GIGIG - Get it, Got it, Great ... MIndfulness - being Present

I love getting presents and have only just admitted this in the last 2 years at nearly being 50.  How crazy but it is what it is and wonderful!!  I have presents every single day of my life, in noticing, being present and gratitude.  it is not always nice and sweet but I am still grateful for what I have and who I am, compassionately a working progress.

Get It - What is going on
I am so passionate about well being and mindfulness and it is the topic of the day for sure.  What I am realising is that I want to be more specific because I want to facilitate a number of workshops for different aspects so reflecting on when, where and how does this impact on me and what does it mean. 

I realised that mindfulness for me initially had a connotation of being spiritual and meditating and it certainly is.  I am for sure going to develop meditation skills because they rock and make life much better, enjoyable and sustainable.  I am going to explore the different ways being present will affect me.  I attended a brilliant 2 day work shop - ACT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which I will not try to explain (cannot do it justice in a bee blog but is now part of my practice) but an aspect of it was about being present and accepting of feelings.   So this is a challenge for me.  So I guess I want to go there, well actually I don't but my body does. 

Got It - ok I have it now what are my options

• try a technique - there were various
• journal it

Really I know which one I want to do

Great - made a choice, action

Ok I really liked this one.  Have to put it in a list or mind map (favourite) to keep it simple for me.

• Allow my thoughts to be and let them pass on leaves in a river - that will work for me today.  Accept that I will continue to have thoughts so just let them go peacefully, and not judge if I don't manage that.
• Sit with my feeling and breathe (know this happens quite naturally)
• Try to breathe and notice the breath - 3 - 5 times, trying to enjoy it
• Try to connect to the feeling, and breathe into it, make room for it
• Don't try to change how I feel
• Don't try to make it ok
• Accept it is there
• what shape is it?
• is it moving?
• is it solid, soft, heavy, light?
• what colour is it?
• what temperature is it?
• where in the body is it?
• how is it feeling?
• Notice the breathing and just sit with it

Yeah right sounds easy, well actually the steps are simple and hard to do.  It is certainly worth trying. I have tried it before and this is not about making myself feel better, it is about allowing it.  It was just there, as a consequence I did feel better but it is not really about that.  It is about learning to tolerate the feeling, switch off the struggle switch then choose a behaviour, action that is kinder to yourself.

So I am going to do this now - truly.  Are you sitting with something that feels uncomfortable, even a little bit.  If so, how would it be to give it a go.  I would be interested to hear how you go on. I would imagine this stuff takes practice, endless patience and compassion.