Hey, welcome back to

your Daily Mindfulness.

In today's session, we're going to

be talking about shifting gears.

So I sometimes like to think

of being human as being a

car that has different gears.

We have park, which might be when

we're sleeping or doing nothing.

There's first gear where

we're moving up there.

Second gear, third gear, fourth gear.

And then fifth gear where we're really

in the throes of our life, really

moving quickly, really doing a lot.

I think a lot of times as when we come to

a meditation practice or even we start to

get interested in mindful living, there's

often a sense that we're supposed to be

totally zenned out or in first gear all

the time, very calm, not running for

bus, always at peace and always at ease.

Maybe that's the case, but

it hasn't been my experience.

And most of the meditation teachers

I know spend a lot of time in third

gear, fourth gear and fifth gear.

It's a natural part of

being a human being.

And part of developing a mindfulness

practice is not being in first

gear all the time, but it's being

able to assess the moment and

see what gear do I need to be in.

Is this a first gear kind of moment?

Do I have some time where I can take a

break, where I'm just sitting in my car,

not going anywhere, not needing to do

anything, just having the time to relax?

And can I give myself

permission to be in first gear?

Or am I at work and I have a lot

of emails to take care of and

there's a lot that needs to get

done, a lot that I'm excited about.

I'm feeling that energy

moving in that direction.

Is that a fourth gear

moment, a fifth gear moment?

And can I give myself

permission to be in those gears?

A lot of times, we don't give

ourselves permission to be in

the gear that we need to be.

And it often creates a

lot of extra tension.

It makes me think of the Zen poem,

uh, that says, "When running,

just run, when walking, just walk.

Above all, don't wobble."

A lot of times we tend to wobble.

We're on vacation, but we're guilty

because we think we need to be working

more or at work, but we're frustrated

because we want to be on vacation.

We don't actually give ourselves

to be in the experience that

we're in, um, the permission.

And we don't allow ourselves

to be in the gear that we need

to be in, in those moments.

So as you go about your day, see if you

can start to assess with mindfulness,

what does this moment ask of me?

What gear do I need to be in?

And can you start to give yourself

permission to be in that gear?

And then when it's a different gear,

permission to drop into that as well.

That's a mindfulness practice and that's

bringing mindfulness into your daily life.

We'll practice more of

this in the meditation.

So stay tuned.

I'll talk to you soon and take care.