Mindfulness is an ancient Buddhist practice which helps us cultivate an appreciation for each moment we are alive. By focusing our awareness on the breath we can learn to be present in our bodies and witness to the thoughts, sensations and emotions that move through us. This does not require us to be Buddhists as all religions and spiritual practices offer some form of meditation, contemplation or silent practice to help us connect with the deeper source of our being. In Psychosynthesis, a transpersonal psychology created by Roberto Assagioli, we are taught that, "I have a body but I am not my body, I have feelings but I am not my emotions, I have thoughts but I am not my thoughts. I am more than my body, my thoughts and emotions; I am a source of pure consciousness." Indeed, as we develop what I refer to as a "Wtness" we come to ask, if we can observe our bodies, our emotions and our thoughts, who is it that is doing the observing.

Pema Chodron and Eckhart Tolle are among my favorite teachers. Eckhart Tolle invites us to enter a place of "stillness and peace" that is the essence of being. He draws from the essential truths of all spiritual traditions and expresses their essence in simple yet often startling new ways. I turn to his books, "Stillness Speaks" and "The Power of Now" for inspiration on a regular basis. More than anyone I know, Pema Chodron, is able to take ancient Tibetan teachings and show us how they have practical applications in every day life. She speaks about approaching ourselves with compassion and an attitude of curiosity. Isn't that interesting how angry I get when somebody is driving too close behind me? Look at how my heart rate speeds up when I am angry; how my stomach muscles tighten, how I feel like I did when I was a child sitting in the car with my uncle Joe and he was driving too fast. Look how it makes me feel small and helpless. There may not be much I can do about the person in the car behind me but I am learning that I have choices about how I respond. By recognizing the source of my anger, appreciating how hard that must have been for me as a child and witnessing the emotion in the present moment, the energy will be transformed, as it no longer holds any relevance in the present situation....and I can be noticing the color of the sky and drive to work singing my favorite song instead of having my heart filled with sadness or anger.

In mindfulness-based psychotherapy we begin by creating a place of curiosity, spaciousness, non judgment, and inner stillness, to the best of our ability, and observe what needs attention in our lives from there. We may still need to leave a relationship that isn't working or find a new job or cope with an unexpected illness, but we will have access to a larger picture than we might if we were trapped in our thoughts, or a cycle of old hurt. There will be room for new possibilities or at least a new way to accept and understand those things we cannot change.