Today has been mostly about mindfulness or flourishing. During today’s session we spent a certain amount of time considering how we can focus on looking inwards. Sometimes it is easy to forget that we need to focus on ourselves if we want to truly flourish. We often spend much of our lives giving out. If we do that without giving any thought to what we need for ourselves, then we are not going to be in a position to help others, to work effectively, to be a good friend, parent or partner.
Whilst we may see much about having time for ourselves, we need to consider how we do that. In order to flourish we need to consider how our bodies feels, where we may be holding tension, how we can rid ourselves of stresses that we take from others. There are numerous ways that we can do this; walking, spending time in nature, listening to music are some examples. I find that meditation is a particularly effective way of doing this. Our mindfulness sessions usually end with a time of meditation. This morning’s session was no different. I do try to use some of these techniques at regular intervals. Engaging in activities that take over our mind, that make us focus on the moment are also useful. Knitting and crochet can be considered to be such activities.
I am currently working on a jumper. I started it sometime ago. I find that I am increasingly interested in crochet rather knitting, so I need to actually finish some of the things that I have started. The front of the jumper has cable detail. It would seem that the pattern is more complex than I had first thought. So, I am having to concentrate in order to complete it. The bonus is that is chunky yarn, so it is knitting up quite quickly. I am not used to having to look at what I am doing when I’m knitting. I can usually do it really easily. I am hoping that by the end of the week I may have finished it. Getting items finished does support flourishing. When I finish something, I certainly gain a sense of accomplishment.
Until tomorrow…
Tales from the Sheshed France 