Beginner’s mind

In many ways the more we think we know, the harder it is to be really present to the fullness of each moment. In the third week of my new course on yoga and mindfulness, we’ll be sinking the roots of our practice into one of my favourite foundational attitudes (Kabat-Zinn, 2013) - beginner’s mind!

As no doubt you can relate to, there is something in the thinking that we know that makes us stop listening, that creates habits and assumptions that close us off. So this week we will be opening to not knowing - to meeting every experience, especially those that are familiar to us, as though for the very first time.

And when we can really attend to our experience in this way, the effect is transformational. The breath, for example, through the lens of beginner’s mind, becomes the miracle it always has been. Beginner’s mind allows us to see, with fresh eyes, that which we have taken for granted, to open ourselves to the mystery of life and to once again, being able to ask the question ‘why?’. We can notice the nuances, the spaces between, and gradually replace our tendency towards labelling experience (good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant for example) with a sense of genuine curiosity. When we open to what actually is, rather than what we think we know, we open ourselves to a world of possibility and growth.

Come with me! There are still places available on my 8-week course starting in January. More information here or get in touch with me directly.