Week 1 of 8 | micl.online

Mindful or mind full?

Babies, toddlers and young children are naturally mindful.

And notice that they smile much more than older folk.

Eight-Week Course

Week 1: Getting Underway

Whether you are joining us for the course via Zoom, welcome. We're very pleased to share the course sessions and hope you find something useful in the various sessions.

What the Course will Cover

We'll look at all the usual themes and practices in a mainstream mindfulness course: mindfulness of the body, of breathing, thinking, feelings and emotions, and so on. We'll also look at ways we can take mindfulness into daily life. We won't dwell on this too much, but we'll look at some of the scientific support for mindfulness practice. We'll also check in on what other people have said about how mindfulness has helped them. And we'll explore briefly how mindfulness practice relate to some of the 'quiet prayer' practices that have been part of Christian life since the Church's earliest days.

Something a little unusual about the course, and perhaps rather special, is its focus, from the very beginning, on practices looking to nurture or foster growth in two central aspects of Christian life. These are, on the one hand, compassion and loving-kindness, and on the other, gratitude and appreciation (and their counterpart, generosity). And while these will in some way way a part in any mainstream mindfulness course, it seems very fitting that we should prioritize them here. After all, at the end of our lives we will be judged, not on anything like how good we are at being mindful of our breathing or our bodies, but only on love. (See St John of the Cross, Spanish mystic and poet, 1542-1591, Sayings 64.)

Guidelines

Remember, first of all, these key principals:

God is good, and on our side, and wants the best for us.
God is always at work for our good.
- In all things and at all times, God is at work to help us come to that fulness of life he want us to know and share and enjoy.

And the aim of our mindfulness practice is that we become more and more the person God that has created us to be. As part of that, we will enjoy life more fully—and find life more fulfilling (not always more fun, but certainly more fulfilling, more rewarding.

Also, keep in mind ...

We are all mindful some of the time ...

We are being mindful when we are —

present to … engaged in, ... aware of, …

whatever it is that we are doing or feeling,

with life as it’s happening

and so are free to engage and respond wisely.

We are not mindful when we are

entangled in thoughts, feelings, ideas, memories —

things that control us or run us around ...

so that we have no freedom …

But mindfulness is not about with replacing one set of thoughts or feelings with another …

and it is not about stopping our thoughts or making our minds blank …

Mindfulness is not about controlling anything ...

not our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations or anything else.

Rather, mindfulness helps us to learn that
we do not need to let our thoughts and feelings control us.

We can learn to 'let go' of those unhelpful habits of thought and emotion which tend to bind us to the past ...

Distraction –

We might be surprised to hear that distraction – the over-busy, wandering mind –

is normal for us and for everyone …

and is not really a problem in mindfulness.

We can learn to work with it.

In fact,

The first step in mindfulness practice

is simply seeing or learning how distracted we are.

The second step is not to be discouraged by that!

... not to be judgemental about how distracted we are …

And the really helpful thing about distraction is this:

It gives us a chance to practise being kind towards ourselves, and in all our mindfulness practice, kindness is key.

This is because although the guidance for when we find our mind has wandered is to lead the awareness back, the key thing is not so much the 'leading back' as the tone or character of that leading, or of our request to ourselves to come back, to refocus. Can we learn to do that leading back in a kindly, understanding and friendly way?

Can we learn, not to wrench the awareness back, or to shoot down the wandering thoughts—as if they were clay pigeons (or even escaped prisoners), but rather to coax, urge or shepherd the awareness back. In other words, can we be kindly towards our wandering mind (it's trying to do its best for us); more generally, can we be kindly and friendly towards every aspect of ourselves?

So, if we are very prone to a wandering mind (and most of us are) it's a blessing. It will mean that we have plenty of opportunities to learn and to practise kindness.

(Wonderfully, that kindness turns out to be a 'transferable skill': it will overflow into all the other aspects of our life.)

Loving-Kindness

For guidance on loving-kindness practice, background and practice, please click here.

A key bit of learning ...

Eventually we can come to see that everything in us and about us — including our busy minds, our feelings and emotions, our body (including those less-than-pleasant things like habitually tense shoulders, tense lower back, and so on) — these are all trying to do their best for us.

It might not feel like that, but they are doing their best; of course they don't always get it right ...

Here's an analogy:

Think of a young child, perhaps barely five or six years old. You're at work in the kitchen or the garden and they want to help. They'll do their best, but no doubt they won't really be any help at all. They'll knock over the milk-jug or spill the flour, or in the garden they'll pull up newly planted flowers thinking that they are weeds, perhaps they'll even pick all the flowers off the bean plants to make a nice posey, but of course, meaning there'll be no pea-pods or peas that year. (I've been told that I did exactly this with my grandfather's peas when I was three. I thought my mum would like a posey of pretty little flowers. she didn't tell me off, and neither did granddad.)

Click here for Week 1 Home Practices

All the 'elements' or 'aspects' of our make up are trying to do the best for us, trying to help they're trying either to keep us safe or to help us prosper. But like the child in the kitchen or garden, they don't always get things right. They can make a bit of a mess of things. Our response? Best to acknowledge that they are trying to help, be grateful, and then try to 'educate' or 're-educate them'. But kindness will always be key. We will not accomplish good, healthy education or re-education through 'violence' or if we are harsh and aggressive or pushy.

Remember that God wants us to be like him in all things,

and that means he wants us to share his generosity and goodwill towards others —

indeed, towards everyone.

