When I first heard about mindfulness I felt resistant. How could I possibly be mindful with a mind full of chatter? It was so busy in my mind.
No room for quiet and certainly no capacity (so I thought) to be in the present moment. I pondered the definition as a state of being conscious or aware of something or as Brene Brown aptly describes it -“paying attention.” Something I was told often in high school (quiet giggles). It was now crystal clear why I was resistant!
At that time the word mindfulness was all that seemed to enter my circle of consciousness.
There were books being published, workshops being held, people talking about it. It was the new buzz word. As a head thinking analyst this was too far from my perceived capabilities. There was no way I could quieten my mind chatter and be in the present moment. It just wasn’t possible.
Or so I thought.
Exploring this new concept I learnt that accessing a state of mindfulness was not exclusive to sitting cross legged in complete silence on top of a mountain in Tibet.
There were so many other ways to access a mindful state, like walking and feeling each foot as it makes contact with the pavement or listening to music and focusing on the sound of a single instrument from start to finish. This was much more to my liking.
I also liked the idea of guided mindfulness meditations and began listening to them at night before going to sleep.
The benefits of mindfulness also piqued my interest. Things like improving academic performance, regulating emotions, enhancing sleep and decreasing anxiety and depression. Amazing stuff. It was then that I thought, maybe I can give this mindfulness thing a go.
And I did.
Creativity is now my main method of accessing mindfulness. The perfect combination of “doing” and “being” simultaneously. Sometimes it’s drawing, sometimes it’s painting but my favourite is colouring. I love to focus on the up and down movement of the pencil or immerse myself in the colour I am using.
Colouring allows me time out from my monkey mind with a free ticket to Zen Land.
It is this method of mindfulness that I would like to share with you. Our Gratitude Online experience this month is centred around mindful colouring!
A mindfulness mandala that comprises of four components representing the mind, heart, body and soul. Each component contributes to the making of your person as a whole.
The intention around this experience is to bring awareness to what being mindful of mind, heart, body and soul looks like for you. You will be invited to mindfully engage in the experience while focusing on a particular aspect of your being.
To join in: sign up to have your mindfulness mandala sent to you!
Once you receive your mandala, you will be asked to colour one quarter every two days that will be highlighted on the Facebook page. We will invite you to share your experience with the Gratitude Online community throughout the week on our Facebook page.
We look forward to sharing this experience with you and seeing your wonderfully inspired creations. Until then, here’s a little Eckhart Tolle style motivation:
“When your attention moves into the now, there is an alertness. It is as if you were waking up from a dream, the dream of thought, the dream of past and future. Such clarity, such simplicity. No room for problem-making. Just this moment as it is.”
Michelle Pietroboni is an Early Childhood teacher who currently works in an emotional healing capacity with young parents. She is passionate about living a joy-full and nourished life. Through her wellness journey she has recognised the importance love and joy play in living a fulfilled existence. She is dedicated to spreading love and joy through her professional work as well as her personal connection with others.
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