Trust

In week four of my new eight-week course on yoga and mindfulness we turn our attention to trust, one of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s seven attitudinal foundations of mindfulness. In particular we will be exploring trust in the body.

All too often we rely on our thoughts to navigate life. This approach, typified by Descartes famous statement ‘I think therefore I am’ is largely encouraged by modern western culture.

But thoughts come and go and can be surprisingly fickle. When we really pay attention to the intelligence of the body, we gain access to something much deeper and more deserving of our trust. And, from this place, it is much easier to appreciate the transitory nature of our thoughts. They begin to lose their opacity, and this creates more space for conscious choice. This shift in perspective, the understanding that “thoughts are not facts” (Segal et al., 2013, p. 299) can have a profoundly positive impact on our wellbeing.

So this week we will be really focussing on rooting ourselves in the body and to paying close attention to its signals, not because our thoughts aren’t useful to us, but because in the body, when we cultivate deep listening, we can find a more reliable compass to set our course by. I love the invitation by meditation teacher Gil Fronsdal to “appreciate our thoughts, but have a love affair with the body”.

If you’d like to explore the attitudinal foundations further you can find more information about my new eight-week course here (there are still a few places available for the January ‘23 intake) or get in touch with me directly.