Mindfulness and the Alcohol-Free Journey
“Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience”
The self-help buzzwords of ‘mindfulness’ and ‘meditation’ might conjure up certain images. We might picture a monk in flowing saffron robes sitting in raptured bliss high in a Himalayan monastery.
Or, we might imagine a newly-ordained, Lululemon-clad yoga instructor with a name like Star Dream spouting off new-agey platitudes while sitting in the full lotus position.
It’s not this; at least, it doesn’t have to be.
We might have even attempted mindfulness hoping to silence our minds and arrive at a sort of Zen state, only to get frustrated by our inability to do so.
At least, that was the case for me. I thought I was supposed to achieve some thought void of enlightenment, but that is not how it works.
“Altogether, the idea of meditation is not to create states of ecstasy or absorption, but to experience being. ”
The point of mindfulness is not to completely silence our minds or enter some bliss-like, nirvana state. It’s more about sitting just to sit and being aware.
Mindfulness aims to put the practitioner into a relaxed state of awareness of the present moment.
This awareness allows us to be a witness to our thoughts and feelings without judging them or attaching to them. It’s like watching a leaf floating down a stream; you just observe it without trying to grab hold of it and allow it to flow away.
“How we pay attention to the present moment largely determines the character of our experience, and therefore, the quality of our lives.” – Sam Harris
When we first begin an alcohol-free journey, negative thoughts and worries will rattle around in our minds. On top of all the mental chatter, many of us may deal with self-doubt, issues of self-worth, not to mention urges and cravings.
Thoughts and emotions can engulf us when we don’t have the crutch of alcohol to avoid discomfort. Mindfulness is a tool to help slow down and calm those overwhelming thoughts by allowing a present moment awareness in which to witness those thoughts without judgment of them or ourselves.
Mindfulness opens a space to let our thoughts and feelings simply be without being consumed by them. It creates a gap between our thoughts and our reactions to those thoughts. Instead of reacting from a state of fear, we will, through practice, respond from a state of calm awareness.
The benefits and methods of mindfulness are numerous. Next week, we will explore a few of them and some very basics of developing a mindfulness practice. I am looking forward to continuing our look at this subject. See you next week!
P.S.
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