Mindfulness Meditation: Sharpening Your Axe
/One of the most common misconceptions I encounter with clients relates to mindfulness meditation. Many people speak about mindfulness as if its ultimate utility is in the relaxation sometimes found during the stillness of a meditation practice.
In my practice, I try to expand this conceptualization of mindfulness, likening it more to that of a tool that can be honed during meditation and then used more effectively in one’s day to day life to cultivate awareness.
Using this tool of mindfulness effectively, much like wielding an axe to chop wood, often requires hard work and discomfort; it’s often not relaxing. Meditation is used to train one’s “noticing muscle” to perform more effectively. To extend the metaphor, meditation can best be thought of as the act of sharpening one’s axe:
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe” -Abraham Lincoln [on the importance of meditation…I like to think, anyway:)]
What is Mindfulness?
I like this definition from Mindfulness Teacher, Dr. Rochelle Calvert:
“Mindfulness is a clear and kind awareness of inner and outer experiences”
How Do I Meditate and Sharpen my Noticing Muscle (Mindfulness)?
The first step is to try to eliminate some variables. Stillness of your physical body and sometimes closing your eyes will allow you to better notice the urgency of your mind. By losing touch with the physical body (a sensation afforded by the stillness of your posture and the sense that your body has disappeared), you become more aware of sensory perceptions, thoughts, and what it means to be you. No need to make this effortful. Remember, the goal is to simply notice the naturally occurring thoughts, feelings, and perceptions that arise. In a session with lots of instances of noticing, you’ve really done some work to sharpen your axe.
What Do I Notice During Periods of My Life When I’m Practicing Mindfulness Mediation?
I generally am more mindful in my everyday life. I catch myself earlier, before I go down rabbit holes of destructive thought or react poorly in situations.
I stop wanting to layer stimuli. I notice the simple joy of doing one thing at a time.
My threshold for overwhelm is lowered, so I’m much more likely to notice the ambiguous and ubiquitous low-level stress that can easily become normalized and contribute to burn-out and fatigue.
Can you sharpen your axe? Try sitting in stillness for 10 minutes a day and just notice and accept, without judgment, whatever arises
