What I appreciate about the journey of self-discovery is that there is always more we can give to this moment and more we can experience and explore.

You may think it might feel flat or the same old after all these years. And yet, the opposite is true for me.

I've noticed how my sincere curiosity has brought forth an innocence and wonder in my day-to-day life that continues to get richer.

Last week, we explored the freedom of finding our anchor and how being grounded in the here and now in our body and life allows us to access deeper awareness.

When we are not anchored, we can feel lost, disconnected, or unsafe.

Rest assured, we can always come back home.

Our mindfulness practice anchors us in the now and takes us into the depths of our soul's consciousness, where we can find clarity, comfort, and support.

Mindfulness is a skill and a way of being in the world. It is being fully present and engaged in the current moment, aware of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment without judgment.

It's about paying attention to our experiences unfolding rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Just like any other skill we have developed, it is a practice.

Keeping it simple is the key. (My ego challenged this one for a long time!)

When we become aware we aren't present, this is an opportunity to...

Pause
Take a breath.
Notice this moment.
And, once again, abide in the present moment.

Our practice is to return home over and over and over again.

In this moment.
Then the next.
Then the next.

Have you ever been snorkeling? I remember the first time I went when I was in Mexico. I felt like I was in another world. It was so quiet and peaceful. So meditative and calm, observing life below.

This is our mind.

At the surface level of the mind, it is constant chatter—nonstop activity.

When we meditate and practice mindfulness, we are entering a different realm. We are no longer at the surface level, and as we move deeper, we find more stillness, clarity, and space.

As we observe our reality, we also learn to observe our thoughts. We aren't trying to push thoughts away; they are not good or bad, they just are.

Consciousness is observing the thought.

When we are constantly thinking (or even trying not to think), we are not present.

When we pause and notice our thoughts, we become observers. We put the brakes on and got out of the car.

I remember when someone first told me I could observe my thoughts and wondered, what does that even mean?

I had been so busy pushing my thoughts away and judging them that it was never-ending—until I started to explore observing my thoughts through meditation and a mindfulness practice.

What I learned was a game changer.

You have likely heard me say before, "What you resist persists."

When we try to push our thoughts away, this is the very thing that juices the thought up or keeps it in play. It can feel like our identity is constructed by these thoughts, by what the committee is telling us.

Here's the catch: if we can observe our thoughts, then we are not our thoughts.

We can't observe our thoughts and be our thoughts simultaneously.

Re-read that and take a minute to let it sink in.

Every time we pause and observe, we are choosing to be present. We are going beneath the surface.

Are you up for practicing this together this week?

Whenever you notice getting caught up in your thoughts, pause.

In this moment of awareness, say to yourself, "That's interesting; the mind is thinking about that."

There is no judgment or pushing the thought away, simply noticing.

Take a mindful breath or two.

Bring your focus back to whatever task you are doing.

And this is how change happens - one simple choice at a time.

Be well,

Diane