How mindfulness found me

A short story about a long journey

It was a chance meeting but one that on reflection had been building for a long time. Over the years I have purchased numerous books on mindfulness and meditation, downloaded more than one meditation app on my phone and attended barre & pilates classes but it wasn’t until January this year that I finally had what I call ‘true’ mindfulness find me.

An early morning meeting with Melissa, the founder and director of UP! Athletic, St Kilda started first with a 6am Yoga class (of course it did why wouldn’t it?) I didn’t think much about it at the time but it was this first yoga class that started the ripple effect towards my awareness of mindfulness.

Body | Mind | Spirit

The practice of yoga is defined as a group of physical, mental and spiritual practices or disciplines with intention including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures – it is an art based on harmonising systems of development for the body, mind and spirit. It is these words which base the premises of my mindfulness; body, mind and spirit.

Can you attend a yoga class and have the harmonising systems of development wash right over you? Of course you can. Why? because you are not mindful.

Yoga offer other benefits including strength, balance and agility and you can definitely work on that body development without being mindful but if you want to experience the true definition and meaning of yoga, then being mindful will add to the practice and journey and have you seeing life from a different perspective.

“Do you feel your body hum?”

It was this sentence that was said in the class that saw me turn a corner ‘do you feel your body hum?’ and BOOM it was that moment that I understood what being mindful was. I felt the practice, I opened my heart space and let the light in – I was glowing, I felt emotional but most of all I felt aware. This was my defining moment to mindfulness finding me.

You can’t wake up one day and consciously go out and think you will find mindfulness, it won’t happen or maybe it will you just don’t know but what I do know is, it’s all about timing.

One of the lessons I have learnt about life is I don’t want to be that person who is just doing, as this takes away the person I want to be being. I am learning that being allows me to breathe; breathe from deep within and all around helping create harmony, nourishment and opportunity both in mind and body.

To assist you with your mindful journey and awareness the UP! Athletic Yoga classes with Dylan are held every Tuesday 6am | Thursday 7pm |Saturday 10am.

UP! Athletic
Level 1, St Kilda Life Saving Club
34 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda  VIC  3182
www.upathletic.com.au