Click here for more on Core Values

Week One Home Practices

Be steady and gentle with your home practice. The suggestion is to try to do two ten-minute practices on six days out of seven and allow yourself one day off. Maybe try an informal practice most days too.

1. Once each day, do a simple body scan. Two recently recorded short guided practices are available on the Resources page: Click here.

Alternatively, for longer guided sessions from a range of teachers and sources click here.

2. Once each day, do a simple 'Loving-kindness practice.' For a simple version (about 14 minutes) click here. (If you want to skip the introduction and jump through to the guided practice, start at 3 mins 40 seconds.)

3. The third invitation: an 'Informal Practice'. Try this simple exercise, maybe when you first get up, and probably for no more than three or four minutes. Walk around your house barefoot and just experience that. Probably you’ll notice different textures, warm and cold surfaces, movements and sensations in your feet and your toes. You'll probably be aware of a range of sounds too ... See what come up for you. You may be surprised how much you notice. Adopt an attitude of kindly curiosity. Imagine you’ve been bed bound for weeks or that for a few months you’ve been without sensations in your feet, or that you've been deaf for a time.

3) Also, maybe, if or when you think of it, pause and simply take three deeper, slower, longer, unhurried breaths. Then simply, for a moment or two, check-in with body, mind, and feelings. Then simply move on into whatever in your day comes next. Keep it simple. Link here.

Always with all our practices, it's probably best not to be over-ambitious, but it's also a good thing to be gently optimistic. For example, on days when you feel you can't be bothered or are tempted to cut things short, well, no great problem, but perhaps give it a try, even a little one; you might find things turn out better than you'd imagined.

A Prayer calling on the Holy Spirit

Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth,
everywhere present, filling all things,
treasury of all blessings, and giver of life:
come and dwell in us,
and cleanse us from all that defiles us,
and of your goodness, heal us deep within.

Amen.

Week 1 Practice Journal

Click the icons below to access or download the practice journal in PDF and Word formats.

The PDF version should download on any system. Print it off then write on it by hand. The Word version can be typed into using MS Word or something similar. (After opening the Word version you may have to 'enable editing' before you can type into the documety.)

Try to keep in mind ... that we don't really know what it is to meditate; we don't really know how it 'should' be or what it should' feel like.

Indeed, we might well ask ourselves the simple question, 'What makes us think that we do know what mediation should be like? How do we know whether it is going well or badly? The fact is that we don't!

Certainly we can say, 'I'm not enjoying this...or 'I don't think it should be like this...' But perhaps we can learn to sit light to these judgment, these assessments, and simply get on with doing what we can, as we can ...

This is one of those instances where judgement belongs to God. So, let's try to be content to leave it with him!

Often in our practice (perhaps always) there's something going on at a level and in a way that we cannot recognize or understand.

Here, when it comes to our practice, sports brand Nike offer the best good advice: Just do it and leave all judgment about how it's going to the one who knows, namely God. (By the way, God always appreciates our efforts much more than we can imagine.)

For the two very short videos we usually watch in Week 1 of the course click here.

Maybe also keep this in mind— but don't let yourself be put off by it.

You won't always enjoy your mindful practice or feel it's going well. Sometimes you'll will think it's all a waste of time, and that you'd be better giving your time to something more useful or more enjoyable.

Our response:

We've begun a process and we've set out on a journey. The goal is a deep healing. But we understand that that will take a while and perhaps it won't always be fun.

But although we can expect some difficult, challenging times, positive things times will come, the 'benefits' will appear. It may take a while for you to learn to notice the healing that is going on. (As an analogy, think of medical or dental treatments, or even something like learning to drive.)

So, the really wise response is:

Go steadily, Go gently. Give it time. Don't fuss.

The best advice is this:

Give it time. ... Rather than try to assess, how it's going, session by session, give it say three months, even six months. Then look back and see how you feel about yourself and your life. you probably won't have got rid of all your problems, but you might well find that you feel better about yourself and your life, a little more comfortable in the world (and in your own skin), and with more of a sense of purpose and direction.

Remember the wise words from Nike:

St John of the Cross, Spanish mystic and poet, 1542-1591.

Christian life: a

'package deal.'

Christian life involves a whole range of activities: worship with others, quiet times alone, care of those in need, hospitality, sharing fellowship and encouragement, feasting with others, fasting alone, and so on.

Quiet prayer or something like mindfulness can play a part in this.

And it's not just for 'specialists' like nuns or hermits; it's for everyone.

A Prayer Corner

or in this case, a prayer alcove.

Icons, candles and the like can help remind us of what our focus and intention and can rest,

and even where our hope can rest.

Try not to forget ...

Jesus came

not to correct us,

not to punish us,

not to make us feel bad,

not to 'fix us'

or to 'sort us out' …

but to help us; indeed,

to heal us.

Home Prac 1/8

Many people find that it helps to have a regular time and place for their daily practice. This can help us establish a routine. See what you can manage. Many have found that mindfulness can become as much a part of their daily routine as brushing their teeth.

Some people find that a mindfulness practice can be a great way to start their day. It can help to 'set the tone' for everything that follows.

As a wise man once said — and he was only half joking — 'If we don't make time for prayer, the devil will make sure we don't find it.

A timer, just out of sight, maybe on a watch or phone can be a better option than a clock. Many mindfulness apps include a free timer.

Be content to do what you can, as you can, when you can — but be quietly optimistic.