I wrote in a previous post that each of us can choose to bring out the best in ourselves. That the essential step is to notice when we’re stuck in our self-made, self-justifying box. Which begs the question: how do we get better at noticing?
I grew up with a sitting meditative practice, although I’m not sure I understood exactly what I was doing. I dabbled with it on and off through the years until finally a few years ago, I decided to take myself off to the French countryside for a week-long retreat at Plum Village Monastery, founded by the Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. I was delighted to discover that despite their practice being rooted in the Buddhist wisdom tradition, they had an approach that was refreshingly undogmatic and playful. As one of his disciples Brother Phap Hai writes: “we can be very serious practitioners and be very, very light and joyful”. One of their simplest, and most profound practices, which I have taken with me ever since, is the practice of noticing my breath, just as it is. With my in-breath, nourishing my body. With my out-breath, relaxing my body. A sense of being fully present, in the moment, celebrating life.
I was reminded of this yesterday as I found myself on Zoom with a handful of strangers from around the world, invited by Johnnie Moore, a wonderfully creative facilitator, to have what he calls an Unhurried Conversation. Connecting to each other from where we are, exactly as we are. Listening deeply to each other, to what is said, to the spaces between the words. Without having an agenda, without having to show up in a certain way. Here’s how he describes it:
Unhurried is about realising our capacity for learning and growth. It’s about people getting more in tune with each other and using our human intelligence in a way that machines can’t. Unhurried is not fast, it’s not slow… it’s flowing and it feels right.
We talked about Unhurried being a practice, a way to be rather than something to do, a journey rather than a destination. One person shared how she knew that starting her day this way – with the practice of ‘just being’ – would have a positive ripple effect on how she showed up the rest of the day, even more so right now juggling work and the kids at home with schools shut down.
Johnnie asked us what being Unhurried means to us. To me it means being fully present, encountering things – whether they be people, situations, or my own feelings – exactly where they are, just the way they are. And appreciating them for what they are.
How are you practising the art of noticing?