Life is always changing. That can be a disturbing recognition. But it can also be very encouraging. Things are going to change. They are not going to stay exactly the way they are right now. When I become more aware and accepting of that truth, and become more aware of my own thoughts and actions, and the environments that I expose myself to, I can have more influence over how things are going to change.
Much about meditation and other mindfulness practices is about learning to pay attention to one’s self, one’s body, one’s thoughts. It is not about the “will power” to “make happen” what we want. Rather, it is about how when we learn to pay closer attention to the way things are at the moment, new choices present themselves. With awareness of choice comes freedom. Also comes a greater personal influence over the way things are going to change.
Many of our thought patterns become imprisoning when we believe that we are a certain way, and can never change. “I am not a ‘morning person.’ ” is an imprisoning statement. It robs us of the option of doing something important in the morning. It builds in us the expectation that if we try, we will fail. A much more mindful statement, and more accurate statement, and freeing statement, is “I usually don’t function as well in the morning as I do later in the day.”
“I cannot touch my toes” is an imprisoning statement. A much more Mindfully aware statement would be “I am not able to touch my toes at this moment.” I have found that when I have bent over to touch my toes on an out-breath, I am able to inhale in that position, and then on the next exhale, I can reach a little bit further. As I have lost weight over time, it has become easier to touch my toes. Practicing yoga daily for a while, even at my age, I have been able to improve my flexibility. Some days I still cannot. Other days I can, because I have freed myself from the identity of one who “cannot touch my toes.”
We can also adapt in other ways. When we accept that something is not available at this moment, we are free to consider alternatives. I can bend my knees a bit to allow a lower reach. I can ask someone for help to retrieve something that I am not able to reach at this moment. I can do without, and be OK.
I have choices.
Mindful concepts such as:
Interconnectivity/Community
“I have what I need”
Impermanence
Acceptance
Patience
and
Trust
all help us to Adapt to the everchanging world we are experiencing.