Thoughts Along the Path . . .

Do you have moments of saying or thinking words similar to these: Oh, I forgot; Oops, I didn’t notice; I can’t keep track of it all; or When did that happen?

Life is complicated, time passes swiftly, and we can’t notice everything anyway. True as that is, sometimes we might wonder what we missed, why a situation didn’t register as a memory, or even why something else seemed to grab our attention or otherwise distract us.

What if there were a way to be more “in the moment” in a calm yet alert state? To be selective and intentional in noticing and experiencing a situation or physical surrounding?

I’ve been involved in both yoga and meditation through the years, and I will continue to enjoy them for their many benefits. But I’ve also heard of something called “mindfulness” as an intentional method for being in the moment with clarity and focus. Doing a search on the web for information about mindfulness, I found that even the famed Mayo Clinic has written about its benefits: “Spending too much time planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or thinking negative or random thoughts can be draining. It can also make you more likely to experience stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression. Practicing mindfulness exercises can help you direct your attention away from this kind of thinking and engage with the world around you.”

And now, at last, I will learn about mindfulness and even begin to practice it — and you are invited to join me! At the next Unity Café Mahsa Sadeghi from the University of Waterloo's Clinical Psychology program will help us explore both the theory and practice of mindfulness. Mahsa will guide us through simple exercises during this engaging talk. She will explain mindfulness and how it works, the benefits it offers, and how to incorporate it into our own lives.

Ever since the first Unity Café in 2018, we have asked for suggestions for future events, and the most requested topic has been “Mindfulness.” So I am especially happy that Mahsa accepted the invitation to be our guest presenter on Friday 31 March 7:30pm in the North Dumfries Community Complex.

As many readers of the Ayr News know, Unity Cafés feature an upbeat presentation on a topic of general interest followed by refreshments and relaxed conversation with other friendly folks. Please consider joining us at this early-spring event.

FYI: Hosted by the Baha’is of North Dumfries. For more information: Events.AyrON@gmail.com .

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Submitted to Ayr News by Jaellayna Palmer, March 2023