“Mindfulness” = The moment-to-moment awareness of the experience as it is. ~Liz Korabek-Emerson

I don’t know about you, but today I could practice being more mindful. And … every day, every moment, every breath. Recent posts have focused on having difficult conversations amidst the stress of turbulent times, and I thought I’d take it down a bit and talk about the antidote to stress, which is also a way to defuse emotional triggers, find balance, and regain. the equilibrium. power under pressure – mindfulness meditation.

Practicing mindfulness in turbulent times

Liz Korabek-Emerson, a mindfulness teacher, transformation workshop leader and creative coach, describes mindfulness as “the awareness of experience, moment by moment, as it is.” I attended a mindfulness training with Liz and remembered how the mind is always looking for thoughts to focus on. In Liz’s session, my mind settled and snapped back to the present every time I returned to the breath. I had to go back many times, because my thoughts (always vagrant) drove me away. And … that’s the practice.

My mentor Thomas crum write about the difference between Be and do. I am an “entrepreneur”: I like to organize and get things done. I usually think about what’s next on my list even before I finish the task at hand. Consequently, I need to practice to get back to the present, a lot!

Although I meditate daily and teach by focusing on my workouts, it still amazes me how constantly my mind is busy.Did I remember to buy those tickets? How should I respond to that email? Will Mom handle it while I’m gone? I wish I had kept my mouth shut yesterday! And equally amazed at how regaining my wandering mind is a constant practice.

I asked Liz if I could reprint an article from her blog that talks about that concern, “I am doing it right?“- which I think we all have when minds wander. She kindly said yes.

Enjoy this simple call for a friendlier, happier and more connected person, and if you’re looking for a focused and powerful mindfulness meditation teacher, go find Liz.

The measure of success

for Liz Korabek-Emerson

The measure of the success of our practice is …

Not the number of sessions, not how good we are, not how long we sit (although we still have to introduce ourselves and do it)

But in how kind we are, to ourselves and then to others, how connected we feel to our life and the people around us, how happy We are happy, not in the fact that “I got everything I wanted for Christmas,” but in the kind of happiness that allows us to be resilient, recover, and continue in the natural flow of life, facing difficulties without increasing our burdens. , acknowledging our common humanity and wholeheartedly embracing the joy that unexpectedly falls in our day. In short, happy to be with things as they are; including ourselves, other people, and life situations.

Longtime teacher and practitioner Sharon Saltzberg has written that “we don’t observe our breath just to become good breath watchers.” And I think this is true. We observe our breath because it is the basic practice, the vehicle through which we cultivate a focused, open and flexible mind. But we practice because the world needs more kindness, strength, and clarity.

Could you not?