My mindfulness journey began in 2011 when I found myself continuing a practice I started in college; I put together a monthly list of things I had to “get through” by month’s end. In college it was papers, exams and presentations; at my last job it was presentations, court hearings and dictation. At home it was chores, phone calls, and organizational tasks. That summer when I listed the party of a 1 year old nephew on the “get through” list I knew it was time to live life differently. I made a visit to my library and started perusing the self-help books to find something on changing your perspective when I came upon a book on CD by Jon Kabat-Zinn entitled, Wherever You Go There You Are, Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life. Intrigued by the title, I paged through the book and immediately noticed this sentence: “an inspirational guide to a revolutionary new way of being, seeing, and living”. Perfect, right? And it was exactly what I was looking for.
I played the book in my car for weeks while driving around town rewinding it often to make sure I understood what Kabat-Zi
nn was saying. Listening to an audio book about meditation is better than reading one but I still needed more direction. I wasn’t sure I was breathing correctly and I wasn’t always sure I was interpreting what was being said accurately. I desired a more communal way of learning about the practice and I began searching for an area group or class. I found exactly none. There were a few places offering other spiritual practices but none specific to mindful meditation. I did attend a two day training by Dr. Ronald Siegel, a Harvard Medical School professor, but it wasn’t an ongoing group and again, not enough for my needs.
Hmmm… I think this might be a perfect project for Ohio State University Extension. At the national conference of Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Educators (NEAFCS) in 2011, there was one state writing a curriculum but they weren’t quite finished. Interested Ohio State Extension personnel started conversations with that state’s staff about receiving training in the program once their pilots were completed. After a conversation with our state Family and Consumer Sciences leaders, we found a researcher at Ohio State Medical Center already teaching a mindfulness program. Right in our own backyard, Dr. Maryanna Klatt https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/mind-and-body/powers-barker-1osu-edu/mind-and-body-reconnect-yours/ was piloting a program called Mindfulness in Motion https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/mindful-extension/ which combines mindfulness meditation and simple yoga moves. Perfect, right? And it was exactly what we were looking for. Dr. Klatt worked with the members of the Ohio State University Extension’s Mindfulness team to pare her 8 week program down to the present 4 week Mindful Extension, currently being offered throughout the state.
What meditation has done for me is to bring awareness to everything I do, even the small moments. To realize how blessed I am in life both in the opportunities afforded me and the people around me. As Dr. Kabat- Zinn says “if you are breathing, there is more right with you than wrong”. So true! I try to see in others that they are doing the best they can in the moment and try not to judge them. Mindfulness and the simple yoga moves I have learned have helped to quiet my emotions whether before a presentation or in a conflict with a colleague or family member. My default setting has changed, allowing my breath to calm me so I can think and respond appropriately. Going forward I hope to be more thoughtful about how I spend my time by asking the following questions before saying yes to a request:
- Is it interesting?
- Is it important?
- Is it fun?
If what I am contemplating doesn’t meet one of those criteria I try to avoid it and not feel guilty. Having this process was exactly what I was looking for when I set out in 2011 to change my perspective. I still have “to-do” lists but I use them differently than my “get through” lists and parties are never included!
Author: Terri Worthington, Ohio State University Extension, Geauga County.
Reviewer: Patrice Powers-Barker, Ohio State University Extension, Lucas County
