Mindfulness is a great self-care skill.
It can involve walking while being aware of your body, eating while being aware of your sensory experiences, breathing consciously and lots and lots of smiling.
The first time I heard Thich Nhat Hanh say, “As I breathe in, I smile to my body. As I breathe out, I know that I am glad to be alive” I was hooked.
There are so many teachers who are working on kindness, calm and emotional regulation. Many of these teachers are in the mindfulness space.
Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, founder of the International Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism, was a great teacher but he passed away in January 2022. Happily, his work lives on via the Plumwood Village website and a free app with guided meditations and deep relaxations offered by him and his monastic community.
Alternately, if you’re a reader, you could try a new book released in late May by Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology at Oxford University Professor Mark Williams and bestselling author and qualified mindfulness teacher Dr Danny Penman. Deeper Mindfulness: The New Way to Rediscover Calm in a Chaotic World offers an eight-week guided meditation program its authors say has proven to be effective at treating anxiety, stress and depression and offers a new and more fruitful direction for novice and experienced meditators.
Locally, you could check out one of the yoga classes at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Redfern – an excellent way to gain greater awareness.
