I had a pretty difficult time until I figured out to pose the question, "How will this benefit my mindfulness practise" in everything I do. In actuality, I had two patterns that I could not stand.
I would first practise intensely for three or four days to build up some momentum. I would eventually stop, forgetting to meditate for three or four days, and start doing my old routines instead. I'd reach a low point and become dejected. Finally, I would say to myself, "Okay, I've got to go back to it!" and then I would begin the frustrating cycle again, which never seemed to end.
Second, for some reason, I didn't feel like my life outside of meditation. Simply put, it didn't affect or change my work life, values, interpersonal connections, communication style, or habits the way I anticipated and hoped it would. I had no idea how to bridge the gap between my life outside of meditation and how they appeared to be two entirely separate universes.
Both of these irritations are pretty typical, in my experience. I've heard this phrase "I really need to get back to my meditation practise" or "I really should practise more mindfulness, I truly need it" from so many individuals that I've lost count.
How will this support your mindfulness practice?
We acquired Clear Sky Meditation Center back in 2004. I had a wonderful chance to learn how to use the power of mindfulness from people who had more experience than I did as a result of that.
I started by observing how we built a wonderful environment for practising mindfulness. We were constantly asked how it would enhance people's mindfulness practises as we set up the daily rhythms and routines, acquired new furniture, and painted. We made an effort to design a setting that is lovely, airy, and roomy. That is appropriate for the terrain we are on. And that really helps individuals be in the moment, re-connect with one another, and develop their meditation practise.
Applying mindfulness around us
Second, I observed how everything around us was infused at that time with an exceptionally loving attention and spirit of inquiry by the professors and senior students. For instance, Catherine Sensei, one of Clear Sky's original instructors, began inquiring about the property we were on, conversing with our new neighbours, and interacting with members of the neighbourhood. She discovered that Clear Sky is a grasslands ecosystem that is threatened in British Columbia and that because of the variety of species there, people refer to our neighbourhood as the Serengeti of North America. Ranchers have attempted to earn a living in this same setting for many centuries. A 310 acre meditation facility is then added to the mix!
An ah-ha moment
This was genuinely novel to me. I was accustomed to doing meditation on and off, but I wasn't truly putting it to use or integrating it into my life. This example of bringing attentive, compassionate awareness to everything around us and our environment absolutely astounded me.
Later, as we contemplated this incredible, coherent, and transparent space we'd built, we "reverse engineered" five fundamental ideas piece by piece. These five ideas encourage the development of a nurturing atmosphere. They also give us a framework for bringing mindfulness into our daily lives.
Bringing it home
Returning to our original point, the lessons I discovered through working with our teachers and students at Clear Sky Meditation Center were ones I could immediately apply to my own life. This addressed my long-standing frustrations with inconsistent practise that didn't really address the heart of my daily life.
It's funny how I had to co-found a mindfulness retreat centre before I understood how crucial it was to create a safe space in my personal life for my spiritual development. And to discover how to be aware of everything around me with a thoughtful, kind, and sympathetic perspective.