Beginners Mind
In this day nine meditation of the ten day series, William guides us through an interactive exercise in which we use our own hand to experience the idea of beginners mind. Beginners mind is the ability to seeing things as if for the very first time letting go of names, labels, concepts, expectations, prejudices and preconceptions. In this way, we open ourselves up to experience what is actually really there.
Following William’s guidance, I began looking at my hand with a beginners mind. Wow! After doing this exercise, I am truly amazed at how much more I recognize something, such as my own hand, that I had thought I already knew!
Too often in our lives, we are on auto-pilot. While doing daily routine activities, we get caught up into thoughts or worries. In this way, we can be doing these activities without even knowing we are doing them! These moments slip by, going unnoticed, which is unfortunate because these precious moments Make Up Our Lives! Therefore, we can miss out on our lives when we are in auto-pilot!
To incorporate mindfulness into our daily lives, William suggests we try a beginners mind exercise with one daily routine activity, such as brushing our teeth, showering, eating or washing the dishes. While doing this activity, it is very important to pay close attention to all of our five senses and especially how it feels in our body. And, if and when our mind begins to wander, gently become aware and bring our attention back to the activity at hand. To entice us to try this beginners mind exercise whilst doing daily routine activities, William says to think of it as a type of meditation that doesn’t take up any more of our time! Interesting!
To begin to fully enjoy and live our lives, William states that we should adopt the beginners mind mentality in everything we do. Doing this, he states, gives us the ability to be fully present in our lives! I am very grateful for having listened to this fun and amazing meditation!
Namaste...❤️☮️🙏🏻😊