I’ve enjoyed a lot of great experiences and tools learning about mindfulness and building a practice. Some of those have been with friends. Others have been on my own. There’s a lot already out there, whether you’re looking for an in-person class or digital downloads. I completed a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course locally and attended a weekend workshop with Tara Brach in California. I subscribe to Headspace and use it most days to support my practice. I also joined a meditation studio and have visited several practice communities to sit with them. These are all amazing resources.
But what I found is that what I really wanted was a way to invite awareness and practice to support and enhance communities of which I was already a part. Rather than expand to new communities, I wanted my communities to expand into mindfulness. And not just as a one-off activity, but as an ongoing effort and conversation.
I started inquiring about people’s interest in mindfulness. My questions were often met with some curiosity, but also many objections and obstacles. “I don’t understand it.” “I’m not sure how I would benefit from it.” Or, if they believed mindfulness is useful, the objections centered around “my mind is too busy,” “too little time,” or conflicts with share of wellness time (“I’ve already set aside a few hours a week and I need that to exercise.”).
Those are significant obstacles. But challenge accepted! I’m a business person by training, saw successful examples in other cities and felt there was an opportunity here too. So my question became how do we introduce, build and maintain mindfulness in existing communities, and enable members of those communities to support each other to improve well-being? And that made me wonder how we physically bring mindfulness to communities where they already meet, make it as easy and convenient as possible and lower some of those barriers to trying and maintaining a sitting practice?
I sat with that question for a couple months. And then, one day I was driving down the road and I saw a spa truck and I thought, “Yes! A mobile studio! I will take a safe, quiet, beautiful place and experienced teachers to communities and offer classes.”
Now it’s almost time to find out if the convenience and intrigue factor of a mobile studio is enough to overcome objections and help communities improve well-being together.
