There is nothing that we experience in life that is outside of sensory experience. No matter how mundane, stressful or seemingly extraordinary an event is, it is all being experienced through our senses- what we see, hear and feel. To come into our senses, rather than going into the stories we tell ourselves about them, is at the very heart of mindfulness practice.
Perhaps you are here because you have experimented with meditation to try to ‘still’ or silence your mind, to no avail. No matter what you do, under times of stress you have familiar, unhelpful patterns of thinking that come rushing back in, such as rumination or self-criticism. Perhaps you have had glimpses or long stretches of well-being, but you do not know how they came about and they go away no matter what you do to hold onto them.
There is a common misconception that to be mindful is to be able to reside in a calm and peaceful state all of the time. Bliss can definitely be a byproduct of practice, but it is not the goal. Learning mindfulness is learning HOW to relate to experience, as it unfolds. Over time, as you practice mindfulness, you will notice that the quality of your experience is connected more profoundly to the depth of your practice than it is to outside conditions and circumstances. The ordinary becomes extraordinary by your ability to experience it at its deepest level.
Inhabit the Heart 