Dear Friends,
Our mindfulness practice helps us to recognize how inevitable change is. One thought disappears into the next, the breath arises and passes away, sounds we’re hearing come and go, the sensation we found so unpleasant one moment is gone the next, and so on. The practice of steadying our attention to meet experience as it’s unfolding moment by moment illuminates the ever-changing nature of life, and the mystery of consciousness.
Within the larger mystery of the unfolding of a human life, we are also going through big and small changes all the time. Whether we’re ending a relationship or beginning a new career, grappling with a loss, or curious about exploring a facet of ourselves we don’t know yet and going through an inner change.
Sometimes we know that something in our lives needs to shift, and we may not know what it is. It’s natural that change can bring up uncertainty, fear, doubt, excitement, and confusion. For several years now, I’ve been studying and training in the nature of change and adult stages of development, as well as how we can find balance within our often chaotic lives, through grounding in our deepest values.
Connecting with impermanence in meditation helps me to know the nature of things as they are. Life-balance work helps me to be intentional and mindful in how I wish to meet my own choices and changes within the unique unfolding of my life. One of the biggest questions I hear most often from students with a dedicated meditation practice is, “How do I integrate what I’ve learned on the cushion into the life I’m actually living?”
This life-balance change and transition work is one of the most practical answers I have found to that question. If you’re interested in learning more, I invite you to join me and Jennifer Ward for a very unique and special retreat where we’ll be exploring this together in a supportive community, and helping you to get clear on how to consciously meet your life changes and move towards greater well-being.
Celeste, along with Jennifer Ward, is teaching at Opening to Inner + Outer Change: A Life Balance Retreat, a three-night retreat at Big Bear Retreat Center from Thursday, April 27 – 30, 2023.
Image Source: Big Bear Retreat Center Website