Hi :)

[miracle_0617]

Hi everyone,

My name's Charlotte and I just joined the board a few nights ago and have been skimming the posts ever since. I joined because I'd love to find community while moving more deeply and intentionally into my practice with mindfulness, to give and receive support as my mindful journey unfolds.

Mindfulness has always been a subject that intrigued me, impassioned me even. Roughly two years ago I was living in a very quiet, small town in rural upstate New York and was steeped very deeply in a mindfulness practice. At the time I hadn't known I was practicing mindfulness as I didn't quite have the language for it yet - I was just meditating everyday and bringing that level of presence and awareness into my work and relationships.

About a year ago, though, I fell out of practice upon moving to NYC. It was a huge adjustment for me and I'm only now feeling as though I'm starting to touch upon a sense of balance. When I practice mindfulness, my brain's health and my overall mental wellbeing are the only two things on my mind. Living in the city has sparked a relapse of depression and anxiety for me and so diving back into meditation is a way of exercising my own mental musculature so my brain develops a strong psychological resilience.

I recently took a MBSR course but didn't do well because the instructors teaching style didn't resonate with me. I hate to blame it on the instructor alone, as I could have done better, but I wish I had received more hands on, individualized support. I may take another course in the future but for now I'm self directing and hope to find support when needed here on this forum.

I'm so incredibly happy to be here, thrilled at the prospect of forging community here and excited to support you all in your own journey

[JonW]

Hi Charlotte,
Welcome to Everyday Mindfulness.
Apologies first of all for the appearance of this forum. We're experiencing some technical difficulties but normal service is expected to resume soon. It normally looks a lot prettier that this.
You say that you'd love to find community while moving more deeply and intentionally into my practice with mindfulness, to give and receive support as my mindful journey unfolds. We are that community.
Please feel free to fire any questions at us. We don't claim to be experts but mindfulness has transformed our lives and we're always happy to share our knowledge and experience and help out in whatever way we can.
Feel free to join any of the conversational threads, or maybe start some of your own.
Also, check out our main site: http://www.everyday-mindfulness.org
Plenty of great stuff on there.
Maybe you'd like to write a blog for us sometime. I'm the blog editor here so contact me if you have the urge to write something.
It's great to have you on board here. Please make yourself comfortable in our mindfulness community.
All good things and, before I forget, Happy New Year!
Jon

[Gareth]

Welcome to the site. You'll certainly find plenty of support here

[miracle_0617]

Thank you both for the warm welcome

[Gareth]

And thankfully, we do look a lot prettier now.

I find the subject of people getting out of the habit of meditating a very interesting one. I want to know what it is that causes this. I don't want to sound sanctimonious, but I just cannot imagine any situation where it would happen to me.

It would make a great blog, if you ever feel motivated to write one.

[JonW]

At my meet-up group I often meet people who once had a thriving practice but have now lapsed. More often than not it becomes apparent that their practice became stale. Mostly they confined themselves to sitting/breathing meditation exclusively.
There's more than one way to meditate just as there's more than one way to skin a cat. Keeping one's practice fresh is so important.
That I say, that I swear.
Jon of Hove

[Peter]

It is the same as with sports: why do so many people start going to the gym on Januari 1st, and then at some point going less and and less, and eventually stop going at all?
Because, it feels great while doing it, and afterwards, but it is hard to start doing it, while you've so many other things that you'd rather do at this moment.

People seem to be motivated most by what they think benefits them (very) short term.

Peter

[JonW]

Very true, Peter. I also think some people become disillusioned with mindfulness when they realise it offers no quick fixes - that it is, in a very real sense, a practice for life.
Jon

[Peter]

I agree Jon, and I think that it is in that sense also comparable to things like sports.

Peter

[JonW]

I feel that we need to be a little careful with the sporting/fitness comparisons. If I practice taking free kicks all day I might eventually become rather good at taking free kicks (though I'll never be Rivelino, famous for his so-called banana kicks). But the idea of meditating is not to become good at it. I'm not meditating to improve my meditating skills.
Jon