Sam’s Mindful Journey… Part 2!
Hi all,
Sam here wishing you a happy Thursday! Back when we first started SMASH we shared a little about our own journey with mindfulness in an email that went to all of our 11 subscribers!! Almost 4 years later I thought it would be a good idea to slightly update my version (with audio version and corrected typos!) so that our newer subscribers can get to know the SMASH team a little bit more!
I was initially introduced to mindful thinking and meditation back in around 2000 when I was studying to be a holistic therapist. I had dropped out of my first college, suffering with depression and had decided that a qualification where I could help people would be the one for me. I didn't engage regularly with mindfulness, having also discovered the joys of alcohol, but the times that I did certainly helped me get into a slightly better headspace. Almost 10 years later mindfulness had completely gone out of the window and alcohol had taken over my life.
Having to seek external help for my addiction, my counsellor took me through many techniques, such as being mindful of all the steps involved between me wanting a drink and actually having one. He also lead me through a guided meditation to help me get in touch with some of the good things I had in my life. This, plus my eventual light-bulb moment when I became tee-total, kick-started a newer positive attitude to life which included a lot of self-reflection.
I realised just how much I had to be grateful for and how much of life I had been missing out on, so I made it my mission to experience life to the full and not settle for what I thought life should look like. Over next few years I changed so much, both mentally and physically, making solid friendships, stepping out of my comfort zone, learning how to love my body for how it is, trading in a 'secure' life for travelling solo for a year just after I turned 30 (mostly around India) - a time in which I shared my story with many fellow travellers who seemed amazed and inspired by my life story!
I realised that I wanted to continue to inspire and motivate people because going through all of my experiences made the naive version of me realise that life is not all plain sailing and the challenges that may come our way are what make us who we are. Practising mindfulness and particularly gratitude has allowed me the space and time to take on new challenges, to find lessons in them and to get to know myself and my mind a lot more.
We each have our own amazing stories, our own achievements and our own missions... If SMASH can inspire you to achieve your goals, to be the truest version of yourself or be more mindful of how great and inspiring YOU are, then we are achieving the vision we set for this unique class a few years ago
On a day to day basis my mindful routine includes daily meditation (even just 10 minutes), avoiding screens first thing in the morning and last thing at night, taking time in the day to pause and relax in between periods of work, taking in some fresh air, sometimes with music, sometimes with the sounds of nature around me. Mindfulness is reading a book, it is dancing, it is cooking! Most importantly, it is being thankful. Ending each day with gratitude is such a powerful way to bring happiness to our lives!
So, as suggested in my email from July 2017, we ask you to take a couple of minutes now to list as many things as you can, either presently or throughout your life, that you are grateful for. Be it in your head, on paper, on your phone or out loud. It might be that you can only think of a few things right now and that is perfectly ok! There is no wrong or right!
What do your mindful journeys look like? Feel free to share!
Have a great day!
Sam and Ash
(She/Her and He/Him)