How can I be as peaceful in daily life as I am when I meditate?
By WITHIN teacher Devon Pipars
Let me ask you a question…why did you start meditating?
Odds are, you wanted more calm/ease/acceptance/joy, and less reactivity/overwhelm/stress/anxiety. And I’d be willing to bet that while you may notice these benefits during and shortly after meditating, that over the course of time you seem to “lose” those effects. So, the question then is “How do I keep that peace and presence?” or maybe, “How do I integrate the benefits I feel in my practice into my daily life?”
First of all, know that it is possible. Students make the honest mistake of assuming that peace is only present in the silence and stillness of the practice - that it’s not possible or realistic for you to access that same steadiness and freedom in the engagement and experience of life. But it certainly is!
Mindfulness is not just a practice done with your eyes closed. Because awareness is ever-present and unchanging, it’s entirely achievable to have full mindfulness in every moment of your day.
But it takes slowing down and shining the light of awareness upon all the previously unconscious aspects of life. It takes a sincere interest in how you’ve been living, and an openness to try things a new way - because in order to feel different, you must make different choices. And the greater the awareness, the greater your freedom to choose differently.
Once we begin to recognize that our takeaway at the end of the day is only the sum of the choices we make, and that greater awareness allows us to make better choices, we’ll have the desire we need to re-examine everyday choices and perspectives we previously took for granted in order to step into a place of alignment and harmony.
So, if you’re a meditator who is ready to feel moment to moment mindfulness-in-action, come join me for Mindful Living, a 12-week program designed to help meditators of all levels integrate and stabilize the awareness gained through their practice in everyday living. In it, we’ll examine how constant mindfulness allows us to show up in the way we want for ourselves, for others, and for life.
In the words of writer Anais Nin, “we don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” When we are looking at life through the lens of ease, presence, and openness, we are perfectly poised to receive the tiny gifts of each and every moment. And that is a life of true abundance.
Devon is passionate about helping students develop and deepen their meditation practices, no matter whether you’ve been meditating for years or are just getting started. She teaches daily 30-minute online meditation classes at WITHIN. Learn more about her Mindful Living Circles, or join her for a class this week!