Here is another inspiring story from our book Mindfulness for Transformation. The stories are written by members of our community and Graduates from our Online Teach Mindfulness Course.

By - Lauretta Mazza

I have been practising and teaching mindfulness for many years,but I felt it really changed my life during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

Italy was one of the first countries to be hit by the pandemic, and in the beginning no one knew what it would lead to. We were asked to stay at home, avoid social connections, and only go out for the bare essentials, such as buying food or walking the dog; nothing more.

Suddenly, we all had a lot of time to fully live in the present moment, to just be. It was like watching a slow motion action replay, or experiencing a significant moment in your life when you can perceive and register all the details of that moment like a perfect photograph. The slow motion of the new reality amplified the sense that I was alive, tuning me deeply into my breathing, the sensation of walking, the feeling of the water while washing my hands.

I recalled a similar feeling of being present from my childhood when, during long holidays in the mountains with ‘nothing’ to do, I would find myself reading, walking, creating new games and telling stories with the other children and laughing about every little thing.

The key of transformation was given to me when I found all that time in lockdown–the gift of time to be in the present moment, without running towards a goal.

I am lucky to live with a dog and a cat, surrounded by books and flowers. My first response to the new reality was to move the furniture of my little apartment and create a space for mindful movement. I found the tripod for my mobile and subscribed to video conferencing so that I could continue teaching my mindful movement classes online.

Only a few students faced the challenge with me, but those who did have never abandoned this new mode of attending classes. Like me, they have learned to use new technologies and maximise their potential. My days soon became full thanks to these technologies, as students, friends and family members appeared on the screen to spend time with me, while the days passed without us knowing what tomorrow would bring.

My slow, conscious walks inside the apartment marked the different hours of the day. From this space on the carpet, close to my books, I could admire the beautiful panorama from my window: the village walls, the nearby town, the green hills dotted with farmhouses. I had created a special space to return to,one in which I could find kindness and acceptance–a space infused with the curiosity of a new meeting. These experiences started to feel like magical moments, and this space called out to me several times during the day.

The hypersensitivity that has always accompanied me gave way to change, to acceptance. The suspended time of the first month of lockdown flowed away quickly, but the second month and the subsequent weeks of continued confinement presented me with an opportunity to go deep into my practice and discover–or rediscover–how to let go of the habits, attitudes and behaviours brought about by living on autopilot. I was simply at home, in my practice, into being.

Even now, on the resumption of all activities–the open-air classes and the daily walks in nature–the magical space I created at home, where everything happened for so long, hasn’t disappeared. It has become more solid and important to me: it helps me to know myself, accept myself, to be with myself in a totally new way. Practising meditation more often than usual seems to have given me access to a new door, a new entrance, a new dimension of being, where everything is more harmonious.

Every time I get close to the magic carpet, close to the books on my shelves, the quality of my day becomes brighter, more brilliant.

My mindfulness adventure continues as a source of precious discoveries that lead to a special path into being–all starting from the sound of a bell.

Get in touch for details to join our Daily Mindfulness Club or Teach Mindfulness Academy communities. Our next Teach Mindfulness Online course starts in September.