Mindfulness in Spring – Frank Liddy
Here comes the Sun. Spring is in the air.
Welcome to Inspire’s Mindfulness Institute. Frank here, Inspire’s lead Mindfulness teacher. Practice enables and empowers us to “lighten up”
Seasonal changes can facilitate mindfulness. As the weather changes, so does our perspective. Springtime, in particular, is a wonderful time to become more aware of the growth and life that surrounds us.
Yesterday, as I walked along Botanic Ave, I paused by a cafe in order to tie my shoe. As people rushed around, I looked up at the ragged tree next to me. Initially, I dismissed it as a dirty mess of barren branches, seemingly devoid of life. (Not very mindful, huh?) Looking more closely, I noticed many small bumps on the branches, especially at the tips. These “bumps” actually were tightly curled, greenish-brown buds. A sign of spring! Gazing at the buds provided a moment of stillness, which grew into an optimistic feeling of hope and renewal. Altogether, it was quite a nice experience, prompted by an untied shoelace.
So, as you walk outside today, emerge from the visual stupor of winter, and take in the signs of the spring. Pay particular attention to the trees and bushes around you. Is this the same tree or bush that you’ve seen all winter long, or is there something different about it? Looking at the hedges around your office building, you might see bright green tendrils reaching skyward. A close examination of the sidewalk might reveal some tender blades of grass. Or, as you pass underneath a tree, you too might see the buds of leaves and flowers yet to come.
With these observations, you might notice a feeling of optimism creeping into your awareness. Spring is coming as we emerge from the cold days of winter into the warmth and freshness of a new season. Somehow, despite our grim economic reality, flowers still bloom and trees continue to grow. Now that’s change to believe in…
Frank Liddy, Lead Mindfulness Practitioner for Inspire Professional Services | B.A, A.Dip.
About Frank Liddy
Frank has worked in the community care voluntary mental health sector for over twenty-five years and currently delivers Mindfulness Programmes for Inspire.
He is the founding Director of the Belfast Mindfulness Centre, co-founder of Compassion City Belfast and Northern Ireland’s representative for The Mindfulness Initiative.
Frank studied mindfulness at the University of Wales and is a qualified integrative humanistic Counsellor and holds certificate of registration for NI social care Council.
As well as teaching mindfulness compassion through the life-long learning programme at Queen’s University Belfast, he has also successfully delivered experiential and practice-based training programmes to mental health and allied professionals working in psychiatry, nursing, social work and the criminal justice system.
This series of #MindfulnessMonday is kindly supported by Inspire Wellbeing and the Change Your Mind programme. Change Your Mind It is a joint programme run by Inspire and the Public Health Agency. It is Northern Ireland’s regional campaign to tackle stigma and discrimination around mental health. They are funded by Comic Relief and work in partnership with a range of organisations and community networks across Northern Ireland.
They are a grassroots campaign shaped by the collaboration of communities, organisations and individuals who are championing the message against mental health stigma across society – a campaign for people, driven by people. Read more here.