The practice may be called mindfulness but it involves a lot more than mind. Mind is only part of it. The practice is really one of the heart, and of the whole individual. The mind is a kind of gateway that can limit or allow access for the heart. It is a gateway that I want to keep open. In my case, that means my mind must be kept quiet and calm. Only then can my heart be involved and engaged. Then the heart- fulness can be felt and experienced.
As a first step, my mind must be paying attention. Mindfulness means that the mind is fully present. That is how I operate. First, the gateway of the mind must swing open. Then the heart can enter in and unfold. It is hard for the heart to be present when the mind is shouting orders and stomping about.
I often tell my mind to be quiet, relax and allow my heart to beat slowly. I lighten up, I allow lightness to emerge. I feel my presence and feel the space around me. This is the realm of the heart.
I sometimes like to give my mind something to do, like pay attention to my feet, or my hands or my breath. It is my choice what to experience, and that allows my heart to unfold. In this light and relaxed place my heart is less tentative, more able to reach out, to embrace, to accept.
First, my busy mind must come to a rest. I know that is happening when my arms, legs and head all let go of their isolation and allow the world to enter. My mind can often be a barrier, telling me about the world, not allowing me to experience it directly. My mind can populate my world with its own scenery, obscuring the reality.
I want to empty my mind, live with the lightness of mind-emptiness and allow heart-fulness to occur.