I am an inherently emotionally driven person. I feel everything in the moment, vividly, wholly, and openly. I am that person you can always tell is feeling happy, sad, frustrated, angry, or any other myriad variety of emotions one can have on any given day.
In a recent conversation with a close friend (here’s looking at you, Megan), we got to talking about the concept of being more graceful as we move through life. The idea that we don’t have to be so reactive and reactionary to every small thing. And more importantly, how incredibly draining it can be on our energy levels. Here’s a thought: not everything needs a response or reaction of epic proportion…or any proportion.
I recently started to expand my mindfulness journey by starting meditation teacher training (!). The first concept that was taught is that the mind and body are not separate and that we should stop thinking about them as divided entities. Instead, the mind is the body, and the body is the mind, thus giving way to the concept of the mind-body. No longer should you refer to an ailment as effecting one or the other, instead, the mind-body is what’s feeling what you’re feeling, meaning any emotion or physical pain effects ALL OF YOU (even if you don’t realize it). A strong reaction isn’t just making the sting of tears come to your eyes and make your face flush, it’s also starting a narrative in your mind that you’ll inevitably replay over and over again until (eventually) both the mind and the body can process and let go.
A lot of meditation and mindfulness practices also include the importance of breath-work. I’ve written about breathing, how something so innate to our bodies, can also be quite difficult. But, breathing in and out is an incredibly cleansing act. After all, there’s a reason why when you’re feeling upset, they tell you to take “deep breaths.”
“Ease” like grace has a beautiful way of rolling off the tongue. When spoken, it naturally leaves your mouth on an exhale breath. Go ahead, say it. It’s freeing in the purest way — the word itself begs us to let it all go.
The hardest part of being mindful is learning how to redirect energies and cultivate more ease with how to approach day-to-day life. If we meditate on cultivating more ease throughout our mind-body, we will by inherent practice, do that very thing: cultivate the very ease we are searching for. So with that, I urge us all to breathe into ease, breathe into grace, and breathe into the calm.
Happy #mindfulmonday !
Climbing The Mountain of Mindfulness 
