Themes of the week

Acceptance is one of the most useful and profound qualities of mindfulness we can develop. Often confused with resigning oneself to things as they are, to being passive, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Acceptance is an active, courageous, intelligent practice which enables us to let go of stressful thinking, see more clearly and feel more empowered to approach situations in our lives.

In this week we examine the habit loop of resistance, why it is that we are so scared to let go of things as we wish them to be and to accept things as they actually are. We look at some of our negative assumptions about acceptance, and we ask ourselves what our non-acceptance may be costing us in terms of stuckness and suffering

A deep sense of meaningful belonging is one of our most basic and fundamental human needs.

We are wired towards a need for connection physically, mentally and emotionally, and when this need is not present in our lives, we don’t function or feel our best.In this week we will begin to access this sense of true meaningful belonging, firstly through cultivating self-acceptance, and finding the courage to be who we really are.

From there, we bring attention to the qualities that create true meaning in our life and relationships, and begin to intentionally create the life we truly wish to experience.

Developing the skills of flexibility and perspective, allows us to change how we think, feel and respond in any situation.

In terms of neuroscience, it has been proven that we can literally change our brain by changing the thoughts we think, but it takes practice to rewire our limited or negative thinking.

During the Flexibility and Perspective week, we learn how to change our most deeply rooted mental habits. We tackle some of the stuck or inflexible ways we have of thinking about or being with ourselves, and others, and the world. Coming to New Life Portugal in the fi rst place, primes the brain for just this kind of shift in perspective

As humans we are wired towards negativity. We remember more of bad than good, more of what went wrong than what went right. It’s a natural part of our survival and protection mechanisms, which is very useful for our development, for example, in learning to cross the road.

However in our modern society, this can become out of balance, and it doesn’t always serve us best for what we want and how we want to be in life.

Practising gratitude and generosity is one of the most accessible, and powerful ways we can cultivate more happiness in our life. After all, there is always something we can find to be grateful for.

In many ways, awareness is the foundation upon which all other skills taught at New Life Portugal depend. We can bring awareness to our thoughts, feelings and sensations, the so-called ‘triangle of awareness’. But awareness of the body is particularly grounding when we are stressed or on the verge of overwhelm.

In this week we will continually bring the practice of awareness back to the body, finding refuge, resourcing and the capacity for resilience it gives us in any moment.

We will practise listening to the messages the body is communicating, and fi nd ways in which we can work with the body as a tool for finding presence, calm, and moving through challenging thoughts or feelings

Understanding and Compassion is perhaps one of the most challenging of the themes we address at New Life, and also one of the most freeing and rewarding.

We look at how, and why we would want to extend these qualities to both ourselves, and to others. We will look at the benefits of letting go, and why understanding is not a passive or altruistic act, but one of great courage, love and compassion, firstly for yourself.

From where we can discover and find acceptance, that understanding is not forgetting or walking away from accountability or condoning a hurtful act, it’s the process of taking back and healing our lives so we can truly live.

Saying NO is also a way of saying YES to yourself, and the other. Learning to know and hold your own boundaries not only defines what you keep out of your experience, it defines what you let into your experience too. Boundaries help us to know what we want, and what we don’t, what we will accept, and what we won’t.

Getting really clear on all of that also helps us to navigate our relationships with others. It helps others know how to be around us, what we like, what we want, or what we will accept from them.

This week we explore both discovering, and setting what our personal and relational boundaries are. We ask ourselves: When and why do I say ‘yes’ or when I really mean ‘no’? How much giving to others is too much, or not enough? How can I communicate my boundaries in a clear and compassionate way?

There is no getting away from it, the full spectrum of emotions are part of the human experience. We try to avoid the ‘bad ones’, and even find ourselves limiting our experience of the ‘good ones’ for fear of more pain around the corner. But in truth, there are neither good or bad emotions, they just are, and it’s how we respond to them that brings us difficulty.

Practising mindfulness helps us to develop the capacity to hold, cope with, and even welcome, all of our emotions.

It helps us to become aware of our mental-emotional habit loops, and to become less overwhelmed or controlled by our emotions. From here, we are more conscious about the thoughts we choose, and the feelings that come along with that, and therefore more able to direct our own experience

Practising tapping into the felt sense of wonder and awe is another powerful way we can open up our experience of life, and move beyond our conditioned, narrow, negative patterns of thinking.

Focusing on the things in life there are to marvel at and appreciate, is the perfect antidote and counterbalance to all of the heavy baggage we carry around with us.

During this week we will take many moments to drink in life, bathe in these feelings, and feel the benefit of this blissful, abundant tonic that is always available in any moment to experience.

Everyday mindfulness is about finding many moments in everyday life, to be in connection with yourself, with others, with your life, in present moment awareness, free of suffering or negative thinking.

There are endless opportunities and possibilities to practise, and the more we bring mindfulness to the everyday moments of our life, the more our life becomes the experience we truly want to live.

This week is a special moment at New Life, where we will bring the practice of mindfulness to life in many small ways, repeating and reinforcing the core principles, to help you truly integrate the benefits back to your everyday experience.