How seeing things anew can benefit you.
I was in the park on my morning walk the other day and noticed a puppy on a walk. There was a noticeable feeling of joy emanating from the puppy. He was so excited! tugging at the leash, sniffing the ground, looking at the ducks and other walkers, snapping at dragonflies. It made me consider one of the foundational principles of yoga: Beginner’s Mind. This idea of trying to see things as brand new. The puppy of course was seeing everything brand new. Yogis see the benefit of in this practice of attempting to see the mundane as new. Looking at every day, every situation, every conversation, or even every sensation in the body as brand new.
It’s not to say that there is anything wrong with autopilot. It would suck if you had to re-learn how to get to work every day, right? This form of “autopilot” known as automaticity has its benefits. Getting to work, understanding someone speaking, playing a musical instrument, bathing, or brushing your teeth all are example of things we do unconsciously. There are times though when it doesn’t serve us.
During my Yoga training I was asked to consider two questions with regard to this topic of Beginner’s Mind. The first was, What IS going on in your brain when you are doing these things? Secondly, What are you missing by not being present? It was interesting to not that my mind was usually racing. Most often ruminating on a past event or planning some future event. Thinking worrying etc. This was most often very unproductive.
The answers to the questions came only after I learned to be present. Noticing what I was thinking for example when I was showering made me realize I was missing out on an opportunity for calm quiet self care by worrying about my day. If I was actually engaged in planning that would be different but it was completely unproductive. Once I had the awareness I started planning my day before bed and started to be presenting taking my showing. Feeling the water and using this time as a morning meditation.
As I learned to be present during conversations. Actively listening rather than planning what I was going to say next allowed me to become more engaged in the conversation. Gaining a greater clarity and understanding of what the other person was trying to say rather than just assuming I understood.