This month at the British School of meditation, we have had lots to celebrate, as it has been 1 year since the new co-owners took ownership of the organisation, and what a year it has been! We have had wonderful support from all of our meditation teachers across the UK and further afield on our register, as well as those new students who have trained with us this year.
During this time, I have been reflecting a lot on the art of celebration and how celebrating the positive aspects of our life can really help to enhance our wellbeing and how meditation can help us to do that.
Sometimes in life, we can feel so concerned with where we want to get to, or the ‘next step’, that we forget to stop and see where we are right now and also how far we have come.
When we practise meditation, it teaches us to be in the moment, to be mindful of where we are right now and also to practice kindness to ourselves. Both of these aspects combined are a great way to introduce small moments of celebration into our everyday lives. Simply taking the time in meditation to acknowledge where you are and the things you have to be grateful for in your life, is a lovely act of celebration each day. And, as Oprah has said
“'The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is to celebrate”.
For me, celebration of my wins, no matter how small, can also help with difficulties, feelings of being stuck, and also the very common imposter syndrome. I find that if I take some time to celebrate the small things I have accomplished, I bring more attention to these positive aspects in my life, which is a great way to re-train the brain to trod the pathway of positivity and gratitude, rather than self-doubt. Celebration can be a great way to silence the inner critic.
But celebration shouldn’t just be reserved for ourselves. It is also important to celebrate each other too. What better way to form connections with your loved ones and friends than by highlighting and celebrating their positive attributes too. In meditation, we might do this within a loving kindness meditation or offering gratitude to that person. In life, we can do that too. For me gratitude is also a practice of celebration. I really love this quote by Marcel Proust
“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom”.
And finally, celebrating life itself. For me, this comes in the form of practising gratitude for the small things each day. For each breath, for nature, for waking up each morning. You might take some time to reflect, either throughout the day or in your meditation practice, on what celebration means to you. For it doesn’t have to be the big parties (although they are great) but it may be small acts of acknowledgement and gratitude practiced each day, allowing us to highlight the good stuff, no matter how small. This in turn can us on those days when we might need some extra support, because whatever we put out into the world will come back to us.