I Saw a Deep Sparkle | Sharing Your Mindfulness Practice

I started meditating in January and felt the positive effects almost immediately. The moment I knew it was working was in my youngest daughter’s room. I was watching her laugh and I saw a deep sparkle in her eye that I had never noticed before. I knew in that moment I was truly present. It brought tears to my eyes.

When you have a realization like that you want to honor it within yourself and to shout it from the rooftops. That’s pretty much what I’ve been doing in these past few months. I’ve been sharing mindfulness meditation with anyone and everyone who will listen.

So, how do you share your mindfulness practice with others? Mostly, I’ve been sharing with close friends and family members. I usually just come right out and say it. I mention that I started meditating and I share the story about my daughter and how much meditation has benefitted other areas of my life.

They’ve all been interested or at least happy that I’ve found something that is working for me to create a more peaceful life. Those who have done yoga before are familiar with the practice of meditation through savasana. Those friends have been excited to hear about how accessible personal meditation can be in addition to yoga.

Most have been a little bit nervous or had questions about how to start meditating on their own. Usually saying things like I can’t sit still that long or I can’t clear my mind or I don’t know where to start. Sharing what I’ve learned so far I let them know that meditation is not about complete stillness or stopping the thoughts in your head, but about centering with your breath and learning to observe your thoughts then letting them go.

When I’ve been able to I’ve offered to sit with them in meditation as a starting point. Sitting with a friend or family member, we do the first guided meditation in Take 10 of the Headspace app. After we’re done we talk about how it felt and how they felt. I’ve sat with a few people now and the feedback has only been positive.

The Headspace app actually has a buddy feature where you can invite friends to start meditation from within the app. You can then see each how frequently each friend is meditating and send a little nudge or a word of encouragement.

Sharing mindfulness has even expanded to my daughter’s school. In a workshop I shared how meditation has slowed my usually impatient response time and how I’ve been better able to implement some positive parenting techniques because of it.

I was recently in a conversation with an acquaintance talking about a silent meditation retreat she had been to and about meditation in general. What an amazing way to connect on commonalities and to mindfully listen to the experiences of others.

When you experience such a profound shift you’re almost responsible to humanity to share it. So don’t be afraid of what others might say. (Even Bill Murray is now giving lessons in meditation.) So just think mindfully and be a light to the world.

How about you? Have you shared any self-care practices recently? Let me know in the comments.

Once again, I am grateful for you. Thank you for sharing this moment with me.