{"id":156,"date":"2010-10-25T18:10:54","date_gmt":"2010-10-25T18:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/2010\/10\/metaphor-monday-running-stitch-1.html"},"modified":"2010-10-25T18:10:54","modified_gmt":"2010-10-25T18:10:54","slug":"metaphor-monday-running-stitch-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2010\/10\/metaphor-monday-running-stitch-1.html","title":{"rendered":"Metaphor Monday :: Running Stitch"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"running_stitch.jpg\"<\/span>According to Wikipedia, “the running stitch or straight stitch<\/b> is the basic stitch in hand-sewing<\/a> and embroidery<\/a>, on which all other forms of sewing are based. The stitch is worked by passing the needle<\/a> in and out of the fabric<\/a>.” <\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
Sounds like the breath, no? Our breath is the running stitch that runs throughout our days and nights. As the running stitch is to sewing, breathing is to life — the basic movement that keeps everything together. <\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

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Of course, without breathing there is nothing. We may take breathing for granted, never give it a second thought. We may consider breathing boring. But if you can’t breathe, the breath becomes very<\/i> interesting all of a sudden. <\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

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Since we are breathing always, the breath becomes a natural place for focus. It’s always waiting to receive our attention and like the running stitch can be a thread that runs throughout our day. It’s quite possible to stay in close proximity to the breath as we prepare for work, as we work, and as we transition from work.<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
Breathing can be our ally and companion, connecting us to our bodies and the present moment. The more we tie in to the breath, the stronger the fabric of our life will be. There will be more presence, more continuity, and more heart.<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
So get out your needle and thread and stitch your life together. Pay attention to the breath that is occurring now and then again now. Each time we come back from a story to this singular breath we touch peace. No story; no strife. <\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
Breathe. <\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to Wikipedia, “the running stitch or straight stitch is the basic stitch in hand-sewing and embroidery, on which all other forms of sewing are based. The stitch is worked by passing the needle in and out of the fabric.”  Sounds like the breath, no? Our breath is the running stitch that runs throughout our days and nights. As the running stitch…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":268,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-awake-at-work","category-metaphors-for-mindfulness","category-mindfulnesss"],"yoast_head":"\nMetaphor Monday :: Running Stitch - Mindfulness Matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2010\/10\/metaphor-monday-running-stitch-1.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Metaphor Monday :: Running Stitch - Mindfulness Matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"According to Wikipedia, “the running stitch or straight stitch is the basic stitch in hand-sewing and embroidery, on which all other forms of sewing are based. 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Dr. Kozak's ability to translate ancient healing traditions into pragmatic applications suitable for modern lifestyles through the use of metaphors have made him a strong voice in healthcare and business. Beginning with a journey to India in the 80\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where he took the Bodhisattva vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Arnie Dr. Kozak began his lifelong practice in mindfulness meditation. Intent on finding a way to bring the practical healing attributes of mindfulness he began incorporating these techniques in his private practice. In 2002 Dr. Kozak created Exquisite Mind in Burlington, Vermont as a vehicle that could expand his wisdom to larger audiences beyond individual psychotherapy to professionals and corporations, health care providers, public groups and, most recently with Exquisite Mind Golf, amateur and professional golfers. His award-winning new book, Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness (Wisdom Publications, 2009) is a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring translation of mindfulness practice through the inventive use of metaphor applicable to our daily lives. In addition to his work with Exquisite Mind, Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDoctorate has been a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Vermont and is a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine. He has studied and practiced clinical psychology, meditation, and yoga for more than 25 years. He has studied with several meditation masters, including S. N. Goenka, Larry Rosenberg, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After receiving his bachelors degree with honors from Tufts University, he was awarded a Presidential Fellowship to get his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo. He completed his training as a Psychological Fellow at the Harvard Medical School. Prior to founding the Exquisite Mind in 2002, Arnie worked ten years in the private sector for the PKC Corporation consulting on mental health content for this revolutionary software company.","sameAs":["http:\/\/exquisitemind.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/author\/akozak"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}