What is this mindfulness you speak of?

I'm glad you asked. According to 'some', mindfulness implies the practitioner is paying attention, on purpose, in a particular way, without judgment. And from what I understand, mindfulness can be applied to almost any activity. Writing is just one way. In class we talked about mindful swimming, mindful cat petting, mindful reading. The only requirement is that you undertake the activity with those traits in mind.

Mindfulness also has a temporal element to it. Being mindful asks you to be firmly in the present. So often my brain is pulling me into the past (which I cannot control) or pushing me into the future (which I also can't really control). One thing I really focused on during our meditation in class was keeping mind in the present by focusing on an anchor point that kept me in the here and now. For a while I was concentrating on my feet pressing against the floor. I focused on my spine for a little while. Then I listened to my heart. Anything that gave me a connection to the present.

I was also thinking about Ron Swanson when he went to meditation with Chris. I couldn't find the clip, but here's a pic that gives the idea.

If you'd like to say little bit about your meditation today in class, please do so in the comments. I'd be interested to hear how it went for you.