five ways
You Are Here
(immediately!) changed my life:
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(immediately!) changed my life:
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, meaning I’ll earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you), should you click through and make any purchase from Amazon. Read more here.
1. mindfulness made simple with
actionable advice
I
knew about mindfulness and the power it can have to improve my life and
happiness level. I had some vague ideas
about how to do this... mostly just by noticing and trying to focus on what’s
happening in the moment. This was not a
bad strategy, but Thich Nhat Hahn has much better suggestions. (You know, being a master teacher of mindfulness,
and all.) He gives simple mantras,
memorizable and repeatable mantras. He
offers suggestions for when to practice and develop the mindfulness muscle-
while washing dishes, when walking, and when listening to loved ones.
2. acceptance and nonviolence
I
have battled my body and feelings for a long time. I get annoyed with myself for not sitting up
straight, not breathing ‘properly,’ feeling anxiety and not being able to let
go of anger. Thich Nhat Hahn takes a different view…
one which immediately allowed me to relax and stop fighting with myself. He teaches that we should simply notice and
accept these things, and through noticing, accepting, and being mindful, we can
naturally begin to transform the negative into positive. He takes the view of being nonviolent with
yourself first. Notice, accept, and take
care of the body and emotions, and we can gently transform them.
3. impermanence
This
one was huge for me. It’s always been
hard for me to accept the passage of time and the aging process. (Even since I was a kid! I was always super nostalgic.) It’s still an emotional topic for me, but Thich Nhat Hahn gives us the analogy of being a river.
There’s an old saying that ‘you can’t step in the same river twice,’
because it’s constantly flowing, constantly changing. And we are the same way. We’re constantly learning and growing and
evolving, like the river. It reminded me
of a question someone once asked me, “If your life were exactly the same 10
years from now, would you be happy with that?”
Without impermanence, there would be no change.
4. “I have arrived.”
This
idea of having ‘arrived’ was probably the one with the most immediate effect on
me. I’ve always struggled with the idea
that ‘when I get/ finish/ go to … I’ll be happier.’ I realized long ago that this wasn’t true,
but I didn’t always have the words or the mindset to completely let it go. Thich Nhat Hahn says that, with every step, we
arrive. We don’t walk to get somewhere,
because we arrive at our destination with every step. As a nomad, this had an even deeper impact on
me. This is why the book’s title jumped
out at me from a shelf full of Thich Nhat Hahn's writing.
I tend to think of my life in big picture terms, to have ideas about
where I’m going next and what I’d like to see and do. And that’s all great, too. But Thich Nhat Hahn reminded me to stop running because “the
present moment IS the destination.” By
using the mantras and exercises he shares, I am able to see that right here and
right now is where I was heading, and now I am here.
5. peaceful, solid, & free
As
soon as I read these words, I knew they fit perfectly into my vision for my
life- so much so that I have made them my words for the new year. This is how I want my mind, my body, my
emotions, my skating, my travels, my whole life to feel- peaceful, solid, and
free. Thich Nhat Hahn sometimes uses ‘beautiful’
instead of peaceful, and I like that phrase as well… not ‘beautiful’ in a sense
of an outward, physical beauty, but more in the sense of creating beautiful
moments and seeing the simple, natural beauty in the world and people around
us. I can honestly say that, after
reading You Are Here, and trying some of the exercises Thich Nhat Hahn shares, I very
much feel more peaceful, solid, and free.
* * *
I highly recommend Thich Nhat Hahn's writing for anyone looking to become more mindful and at peace in their daily life. His advice truly helped me manage my feelings of overwhelm and feel more calm and happy in my everyday life. He's a prolific author, and I'll definitely be reading more of his work!!
