Namchak

I love the lightbulb moments at retreats. Ya’ know that moment where everyone nods together and starts writing down what the teacher said? If you’ve been to a Namchak retreat, or probably any type of class, you know that moment. The simultaneous group smile like, “That is exactly what we needed to hear!”

When the busyness of the holiday season comes around, it can be easy to get pulled into the “hurry up!” that it brings. From checking things off our to-do lists, prepping for the holidays and attending parties, we can lose sight of what’s important: spending time and creating memories with those closest to us.

A meaningful way to create memories with those we love is by volunteering together in our community. Here are three reasons to volunteer in community this holiday season.

We’ve covered the first three Foundations of Mindfulness: body, feelings, and mind. That leaves Mindfulness of Phenomena, the fourth and final Foundation of Mindfulness. The first three involve investigating within ourselves. Investigating phenomena asks us to shift our focus to the world around us.

Mindfulness of Mind sounds like a funny phrase, doesn’t it? As we dive into the Four Foundations of Mindfulness this month, we look at the third foundation, which is Mindfulness of Mind or Consciousness. Previously we talked about the first two foundations, Mindfulness of Body and Feelings. Now we take it a step further and develop an awareness of our minds. Have you ever found yourself zoned out or being unaware of what’s going on in your mind? We can easily go through our actions of daily life without an awareness of our minds.