“Feelings, whether of compassion or irritation, should be welcomed, recognized, and treated on an absolutely equal basis; because both are ourselves. The tangerine I am eating is me. The mustard greens I am planting are me. I plant with all my heart and mind. I clean this teapot with the kind of attention I would have were I giving the baby Buddha or Jesus a bath. Nothing should be treated more carefully than anything else. In mindfulness, compassion, irritation, mustard green plant, and teapot are all sacred.” ~~Thich Nhat Hanh (The Miracle of Mindfulness)

Our mindfulness practice is the foundation of our life, so how is it going? Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings on mindfulness are so simple and straightforward. Everything is sacred. We give our complete attention to whatever we are doing. This includes sitting meditation and the work we do and the way we behave in our relationships. When we bring our mindfulness to our work, it becomes an activity of love and attention rather than an obligation. When we bring mindfulness to our conversations, we bring love and respect and kindness. In all of our interactions with one another, we bring the sacredness of our practice to our relationships.

Meditation

Mindfulness practice is just that, practice, so are you continuing to sit every day? Are you working with the breath, noticing the sensations in the body, experiencing the emotions, and releasing thoughts? We do it daily and allow ourselves to learn how to do it. And we are always practicing; expectations of perfection are released like every other thought.