring ways to address them.
- we also went over how to go about setting realistic expectations of what success might look and feel like... that it’s more about taking time to Pause and Notice what’s there
- whether that be internal factors (emotions, thoughts and feelings) OR
- external factors (other people or the various spaces you occupy or move through)
- and to do so without judgement or the need to do or fix anything in that moment!
- dealing with that all-time challenge, that pesky Busy Mind!
Then, as the year progressed, we explored...
- the impact and significance of stress
- what it is, the importance of knowing how to recognize it as well as taking steps to address it.
- and the role a mindful meditative practice can play in supporting those efforts.
- the importance of the Breath as a fundamental aspect of meditation as well as a Shamatha practice, which specifically centers the Breath.
- various ways you can take your practice “off of the cushion” and apply it in your life, in real time (also known as informal practice).
- how to incorporate Nature into your practice, a very specific example of applying it “in the field”, and how to access this wonderful resource in even the bleakest of settings.
- Finally, in celebration of the completion of my second mindfulness and meditation teaching certification, I launched my “Mindfulness & Meditation: Refresh & Deepen Your Practice Simply…Beautifully…Uniquely” 1:1 coaching program, which supports participants in all of the above and much, much more (enrollment is now open and more details are available HERE).
As you can see, we’ve covered quite a lot of ground! But you can always access previous installments of the newsletter through the Mindful Renaissance archives and revisit or catch up on whatever you might have missed.
In Mindful Closing…
Even if you didn’t quite get around to starting your mindful meditative practice as you had planned, there’s still time and this newsletter provides you with an abundance of tools and strategies to get you going.
And there’s more to come, so stay tuned!
Also, remember, each and every day is an opportunity to begin anew and get started on a project that might have fallen by the wayside. I encourage you to create the points of "re-entry" that are meaningful to you.
I look forward to continuing on this journey with you all, in the months ahead, and dn’t forget to take a moment to Pause, Breathe and Be Still!
Sincerely,
Jill
Founder, Mindful Renaissance
Certified Mindfulness Instructor, 2021
P.S. If at any time you no longer wish to receive these messages, feel free to unsubscribe at any time but we'll miss you! (The "Unsubscribe" link is at the bottom of this email).
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