See and Be
My cat is teaching me mindfulness
Julie Leoni
My cat is teaching me to see and be.
At first a clumsy-clothed giant,
he has taught me to kneel
and shrink,
how to make myself disappear
and
be
still.
Nose twitching,
ears
scanning.
At first nothing but the wallpaper rustle of wind in leaves,
until I follow
his arrow-yellow eyes
and see this stem weave to a different current,
hear a scratch,
a clutch of claw
on grass,
gripping
to eat seeds,
big ears sateliting
tail curled around stem
balanced.
Poised,
the world slows,
three watchers,
breathing,
taut with anticipation,
twitching.
Then it scuttles off.
Cat exhales
lets his haunches sink into the earth.
I sink too into childhood
when the smell of earth was as familiar to me as the scents of home,
I look up from my belly where I lie
looking through long grass,
smaller
than for many decades now.
The world feels huge,
my garden a jungle,
I could play out all day,
watching bees nestle in blue,
the fountains of grass cascading,
light glancing off the fine filigree.
Time spins out and back and round
taking me from the world of mind and screens
into the sensual underbelly,
of dappled apricot,
waiting,
breathing,
alert.
Get in touch to have a conversation.
Julie Leoni
Coach, author, podcaster, facilitator, Yoga and psychology teacher, learner
I have over 30 years of experience and qualification in various therapeutic and meditation/mindfulness based approaches. I work with change. Some changes we chose, others happen to us. Sometimes we know we want to change but don't know how. Sometimes we don't want to change but external events or people are forcing us to change. The menopause, children leaving home, the end of a relationship or job, becoming a parent, coming out, bereavement are just some of the personal changes I support people with. I also work with people who want to make changes to their life and wider world in response to social issues such as Covid, the climate crisis and racial, sexual and gender inequalities. Times are changing whether we want them to or not and we need to be nimble, agile, curious and open in order to part of the new story emerging. Work with me to get clear on what matters to you, what makes your heart sing and what kind of future you want for yourself and those you love. It is possible to live differently, get in touch to explore how.
