Start Small

You've decided to run a marathon. This is the first time you've tried. Day one of training you write on your calendar "Run 26.2 miles today"

NOPE!

Marathon runners do not run a full marathon on day one of training. 

Mindfulness can be thought of the same way. We do not have to set a goal of meditating 6 hours a day and do it day one. We can't all be Ron Swanson (minute 1:32-2:30) We can start small. 

If you haven't started mindfulness in your classroom you do not have to start with a full daily practice of 10 minutes (or 5 for the littles). You can start with a shorter transition or sound practice. 

In your own practice you do not have to jump into a long session. Start small. Start with a morning gratitude list. End your day with a gratitude list. Then build from there.

This week I wanted to spend time reflecting and reviewing mindfulness and gratitude.

Mindfulness isn't just something to put on our schedule or to-do list and simply check off when we are done. Mindfulness is about working on our attention to the moment, attention to our feelings, and creating a non-judgmental space for our feelings and thoughts to exist. 

Let's continue to think on the smaller scale as we talk about space. The space to have mindfulness. In a class, as a whole group activity you cannot actually have a small space, but it can be made to feel smaller. When we turn off the lights and encourage closed eyes the space can begin to feel smaller.

When we are doing our own practice we can find a small room, a small chair, and small corner. A small space gives us less to see and fewer things that might distract us. 

For some, small spaces are uncomfortable but for many others they can give a sense of closeness and comfort. 

In a small space for a small amount of time engage in a small moment of mindfulness.

This makes me think back to our blog on glimmers. Small moments that support our mental health and create positivity in our lives.

We can start small and enjoy the small things in life.

During a BSP meeting this week a parent shared that her son is grateful for the small things in life, such as new socks. I loved that she noticed this and was able to reflect on it with her son and us. I also love that he is grateful for small things. We all need a little more of that lesson. I look at my children and hope that I am teaching them to appreciate small things.

I encourage us to utilize small moment mindfulness to help us foster gratitude in the small things. 

What is a small thing that you are grateful for today?

I want to share a blog post I found from the website Therapy Tel Aviv Mini Gratitude Moments. It is a short blog talking about what we are talking about, what I'm calling Small Moment Mindfulness.

The blog also linked to a page on 100 Things To Be Grateful For. Reading this list made me smile, relate, and feel validated in my morning gratitude list often having coffee listed. I grantee this list will connect with you. 

Which number on the list spoke to you the most? 

One last link friends  End of the week 20 Second Gratitude Mindfulness

I love exploring topics and find resource after resource. I hope you inspiration in small moment mindfulness. I know I have.