Mindfulness vs. Meditation:
Cheering for Chocolate
by Maya Frost
A client (let's call her Gina) told me about a dream she kept having over and over again.
In her dream, Gina goes to her favorite ice cream shop.
A confirmed chocoholic, she looks forward to treating herself
to her favorite flavor on a regular basis. But when she gets to the
shop, she realizes that all of the cartons of ice cream are
now vanilla. Every single one.
She asks the clerk if there are any other flavors available.
"Actually, each of these flavors is different," he explains.
"This vanilla has a subtle hint of almond, for example."
Resigned, she tries a few flavors, and yes, she can tell that there's
an essence of strawberry here, or a whiff of coffee there,
but there's no question that it's still vanilla.
She looks around and sees plenty of people enjoying their various vanilla flavors.
Some are rhapsodizing about the taste of one version of vanilla, while others are
insisting that theirs is the most sublime of all.
And then she wakes up feeling sad, unfulfilled and hopeless.
I asked Gina how she felt about the choices available to her in her life.
She told me she'd spent the previous three years exploring different approaches
to meditation, but despite the time and effort she'd put into her daily practice,
she felt that she'd lost her way. She was sad that she felt she wasn't "built"
for meditation as everyone she knew seemed to find it profoundly beneficial.
She even confessed to feeling guilty about considering giving it up.
"I guess," she told me, "I'm just really longing for chocolate, you know?"
We sketched a strategy. Gina began to incorporate mindfulness into her daily life
in activities that engaged and enlivened her naturally.
She was startled to realize that she had set aside many of her favorite hobbies
in order to create more time for meditation. She was spending 30 minutes
each morning and 30 minutes every night in meditation, plus another 30
minutes writing in her journal.
But despite committing nearly an hour and a half a day to feeling connected,
she felt truly disconnected from what she loved most. In addition, she was
dejected about a weight gain prompted by less exercise (more sitting)!
Because she had always loved swimming , Gina started going to the pool several
mornings a week. She focused on a particular technique and used her time in
the pool as her meditation. She was an accomplished gardener, and so we came up
with ways for her to make gardening a focused mindfulness activity
to soothe her after work. A cellist with a deep appreciation for music,
she began playing a local chamber group.
Within just three months, Gina was thriving. She felt calm and introspective while
also creating meaningful friendships, getting stronger physically, improving her
skills as a musician, and growing the most bountiful garden of her life.
Gina quit meditating, but swam, planted, played and laughed her
way to greater mindfulness. She started to think of her days as being
"delicious" and relished the flavors of each activity.
If you find that meditation leaves you with a taste for something that
inspires you more authentically, head for the chocolate-- or whatever flavor you fancy.
Add some new flavors to your mindfulness practice, and you'll be savoring
the richness of life with a full heart, a clear mind, and a big smile.
© 2003-2020 Maya Frost
Please include the following when sharing:
Maya Frost is an author, mindfulness trainer, and creative change strategist.
Learn more at MayaFrost.com
Read more articles with tips and stories about mindfulness!
In her dream, Gina goes to her favorite ice cream shop.
A confirmed chocoholic, she looks forward to treating herself
to her favorite flavor on a regular basis. But when she gets to the
shop, she realizes that all of the cartons of ice cream are
now vanilla. Every single one.
She asks the clerk if there are any other flavors available.
"Actually, each of these flavors is different," he explains.
"This vanilla has a subtle hint of almond, for example."
Resigned, she tries a few flavors, and yes, she can tell that there's
an essence of strawberry here, or a whiff of coffee there,
but there's no question that it's still vanilla.
She looks around and sees plenty of people enjoying their various vanilla flavors.
Some are rhapsodizing about the taste of one version of vanilla, while others are
insisting that theirs is the most sublime of all.
And then she wakes up feeling sad, unfulfilled and hopeless.
I asked Gina how she felt about the choices available to her in her life.
She told me she'd spent the previous three years exploring different approaches
to meditation, but despite the time and effort she'd put into her daily practice,
she felt that she'd lost her way. She was sad that she felt she wasn't "built"
for meditation as everyone she knew seemed to find it profoundly beneficial.
She even confessed to feeling guilty about considering giving it up.
"I guess," she told me, "I'm just really longing for chocolate, you know?"
We sketched a strategy. Gina began to incorporate mindfulness into her daily life
in activities that engaged and enlivened her naturally.
She was startled to realize that she had set aside many of her favorite hobbies
in order to create more time for meditation. She was spending 30 minutes
each morning and 30 minutes every night in meditation, plus another 30
minutes writing in her journal.
But despite committing nearly an hour and a half a day to feeling connected,
she felt truly disconnected from what she loved most. In addition, she was
dejected about a weight gain prompted by less exercise (more sitting)!
Because she had always loved swimming , Gina started going to the pool several
mornings a week. She focused on a particular technique and used her time in
the pool as her meditation. She was an accomplished gardener, and so we came up
with ways for her to make gardening a focused mindfulness activity
to soothe her after work. A cellist with a deep appreciation for music,
she began playing a local chamber group.
Within just three months, Gina was thriving. She felt calm and introspective while
also creating meaningful friendships, getting stronger physically, improving her
skills as a musician, and growing the most bountiful garden of her life.
Gina quit meditating, but swam, planted, played and laughed her
way to greater mindfulness. She started to think of her days as being
"delicious" and relished the flavors of each activity.
If you find that meditation leaves you with a taste for something that
inspires you more authentically, head for the chocolate-- or whatever flavor you fancy.
Add some new flavors to your mindfulness practice, and you'll be savoring
the richness of life with a full heart, a clear mind, and a big smile.
© 2003-2020 Maya Frost
Please include the following when sharing:
Maya Frost is an author, mindfulness trainer, and creative change strategist.
Learn more at MayaFrost.com
Read more articles with tips and stories about mindfulness!