Something I’ve been fearing recently is this idea that as I continue growing my mindfulness practice, will I grow apart from those I love who don’t have a mindfulness practice of their own? How do I approach my wife about starting her own mindfulness journey? How can I get my friends to start meditating as well? I’ve got such an appreciation for mindfulness that I want to share it with everyone. This is my nature.
So as I sat down this afternoon for my mid day mindfulness break, I opened my Headspace app and what do you know? There was today’s exercise on how to share your mindfulness practice with your loved ones. How amazingly great the timing was. I listened to the teacher provide some really great advice she used to answer these same questions I was having at this moment. Here’s what I learned.
If we force something on others, we naturally grow a resistance to that task. So suggesting someone partake in meditation when they don’t want to will just grow their resistance more to that activity. Be mindful of this.
Demonstrate your practice through your actions. I love this. As I continue along my mindfulness journey, here are some things I’ve learned about myself. My patience is growing. I’m communicating more effectively. I’m listening more deeply. My love for myself is growing which means I have more space to love others.
Remember where you started. Being mindful of how resistant I was to breath work and meditation can help me relate to others experiencing the same thing. Through this compassion and empathy, we gain a better understanding and awareness of the situation.
Being more mindful has made such an impact on my life, it’s natural to want to share that with others. Having the awareness and using these tools can help navigate these situations you may experience when wanting to share this with those you love.
Be kind to others, but more importantly, don’t forget to be kind to yourself.