“Mad as a March hare.” That phrase was always funny to me.
There is an energy to March, for sure, especially in climates with real seasons, which I am getting to experience again after living a long time where there were none.
I also have been quite obsessed over the last few weeks with this movie that has a bunch of bunnies and some people who are rather crazy–but that’s an aside.
So I’ve been thinking about this March madness thing and thinking, “well, what’s the antidote to madness, to craziness, to franticness?” And, of course, the answer is meditation and mindfulness.
Meditation and mindfulness are buzzwords at the moment. They are hot topics that pervade the yoga world–rightfully so as in the end that’s what yoga is all about– and they are creeping into the lives of people who have never even stepped onto a yoga mat. Meditation and mindfulness are also making their way into board rooms and businesses and making a huge difference in the way organizations function.
You may have tried meditation or tried to practice mindfulness. Maybe they worked, but maybe you just felt like you didn’t know what you were doing or worse, that you were, “doing it wrong.”
I know the first time I sat to meditate I felt like it was silly and that I wasn’t doing it right and that it “didn’t work.” I thought I was supposed to just sit there and close my eyes and focus on my breath and that was it. Honestly, that’s really challenging for a lot of us.
Years later I came across some writings from the teacher who is now my meditation teacher and realized there is a lot more to meditation than I originally thought and there are different techniques and ways to go about it. I then sat again with a completely different feeling and it all started to make sense.
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about mindfulness and meditation. This month I’m making it my purpose to dispell those and show you how simple meditation and mindfulness can be and how they can be incorporated into your life and even into your business.
The physical practice of yoga is just an 8th of the practice and, in fact, the last 3 limbs of yoga are about mindfulness and meditation. If you want to jump right in this month and start seeing how meditation can change your life, I have a workshop that I taught over the holidays which you can do online on your own time now that discusses those last 3 limbs of yoga and takes you through 3 meditation techniques. You can check that out here.
There’s a lot more to come this month all about mediation, both online and in person in Richmond with my dear friend, Dr. Jess Norris. In the meantime, even if you just stop and take three long breaths, that is a beautiful mindfulness practice itself, so go ahead and do that at least once a day and see what a difference it makes with your March madness.
From Hawaii….Aloha!
-Gin
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