Cultivating Mindfulness…In This Climate
Image Credit: @reacttosuccess
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an uncomfortable and even downright devastating experience for so many. Our ways of life are being altered a little more every day as we navigate a novel virus, civil unrest, and the effects of a climate catastrophe in what feels like a sinking ship. But what if the planet is sending us a message? Perhaps the disruptions that we are experiencing – from pandemics to natural disasters to the loss of biodiversity – are the planet’s way of forcing us to reset and reminding us that we must CULTIVATE MINDFULNESS in everything we do.
I recently visited my hypnotherapist, (who helped me find freedom from a 26 year addiction to cigarette smoking), to help me work out some kinks around my issues around food. By “issues” I mean addictive traits. Most of my life I have had an unhealthy, fast-paced love affair with food that would often leave me in a food coma, much like a drug overdose. During our therapeutic sessions together we had some great conversations about everything going on in our lives and how we have been emphasizing mindfulness around ALL of our actions, both at home and at work. Through activities like collecting, organizing, and repurposing trash, we mindfully connect to our habits of consumption. Through water conservation and optimization practices, we take stock of how we use one of nature’s most precious resources. Through regenerative soil building practices like composting, we can see the relationships between our actions and how they impact the biodiverse world around us and support our lives.
Images Credit: Studio Petrichor – Making eco-bricks with plastic waste for future regenerative building projects. This is an opportunity to repurpose materials that would otherwise be sent to a landfill and use as filler in specific landscape amenitites. Stay tuned for more on this.
It became crystal clear in the last session that what each of us can be doing in our lives right now is CULTIVATING MINDFULNESS. We are all on this journey of self-mastery and self-discipline, which requires us to consciously choose to act and not just react. Eating, the very act that sustains us, is our doorway to self care. It is part of the journey of managing the intake and disposal of waste in our lives. Our access to food is dependent on how we care for the soil, water, and planet. Listening and being open and receptive to information from nature will help all of us navigate a path to a truly sustainable existence and to rebuild a new lifestyle model that is more in line with the laws of nature.
Life on this planet is defined by periods of expansion and contraction. There is no continued growth without pause. Slowing down our activity, both physically and mentally, and allowing not only our bodies but the world around us to recharge, rejuvenate, and renew…THAT IS REGENERATIVE. Caring for and paying attention to yourself is connected to the overall health of your family, your community, and the planet. We can all agree that a planet can only be as healthy as the people who live on it.
We all have important work to do, but moving forward is a difficult task when we don’t know WHAT to do. Opening our minds and empowering our communities takes mindfulness. Our hope is to touch you and move you to know we are running out of time and your children are going to pay the prices for the current climate inaction and apathy.
Don’t underestimate the impact you might be already making. Could we all be doing more? YES. But we could also be doing a lot less and many people are doing nothing. Continue to acknowledge the work you are doing – making a difference on any scale is powerful. Sometimes the smallest moves lead to the greatest changes.