What mindfulness really is about is learning how to understand all of it: the parts of our experience that are difficult, that are challenging, that are stressful and unpleasant to be with, even seemingly impossible to be with sometimes. It’s also about being with the absence of that: those moments that may be neutral and seem benign, the little moments that make up most of our day. We miss so much of our life because we don't see the value in those moments! And so mindfulness is also about understanding them, and seeing the joy, happiness, and contentment that are there. Mindfulness is this practice that excludes absolutely nothing from our experience.
Kate Munding
Spirit Rock Residential Teacher
Kate Munding sits on the Spirit Rock Teacher Council and the guiding teacher for Assaya Sangha, a women's Buddhist meditation community. In addition to her Dharma teaching, Kate has been a mindfulness educator in schools since 2008. She is the co-founder and main teacher for Now Children.