(Mindfulness and the Spin of the Ball)

The first skill needed for the inner game is called ‘letting it happen’. W. Timothy Gallwey, “Tennis: Playing the Game.”

In my cozy, book-lined blog workshop, I have been trying to write a post on meditation and its first cousin, mindfulness.  Because I am a neophyte practitioner of these time-honored arts, I decided to start with a subject that I know more about: tennis. What has that time-honored sport got to do with mindfulness, you may ask? Please read on.

There are few things that you can’t do if you are willing to apply yourself.

Greg Lemond

INTRODUCTION

“Go get some exercise!” Great advice! After all, the mental and physical health benefits of daily exercise are tremendous. For folks like me who practice self-care to manage depression, it has been wonderful to experience directly what studies show:  Regular, modest exercise is at least as effective as antidepressants. Healthy Living.

So, why is it sometimes so bloody hard to follow this great advice? What follows are some thoughts on how to actually look forward to exercising rather than dreaming up excuses not to.

In the middle of one of my selfish woe-is-me rants about being cooped up during the pandemic, I ran across this beautiful prayer written by Cameron Wiggins Bellm, a Seattle mother of two, a Russian instructor, and a blogger with a great first name.