My word for 2018:
My Choice

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Mindful Writing Prompt #27: Mantra

The concept of having a special word for each year is new to me. But since I started moving around in blog world, I've seen that many people practice this. They are simply called word for the year, or mantras. I really like the idea, and have been thinking about it for the last few days. There are so many words, in any language, and among them, so many good ones. 

In November, quite by chance, and before I heard about the River of Stones, I signed up for a class in mindfulness, meditation and yoga. Never having been in touch with any of that before, I didn't know what to expect. What I found was one and a half hour of mindful pause every week. The privilege of spending one and a half hours lying on a mat, snuggled warm under a woolly blanket, learning how to observe my breathing. How to mindfully relax my muscles. Doing exercises that were so gentle that even I could do them. 

Thinking back to those classes, my mantra was self-evident: "Mindful Pause". "Mindful" on the in breath, "pause" on the out breath.

So this is what I commit to in 2012: To take mindful pauses, and to pause mindfully. And by doing so, I hope I will become more aware of the world I live in, both in the big sense and in the small sense. 


Of course I have had moments of mindful pause before, 
without knowing that that's what they were :-)



11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mindful pause... perfect guidance for living with my mantra of Detachment. Thank you.

Unknown said...

Great post Inger. I love the idea of a word for the year, only problem is I've thought of two words instead of one.

I guess I could have two words??

Mine are Calm and Embrace, or even "Embracing Calmness". xx

Marie at the Lazy W said...

Sounds beautiful... I dabbled in yoga over the autumn months and really liked the feelings, the results. I think yoga together with the River Stones project we have some deep meditation to enjoy... Happy Mindful 2012 to you!!

teri said...

You found your word before the middle of January- I knew you would. And of course now I have someone else I can compare notes with throughout the year. I had reservations about my word yesterday morning but recovered my confidence in pausing by evening.(I wrote about it on my photo blog)

Isn't yoga so nice! It sounds like you have the perfect class. Looking forward to pausing together!

J Cosmo Newbery said...

Mindful pauses - I like the idea. I have a little mantra that goes "Wherever you are, be there."

It fits well with 'mindful pauses'.

MadSnapper said...

beautiful macro

Barb said...

The seeds exemplify mindful pause. Just to be is sometimes enough.

Barb said...
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Barb said...
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Barb said...

Sorry - I only sent once but it's appearing as multiple!

Gemma Wiseman said...

Love your mantra! It sounds so much like gentle breathing in the words themselves! Delightful post!