Everyday mindfulness

I am really enjoying running weekly mindfulness classes, with regular attendees. I hear from each of them how mindfulness is impacting upon their everyday life. Having worked in end of life care as a specialist nurse for many years, I am keenly interested in the 'everyday'. There is so much of it...well everyday! Its very easy to take for granted and very easy to decide that these days are not this, that or the other. Maybe not exciting enough, maybe too busy, maybe not busy enough, maybe full of people that annoy us,maybe lacking special people that we may have lost. Yet, if someone were to tell us that we only have a few weeks to live...how different might that feel? How dearly would we want to hang onto the day of niggles with a partner, or the rainy boring day at home, or being stuck in traffic?
Mindfulness can help us to be present to the expectations and judgements that we all bring to everyday, and to learn that they are often making our reality into something different. Our mindful practice can help us to wake up to the fact that life is as it is, and our constant struggle to make it something else may be leading us to overlook all of the great things in front of us. Stop now and check in, take a couple of mindful breaths and notice three things that you are grateful for right now in this day.
Of course, there are also times when life is not great, when its really tough, and this may be an opportunity to reach out and use the support network that you do have, or stretch a bit and develop a new one. A time to delve deep into the resources that you have used in other areas of your life, and see if there is a way to mover those around. Or it may simply be a chance to sit with the suffering and the pain, knowing that time will change things...as it always does. 
As ever, get in touch if this strikes a chord with you. Do come along and join us at a class if you would like to learn more. Or get in touch to chat one to one about how I can help you.
I am delighted to say that I am setting up a new evening class at The Hanover Centre next Thursday 17th Nov, 'everyday mindfulness'...hope to see you there x