Creating the conditions for mindfulness

Last weekend I had the good fortune to see the Australian Ballet perform Swan Lake. My earliest memories of this ballet was in Brisbane in the 1970s at her Majesty’s Theatre Queen St . I remember walking into the foyer, clutching my box of Darryl Lea chocolates in an outfit recently made for the occasion. I still have the programme for that evening, Kelvin Coe and Lucette Aldous danced the roles. .

This evening reminded me of the importance of tradition in our lives and how tradition and the honouring of the lineage enables our mind to be present and focused. Ballet can be likened to a school for kinetic mindfulness. Creating the conditions of mindfulness honours this understanding. Mindfulness is incorporated in many spiritual traditions and is the practice of being present, focused and letting go.  Creating a space for therapy also honours this understanding. When there is an environment and space that is relatively unchanging it enables us to begin to look within without distraction.

My clinic space is on a busy road and because of this I have tried to create a spacious environment that is both calming and peaceful. We can all create the conditions for mindfulness in our daily lives by simply creating the space for this to occur in our homes and families. Having pause moments, having family traditions for meals and celebrations, creating a space in our home for simply resting and observing and being present all create the conditions for mindfulness.

When we have such busy lives it is important to create the opportunity to rest our minds. In doing this we give our minds a little refresher a little break from its business.  It can be as simple as having a brief pause moment to just simply Be.   You can do this while waiting at the lights, in between phone calls or just before you begin to eat.

Take care

Elizabeth