Embracing change with mindfulness and meditation supports us in cultivating more acceptance and less resistance. We cling to the transitions that we love, and we resist or fight against the changes that we dislike, and this creates suffering.
Mindfulness encourages us to turn toward whatever is here in the present moment with an attitude of nonjudgmental acceptance, kindness, and curiosity. When we practice meditation, we attempt to bring this quality of awareness to our sensations, feelings, and thoughts that arise in the present moment.
Tune in to the rhythms of nature. The leaves fall each autumn and return each spring. The sun rises and sets, and the ocean tides come and go predictably each day. Storms arise, and sometimes nature rearranges itself into a new shape.
So too is the nature of change in our lives, always creatively redesigning our lives. Find comfort in knowing that each change is merely a wave in the big ocean of life. The waves come and go, but the ocean remains. Become the ocean, and ride the waves of embracing change. Feel your sense of inner strength and resilience grow. Put your ear to a whelk shell. The sound of the ocean is always there.
Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. –Lao Tzu
How can you practice embracing change in your own life?
Jen Johnson is a mindfulness teacher, coach, and therapist teaching meditation for healing, creativity, and resilience. To learn more about mindfulness and create a regular mindfulness practice, register for the MBSR online course.