5 Simple Steps To Cultivate Healthy Beginner’s Mind

Last time I went to the airport, I saw a small boy with his hands and cheeks up against a large glass window. He watched the planes take off over and over again with a look of awe smudged across his face. His reflection held a sense of luminous possibility, as if he realized he could fly too. I stood there, tired and anxious to get to on my flight, witnessing something magical.

When yoga talk about the beginner’s mind, healthy for me, taichi, meditation, alternative medicine they refer to that rare openness we see in small children: a fleeting a sense of receptiveness that recognizes the beauty of each moment, no matter how mundane. But we can embrace a beginner’s mind too, and not just in yoga. Here are some steps to practice in your daily life.

yoga for health for me

1) Question preconceived notions

Have you ever walked into a yoga class to find out that you’re the only one who signed up? You immediately react, thinking, “Oh! This class must be awful. There’s no one here!” If you let go of that thought, you would find a private lesson with a new teacher for the price of a regular class. The world is filled with wonder when we drop our tendency to judge.

2) Bring it back to your breath, healthy life

When in doubt, breathe. In the same way that breath gives yoga its power, it also fosters balance within our state of being. During moments of joy or sorrow, annoyance or ease, bring yourself back to the natural ebb and flow of your breath. Instead of taking you away from the moment, it allows you to absorb the richness of each experience.

3) Embrace not knowing

In Zen Buddhism, the beginner’s mind, also known as shosin, can be described as a posture of “not knowing.” Without our learned beliefs in the way, we find ourselves in a place of mental openness. Mary Jaksch, a Zen Buddhist teacher, says that “not knowing leaves room for intuition.” Developing mindfulnessallows the truth to surface like a cork in water.

4) Think practice, not perfect

As we begin to master a practice of any kind- yoga, meditation, tai chi or writing- we may get frustrated with our lack of progress or feel bored with repetition. But by treating each moment as a blank slate, we can stay in a beginner’s mind, no matter how much of an expert we become along the way. This approach to growth strengthens humility and ensures that we are always open to experiencing things in a different light.

5) Support self-compassion

A beginner’s mind is an important vehicle for self-compassion. By letting go of inhibiting expectations and building awareness, we nurture our own growth with love rather than shame. We can laugh when we fall and show compassion to ourselves no matter the outcome. Research conducted by Kristin D. Kneff, Associate Professor at University of Texas, Austin, suggests that this kind of self-compassion fosters emotional well-being and decreases anxiety.

As humans, we are like glue—we’re always trying to stick to something: our partners, routines or thoughts, have a healthy lifestyle, yoga, meditation, taichi. Cultivating a beginner’s mind allows us to truly see, truly hear and truly feel, without the background noise of, “Oh, this again.” Instead, each day is an opportunity to savor life as it unfolds before us.