Pic of the week: The sun setting, upside down

                           THE MINDFUL GALLERY'S PIC OF THE WEEK

Sunny Side Up: Photo by Christine Eaton

The mindful anchor in this photo: The setting sun, upside down.

(What is a mindful anchor? When we practice mindfulness we want to have an anchor, notice when we stray from it, come back to it, and doing so over and over again. This is oftentimes the breath in sitting meditation, but it can be nearly any point of focus that allows us to find stillness and peace)

The photo this week leads us to an abstract way of utilizing awareness/mindfulness. We've all seen sunsets and know that they range of a scale of beautiful, natural phenomena. When I was up in Burlington VT a couple weeks ago I watched the sun set on Lake Champlain. As I took photos I wanted to play with lighting and perspective. And, as a student of mindfulness, later understood that in doing so I was literally reinterpreting my relationship to the natural world, slowly. When you practice mindfulness regularly, shifts in perspective do happen. Sometimes grandly and sometimes gradually. Appreciation deepens. Understanding occurs. What I love most about this photo is that when you first see it you may not think anything is off. But, look closer and you see the ocean above the sun and the sun setting into the sky. If you look deeper, you see it. 

Try looking deeper into the natural world and discover how it then unfolds in other ways, relationships, decisions, etc. Perspective happens. Life awakens. 

Pic of the week: A turning leaf

THE MINDFUL GALLERY'S PIC OF THE WEEK

                                                       Lifecycle: Photo by Christine Eaton                                                                  

The mindful anchor in this photo: A turning leaf.

(What is a mindful anchor? When we practice mindfulness we want to have an anchor, notice when we stray from it, come back to it, and doing so over and over again. This is oftentimes the breath in sitting meditation, but it can be nearly any point of focus that allows us to find stillness and peace)

The beginning of Fall is my favorite time of the year. I often think, "if only the leaves could stay pretty like that all the time". The leaf above is unique in that it's really beautiful, but it's also very much decaying. In the past I feel as though I've really only noticed the leaves when they're either at peak or brown crispy remnants of what was, piling up and blowing around. This leaf is special to me because it asks us to embrace the fullness of a life cycle, the fullness of life. It may not all be pretty, but it's yours.

Within the next few weeks we'll see this transition of nature all around us. Take a moment each day to appreciate the colors and the cycle of life.

Pic of the week: Wolfie the spider

                                     THE MINDFUL GALLERY'S PIC OF THE WEEK

Wolfie the spider. Photo by Christine Eaton

The mindful anchor in this photo: A spider I named Wolfie, who's been living on our back porch

(What is a mindful anchor? When we practice mindfulness we want to have an anchor, notice when we stray from it, come back to it, and doing so over and over again. This is oftentimes the breath in sitting meditation, but it can be nearly any point of focus that allows us to find stillness and peace) 

Wolfie isn't a small breed of spider, but he's no tarantula either. He's big enough to make you jump back and start looking for flammable liquid and a torch. He's been hanging out on our back porch for probably over a week now. At night he spins his web and just sits there like this (and as spiders do). During the day he's somewhere else. Initially I wanted him gonzo, out, see ya! BUT a couple of days ago I just allowed myself to stand there and look at him. Each night I got a little closer. I allowed the fear he triggers deep inside me to surface and I just came back to my breath and to watching him. I came to understand that he wants nothing to do with me. He's interested in what flys into his web. He's no threat. Not in that space and time. Not in that moment or series of moments. It's actually to the point now where I go and make sure that he's there each night, as our resident spider doing his part to control the insect population. I think I may even be sad when he's gone. I guess now I've formed an attachment, and that's for another blog post discussion :)

Now, I'm not advocating that everyone go and expose themselves to fear. What I am trying to point out is that many, many things scare us and that mindfulness is a tool to help us sit with those things when they arise. It doesn't mean we still aren't scared or anxious. It means that we're making an effort to have a different kind of relationship with what freaks us out. And in doing so can come great insight, wisdom, and a reality check.   

Next time you're scared, try to take a few moments and sit with the feeling and try to soften around it without bolting from it. See what happens. You may be surprised (or not).

Pic of the week: The heart leaf

THE MINDFUL GALLERY'S PIC OF THE WEEK

The heart leaf

The mindful anchor in this photo: A leaf in the shape of a heart

(What is a mindful anchor? When we practice mindfulness it is all about having an anchor, noticing when we stray from it, coming back to it, and doing so over and over again. This is oftentimes the breath in sitting meditation, but it can be nearly any point of focus that allows us to find stillness and peace) 

I must have passed these leaves several times before I actually noticed them. How can that be? These leaves are fairly big and wrap around the fence on my back porch. The day I took this I was paying attention, that's why I saw it. Seems like it's not a big deal, but when I take the time to slow down and notice, certain things will show themselves that were unavailable to me because I was too busy thinking about where I was going and what needed to be done. The brain can only be doing so much at once. I believe it also stuck out because I was in need of seeing it, as a reminder. I have a strong affinity for nature and sometimes undervalue the healing potential it has. Taking moments to observe it in both its beauty and it's demise is an important part of mindfulness, and of being human. So the next time you're out for a walk, consider paying attention to what you're seeing and notice what reveals itself, what you're drawn to, and reflect on why it's meaningful to you.