With help from a friend, I have been thinking recently about how to keep myself resourced especially during periods of teaching the 8-week course. I know my wellbeing is important, and I know in my head what I need to look after myself, but sometimes this slips and my sensible head-based ‘knowing’ doesn’t actually translate into real life (sound familiar?)
Andy helped me generate my own metaphor of a ‘resourcing kit’, through clean coaching. This gift bubbled up from a different kind of embodied knowing – meaning that the wisdom came from within, and I know that it will stay with me. The ‘resourcing kit’ metaphor reminds me that I need to get very practical and matter-of-fact about resourcing myself – it is my responsibility. It helps to hold in mind the general intention of looking after myself, but I also need to translate this into specific action, and routinely. I can look ahead to the coming days and weeks and work out what I need to pack in my resourcing kit to help keep me in balance. There is plenty of space in my kit box and I will pack it proactively with different things at different times depending on my needs - ranging from focusing on certain practices and attitudes, scheduling nourishing activities/early nights/eating well, or keeping in mind a particular song or poem that reminds me of my intentions and values. I am enjoying getting creative with my kit contents 😊, at the same time as finding its practical solidness really helpful.
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What a very lovely thing to pop up on my feed this morning ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, from 'How to love'
'In 1966, a friend took me to the Atlanta Airport. When we were saying good-bye she asked, “Is it all right to hug a Buddhist monk?” In my country, we’re not used to expressing ourselves that way, but I thought, “I’m a Zen teacher. It should be no problem for me to do that.” So I said, “Why not?” and she hugged me, but I was quite stiff. While on the plane, I decided that if I wanted to work with friends in the West, I would have to learn the culture of the West. So I invented hugging meditation. Hugging meditation is a combination of East and West. According to the practice, you have to really hug the person you are holding. You have to make him or her very real in your arms, not just for the sake of appearances, patting him on the back to pretend you are there, but breathing consciously and hugging with all your body, spirit, and heart. Hugging meditation is a practice of mindfulness. “Breathing in, I know my dear one is in my arms, alive. Breathing out, she is so precious to me.” If you breathe deeply like that, holding the person you love, the energy of your care and appreciation will penetrate into that person and she will be nourished and bloom like a flower.' |
AuthorI'm Claire - and I (re)learn something every day from practising and teaching mindfulness... Archives
March 2022
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