We’ve all heard the Dalai Lama say “kindness is my religion”. And after being put on the spot last night, I think that “gratitude” might be mine.

Photo courtesy of Anthony Delanoix

You know that uneasy feeling? The one you have when you set out on an adventure. You don’t know what the outcome is going to be, but you enter into it with your full heart anyway. This is where I was last night… caught just slightly off guard and standing in front of 31 people.

Here’s What Went Down

You might remember my recent blog post about preparing for a mindfulness workshop (How To Find Your Focus in Five Minutes). Well last night was the night. Me, in front of a classroom of college students who may, or may not, be interested in the topic of mindfulness.

The session was 3 1/2 hours and we covered everything from mindfulness basics, to everyday mindfulness and even practiced mindful dialogue. We had some luck with the weather, spending an hour outside in the fresh spring air and late afternoon sunshine. The workshop was designed to give them a taste of how mindfulness could impact their lives both personally and professionally.

By the end of the night everyone had become a little silly with giggles and restlessness, but they had given it their all for a Monday evening class. The group hadn’t been particularly inquisitive throughout the night, instead they had done their best to “stay in the moment” and be present to the exercises and experiences.

My Mistake

We were running up against the clock with it nearing 9:30pm. I saw the fatigue setting in and recognized that a concluding exercise might be out of the question. Mentally I had already ended the session and concluded that the conversation was done. My mistake…

I hate to say this, but I had assumed. Assumed that there were no questions. That they were in fact spent and ready to move on. But…we all know that assumptions hardly ever result in truth. In fact, it’s probably almost always the reverse. And in this case, it was the reverse.

As I was about to say thank you for the time and participation, one of the students toward the back of the room quickly raised his hand and waved it, sure to get my attention. Certainly happy to hear a final comment or observation I motioned him to go on. And this is where I was caught completely off guard!

Yikes! My Runaway Brain

A simple and more than appropriate question was asked of me, “What are your personal daily mindfulness practices?”. My initial thought went something like this…”seriously Tiff, you didn’t even spend time on your own practices specifically, what were you thinking, or not thinking for that matter, this would have been helpful, possibly interesting, okay so what are they?”. (A complete runaway brain moment for sure.)

Upon realizing that my brain had just taken me on a wild ride for a few seconds, I grounded myself and envisioned a day in my life. What were the mindfulness practices that I did daily? All of my blog posts touch on different techniques and strategies for mindfulness. I’ve practiced each and every one of them at one point or another, but what did I do daily religiously?

Ahhhhh… Gratitude

My initial gut reaction was meditation. Which is true. And while we had worked as a group on breathing exercises, we didn’t really get into traditional meditation. So what practice had we talked about that was a constant for me? Gratitude… gratitude.

There are many different ways to express gratitude – to others, to God, to nature, to animals, to ourselves. For me it’s a moment to moment experience that always brings me into the present. The goodness and purity of gratitude is certainly not overlooked, but again, bringing myself into the present moment is really what it’s all about. This is how I personally and religiously practice daily mindfulness.

Here’s How To Do It

1. Become aware of your body and surroundings by stepping out of your head.
2. Notice what exists in your immediate environment that you can be grateful for in that very moment.
3. Give thanks.
4. Do this as many times as you can in a day.
5. Simple as that.

My Real Insight

When reflecting back on the session last night, I realized that perhaps I should have shared more about myself and my personal practices versus being so focused on teaching. The introduction and instruction is both necessary and important, however, taking a more intimate glimpse into my life may have been equally important.

You hardly ever go wrong by demonstrating vulnerability and sharing insight as an instructor. And I’m grateful to this group of students for that gentle reminder.

If you have a gratitude practice, we would love to hear about how and why it works for you. Feel free to leave a comment or two.

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