Three inter-related aspects of connection grounded in mindful awareness.
There are more than a billion iphones in the world today, so in one sense, more of us are connected than have ever been in the course of human history. Yet despite the connectivity of our technology, many of us, and many people in the world, are less connected to sources of meaning and regulation than we have ever been in our evolutionary history. We are disconnected. What’s missing from many people’s lives is real authentic connection. Connection in deep and meaningful ways to ourselves- to a deep sense of who we are, what’s in our hearts and minds. To a real sense of belonging to something larger than ourselves- a community, a tribe. And meaningful connection to nature. To the land, to the animals, the plants, the trees, the sky, the moon, the sun. Our nervous systems are designed for connection, optimized for it, you might say. And we yearn for this connection.
At the heart of meaningful connection is the cultivation of mindful awareness. A quality of presence that enables us to stabilize our attention in a calm, accepting, non-judgmental way…an enhanced attention to the lived flow of moment-to-moment experience. With this tool of mindful awareness, we can bring our attention inward, to our deepest needs, and outward, into our relationships with one another, and the world around us. Applied Mindfulness exists to help people harness this quality of attention, and then direct it to the things we care most about. Our experiential workshops and trainings help people develop the tools and competencies to be more deeply present with themselves, the others in their lives, and the natural world. This brings a range of benefits, from stress reduction, to emotion regulation, to increased empathy, and a deepened sense of purpose, vitality, and meaning. We do this work with adults, and with children, and we help adults learn to do this work with children and teens.
