The Sublime Beauty of This Mundane Existence

When you are new to practice, it can feel like discovering the Holy Grail.

For so many of us, the sense of lightness and connection that we feel is unlike anything that came before it.

If you’ve ever experienced the calm bliss of a long savasana after a challenging class or the sense of clarity after a deep meditation, you probably know what I’m talking about.

In my own journey, practice allowed me to finally reconnect with my body and mind after years of struggling with the numbness of depression. It was like taking a thick veil off from over my eyes. It reminded me of what it was like to feel good.

So, I was convinced that if I felt this good as a beginner, surely, if I stayed with it, my daily life would be a non-stop bliss fest.

The reality, of course, was not quite like this.

The highs of the beginning stages became muted over time — more subtle, less intense.

At first, this frustrated me. I felt as though I had somehow backslid in my progress.

But as my practice matured, I came to realize that the highs, for all their beauty, were never the goal at all.

Ultimately, this mundane reality — with all of its flaws and all of its monotony — is where the real magic of mindfulness can be found.

And through consistent practice, you can actually realize this for yourself.

The Actual Reality of Practice

I could chalk it up to youthful optimism, but I should have known that these things couldn’t possibly last.

For years, I read teachings that awakening was “Nothing Special.” I had heard tales of the utter normality of it all. The lesson was right there in front of me the whole time.

And yet, I thought it would be different for me.

I had the idea that practice would lead me up a never-ending staircase of higher states. 

But really, this was just another form of seeking. 

And any time you are seeking, you are going to suffer.

Because, as the Buddha taught, it’s the act of chasing itself that creates the stress. 

The more you embrace this idea, the more you will realize that many of the things you once saw as problems are not actually problems at all.

This Mundane Reality is the Most Beautiful Thing There Is

If we ignore the world around us, this is our own loss.

And yet, the world we live in makes this easier than ever.

When was the last time you went somewhere without your phone? When was the last time you just sat on a park bench?

The more you can allow yourself to fully be in this life, the more amazing it can become.

The more you practice letting things be, the more beauty you will see everywhere.

It’s there in the crack in the sidewalk, in the rain cloud, and even in the car alarm that won’t stop honking.

It’s there when we let ourselves fully experience each moment just as it is.

The Deeper Wisdom of the Mundane

One of the classic Zen Proverbs reads, “‘Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”

The lesson here is that what you are trying to awaken to is this actual reality — not some idealized fantasy.

The world we live in — with our jobs, with our chores, with all our challenges  — this is the world that we are meant to 'Wake Up' to.

By practicing mindfulness, we can learn how to be fully within our experience yet not entrapped by it.

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If you want help developing your mindfulness and yoga practice, I have two open coaching spaces right now.

Please send a message on my contact page, or setup an initial meeting on my schedule page and we’ll figure out how I can best serve you.