7 Attitudes of Mindful Living

As we engage in mindful living, we come across countless opportunities to train, grow and heal with the seven attitudes of mindfulness.

When I first learned about them, I decided to practice one each week in depth. Starting in the morning with some stretches and meditation, I’d read about that week’s mindful attitude and practice it throughout the day when the opportunity presented itself–and it always did. By the end of the week I had a feel for the attitude, and eventually I learned how much they work together to help us cultivate our gardens.

Seven Mindful Attitudes

1. Nonjudging Awareness–This draft sucks. It smells weird out here. I liked the other restaurant better. We often have our judge on, chitter chattering in our minds and running out of our mouths, but what if we just let the experience be the experience? As we practice, it’s tempting to judge ourselves when we catch the judgments, but it’s all part of the practice.

2. Beginner’s Mind–Everything right now is new and happening for the first time. So even though you’ve had this talk/visited this place/did this job a million times, this time it is new. See each moment as a brand new beginner. Welcome freedom!

3. Nonstriving–This doesn’t mean don’t have a plan, but we can practice staying open and flexible along the way. We can feel when we’re striving. It feels like we’re pushing or forcing a point. Maybe we want to get a certain job, and so we spend our time preparing and fixating on the outcome, but striving keeps us in chains. Shake it off gently and stay open to organic experiences.

4. Mindful Acceptance–Can we accept where we are right now, in this moment? If so, we cut ourselves free from the bonds of expectations and anything false. Accepting the moment as it is brings us to the present moment–the place we are right now. Enjoy!

5. Trust as Self Reliance–Can we trust ourselves? Can we trust in something greater than ourselves? At times we’re tempted to go with what we “think” we should be doing rather than what we trust we should do. Let’s think about it.

6. Mindful Patience–Sounds easy, but we know patience is challenging at times. In the burning feeling of impatience we find our practice. Stay mindful. Practice patience in conjunction with the other attitudes–acceptance, trust, nonstriving, etc.

7. Letting Go, Letting Be–Light and free, this attitude challenges us to just let “it” go and be what it is. I like how this one is often listed last because it so clearly works with all of the others. Let go of judging, striving, impatience, anger…just breathe. Let it be.