In the classes I teach in mindfulness I go in to great detail about how the practice of mindfulness is about creating space. In our mindful practice we learn to create a space within ourselves, a space where we are present, a space that we can accept others, and a space where we have awareness of what's going on around us in this moment.
When we talk about minimalism we talk about removing the clutter in our lives, opening up our physical space. Minimalism is about getting rid of the unnecessary things, both possessions and habits. It's not about getting rid of everything; it's about only holding on to things that serve you, things that have meaning and purpose. We hold on to only the things that are important to us and we prioritize their place in our lives.
So minimalism is an important part of mindfulness and mindfulness is an important part of minimalism, both are about creating space. Removing the clutter in our physical space is much easier than decluttering our minds. When we learn to embrace mindfulness along with our minimalism the results are incredible. It's not easy; it takes practice, it takes discipline and it is a lot of work. We may succeed for a while and fall backwards at times but as time goes on it gets easier and easier because we see the benefits are extraordinary. It is worth every second because your life will change for ever. You come to a place of self-discovery that isn't there with a cluttered mind. You find balance, a holistic balance of the mind, body and spirit that has benefits you can't imagine.
One of the things we discover when we practice mindfulness is that our intentions become much more focused. Intentions are the choices we make and we make hundreds, even thousands of choices every day. The practice of mindfulness brings clarity and creates a space where we are in charge of more of our choices, we are aware of the choices we make and the choices that are made for us. With this clarity we are aware of the fact, that while we can't always choose what happens to us, we can choose how we will react. When we are aware we learn that we can either choose the direction we take or we can let the world choose for us.
Everyday we deal with confrontations, distractions and other things and we usually react in an emotional way, making decisions based on how we feel. Many times the emotional reaction is not the right one, it may feel like it at the time but if we had a bit more clarity we may have chosen to react differently. With mindfulness we use the space we created within ourselves to separate the emotional feelings from the actions we take. We still have emotions of course, but we learn to have space between the emotions and the actions. Instead of tripping over the emotional clutter, we have a minimalist space where we can move around the emotions, to separate them and prioritize how they fit into the action.
Living minimally is about eliminating the unnecessary, it's a practice in focus on the things that are truly meaningful in your life. In this day and age we are trained that we need more to be happy; more money, more things, more food, etc. But this isn't really true is it? How many people who have A LOT of stuff are unhappy? Just because you have everything money can buy you may still not be happy. Having money is important, we all need money, but if it consumes your life it turns in to a burden. If your sole purpose in life is to get more stuff you are doomed to a life of misery, always chasing the rabbit down the rabbit hole. When you practice mindfulness in a minimalist way you learn to prioritize, you may still want lots of stuff but you don't go after stuff without taking care of yourself, your love and your life first.
"Life is really simple but we choose to make it complicated"-Confucius
Mindfulness is a practice in minimalism. We learn to minimalise our indulgences, our emotional reactions, our lack of focus, and our waste of time. It is a practice in minimizing the clutter, the mind speak, the voices in our head in order to set our intentions.
We choose to be aware, we understand what we need, and we realize what's important. We are able to be present in the moment, accepting the past for the lessons it has taught us but knowing there is nothing we can do to change it. Realizing that what we do in this moment will affect our future but worrying about it accomplishes nothing.
When you embrace a life of mindfulness you learn to discover your intentions, expand your awareness and know exactly what you need at any given moment in order to feel present. There is no moment that matters more than the one you are in right now. How refreshing is that?
When we talk about minimalism we talk about removing the clutter in our lives, opening up our physical space. Minimalism is about getting rid of the unnecessary things, both possessions and habits. It's not about getting rid of everything; it's about only holding on to things that serve you, things that have meaning and purpose. We hold on to only the things that are important to us and we prioritize their place in our lives.
So minimalism is an important part of mindfulness and mindfulness is an important part of minimalism, both are about creating space. Removing the clutter in our physical space is much easier than decluttering our minds. When we learn to embrace mindfulness along with our minimalism the results are incredible. It's not easy; it takes practice, it takes discipline and it is a lot of work. We may succeed for a while and fall backwards at times but as time goes on it gets easier and easier because we see the benefits are extraordinary. It is worth every second because your life will change for ever. You come to a place of self-discovery that isn't there with a cluttered mind. You find balance, a holistic balance of the mind, body and spirit that has benefits you can't imagine.
One of the things we discover when we practice mindfulness is that our intentions become much more focused. Intentions are the choices we make and we make hundreds, even thousands of choices every day. The practice of mindfulness brings clarity and creates a space where we are in charge of more of our choices, we are aware of the choices we make and the choices that are made for us. With this clarity we are aware of the fact, that while we can't always choose what happens to us, we can choose how we will react. When we are aware we learn that we can either choose the direction we take or we can let the world choose for us.
Everyday we deal with confrontations, distractions and other things and we usually react in an emotional way, making decisions based on how we feel. Many times the emotional reaction is not the right one, it may feel like it at the time but if we had a bit more clarity we may have chosen to react differently. With mindfulness we use the space we created within ourselves to separate the emotional feelings from the actions we take. We still have emotions of course, but we learn to have space between the emotions and the actions. Instead of tripping over the emotional clutter, we have a minimalist space where we can move around the emotions, to separate them and prioritize how they fit into the action.
Living minimally is about eliminating the unnecessary, it's a practice in focus on the things that are truly meaningful in your life. In this day and age we are trained that we need more to be happy; more money, more things, more food, etc. But this isn't really true is it? How many people who have A LOT of stuff are unhappy? Just because you have everything money can buy you may still not be happy. Having money is important, we all need money, but if it consumes your life it turns in to a burden. If your sole purpose in life is to get more stuff you are doomed to a life of misery, always chasing the rabbit down the rabbit hole. When you practice mindfulness in a minimalist way you learn to prioritize, you may still want lots of stuff but you don't go after stuff without taking care of yourself, your love and your life first.
"Life is really simple but we choose to make it complicated"-Confucius
Mindfulness is a practice in minimalism. We learn to minimalise our indulgences, our emotional reactions, our lack of focus, and our waste of time. It is a practice in minimizing the clutter, the mind speak, the voices in our head in order to set our intentions.
We choose to be aware, we understand what we need, and we realize what's important. We are able to be present in the moment, accepting the past for the lessons it has taught us but knowing there is nothing we can do to change it. Realizing that what we do in this moment will affect our future but worrying about it accomplishes nothing.
When you embrace a life of mindfulness you learn to discover your intentions, expand your awareness and know exactly what you need at any given moment in order to feel present. There is no moment that matters more than the one you are in right now. How refreshing is that?
