I read an article about how the Eastern lifestyle is really becoming sought after by Western individuals.  There’s yoga, then minimalism and now mindfulness. In a country that is by far one of the largest population of consumers and waste, now we want to have peace about it.  We are hilarious.

“Mindfulness is moment to moment awareness.” 

How do we go from being multitasking, stressful, more than we need personalities to just enough, aware and centered individuals?  We just become mindful. Easy?  Maybe for some but most…nah

In the East, specifically Japan, mindfulness is not a trend or commodity to be consumed but a lifestyle that has been ingrained in their society for centuries.  From work to cooking and even leisurely activities, being aware and mindful is a way of life for these people much like breathing.

So how do we, across the pond, get to be mindful?

I tried yoga.  I gave it multiple attempts at different locations, styles and instructors.  Yoga for me, went from being a the best thing for a peri-menopausal, stressed out woman, or any woman/ person etc, to the new way to be a half naked pseudo gymnast. (yep that was harsh but it’s my view). So I developed this yucky feeling anytime folks mentioned yoga to me.   I joke and say I have a yoga mind.  I read that yoga was about the breathe not the asanas so much. I tried to apply that in class;  however in a room of people all shapes and abilities,  I found myself not moving to my breathe, but being more aware of trying to move as directed by the instructor.  So whose breathe am I really connecting with?  I will admit that I made attempts to practice at home via videos, youtube and social media gurus, nothing stuck.  I began to not like yoga.  It was becoming to trendy.  Is it yoga or amateur gymnastics?…

I began to ride my bike.  It was great. I rode and rode enjoying the ability to feel my body growing stronger and riding faster and farther. I found great enjoyment in being able to see other parts of my city from my bike.   Then I saw where others were riding and boasting about the miles they rode and the speed. I wanted to join them but it seemed to be more about keeping up and racing than enjoying the ride.  NAH…

I did the same thing with walking and working out in the gym. All activities I believed would bring me the mindfulness that I see in photos.  Nope. Competition.  That’s what I kept bumping into. An activity of peace and centering, getting in touch with one’s body always seem to turn into a competition, a show for others, not connecting or getting any closer to peace.

So I stopped.

I went on my own personal campaign of “Pause and be Present.”  I messed up and shared it on social media. I stopped after awhile though.   I felt that people were more intrigued with all the places that I was pausing rather than the activity itself of choosing and making time to stop and be present. * I have to admit, how can one really “pause and be present”  yet still capture it for the Gram?  LMAO. Are we really in the moment and if so what moment? The moment of.. how long are we going ourselves being centered on this  snap or insta? or how many attempts are we going to do in order to get the perfect “looking” photo to posts?  I can’t. I can’t.  I did though. And if you think I sound negative and judgmental about it all.. I was. Until,

I joined a meditation class at a Buddhist temple.  What better way to learn than from the experts.  It was perfect.  I found my breathe. I began to connect.  I told a few people but honestly I didn’t want to share it. It was mine!!! (*I didn’t do the intermediate level. The energy at the temple changed. Some humans have a way of becoming elitist when they get into roles of power no matter where they are and they don’t realize how they run people off). I have since been reading on my own and practicing various types of meditation. it really does work.

So now what?  I’ve cancelled out everything it seemed.  Always finding something wrong with an activity.  I sat back and thought about all that I’d tried. Honestly was I doing it to tune into myself or show others that I was tuning into myself?  HEY LOOK AT ME I’M OVER HERE BEING ALL ZEN LIKE AND SHIT.

I unplugged.  I fasted from social media for 40 days. I spent time with me, eliminating a lot of the extra stuff I was piling on to find peace. I was blessed to take a few Kundalini yoga classes that are all about the breathing. My meditation practice deepened. No I haven’t achieved a blank mind however I am able to concentrate on one thing for more than 20 minutes.   I stopped multitasking. I started a gratitude jar. I stopped pulling my phone out when I’m with friends. I became present. I am learning to be simple and mindful.

I can listen to people and not have other thoughts running through my head. (okay not all the time but I’m getting there).   I’m fully present with them. My pseudo road rage is all but gone and I have so much more patience now with everything.  I find that I’m more compassionate and less judgmental. *albeit I still don’t like Hatha yoga but I will keep trying until I can appreciate it.

When my daughter was little she used to guilt me into coming to every single activity at her school with this phrase… “Mom, I will never be this age, doing this (Insert activity) again ever in life. THIS is your ONLY chance!”  thing is, she was correct.  We allow so many moments to pass by that will never happen again. We hold up phones at concerts and are never really there enjoying the artists and the people around us.  We spend more time capturing us doing and posting on social media that BEING in our lives at the present moment.

I may sound pessimistic and I really don’t intend to be. I still post every now and then however I catch myself by asking ” why are you posting this?” And we live in a very digital age and that’s how people communicate these days.  I personally prefer a phone call rather than a text message.

I find that I have become more aware of not just my breathe but I’ve become more aware of how I exist in this world, and it in me.

Even in pursuing a method to calm our lives and create space we teeter dangerously on the edge of piling on something else.

Pause and BE Present in the moment. Not because it’s trendy but because your spirit has so much to say to you that you can’t hear through your phone.