The Practice

"In the beginners mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few."

Knitting is a practice in mindfulness. Every stitch brings you back to the present moment, returning to awareness over and over. Thoughts arise and pass like clouds, returning to each breath as you knit, knit, purl, purl. Consciousness is in the pattern of the stitches. You can see in the pattern where you were not present. Missed stitches, like missed moments in life are unconscious, there is no awareness. Where we bring awareness to knitting the pattern is smooth and even. The wonderful thing about knitting is that it is forgiving. You can unravel and redo stitches with more care and attention. You can learn to be more mindful in each new stitch. The motivation to practice mindfulness is that each moment missed is a moment unlived. Missed moments are a result of automatic, conditioned thinking of feeling and doing rather than living in awareness.

It is a radical act of love to just sit down and be quiet for a time by yourself. Take a stand in your life as it is right now, however it is. Only love can give us insight into what is real and what is important. A radical act of love makes sense. A love for life and for the emergence of one's truest self.