International Day of Mountains

Mindfulness, weathering the storm

The beach at Walney

After a few days of training mindfulness teachers in a city it was good to get out and have bigger views, more space. The forecast was for gale force winds with a band of rain, hail and snow passing through, and the forecast was spot on! Walking along the beach with the wind and rain allowed me to make some connections with our ability to manage what we all face.

Sometimes we sail through life without any problems, other times life can be really stormy, just like today's weather with conditions strong enough to impede progress, to cause damage.

Yet I knew it would be stormy today, just like we all know life has its ups and downs. I was prepared for the conditions, just as we can be prepared for whatever we face. When I went out I had the right equipment, warm, waterproof clothes, hat, gloves, even a phone for emergencies, all the tools I needed. I chose the route to go and while out, yes there were times when I had to stand still and lean with with wind, but the wind also aided progress at times.

Our mindfulness practices can be like this, giving us the tools and techniques to cope, to bend with the conditions, rather than breaking in the face of them, to make choices. They help us recognise that the conditions are constantly changing, understand the sometimes subtle changes than can help us or throw us off balance.  The great value of nature based mindfulness practice is exactly this, it is easier to see and make connections, to learn lessons and apply them in our daily lives than may be the case simply meditating on a cushion.

The walk was great today, the unpleasant sting of hail transformed to a pleasant warm glow, the gusts that caused me to stop also helped when I changed direction. Now the sun is out the rain has gone, nothing in life stays the same for long, everything changes. Be mindful, get on with life and when facing difficult conditions choose your direction, choose how to respond - mindfully!