Five Simple Ways To Practice Mindfulness to Live Happier
Gabrielle Mastronardo
May 9, 2024
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If you’ve read the Maia Manifesto, you’re familiar with the founding principle of Maia: the belief that a better “me” leads to a better “we.” But what does that really mean?
While I’d like to flatter myself, this core idea isn’t new. Throughout history, influential figures have echoed similar sentiments. Perhaps the most famous expression comes from Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
The concept is simple: by improving ourselves, we have the power to positively impact the world. It may seem modest, especially for those of us yearning to make a grand difference, but it is, in fact, incredibly powerful.
Why? Because the only aspect of life we truly control is ourselves and how we choose to live. When we align with our deepest values and live authentically, people take notice. They are drawn to our genuine happiness and authenticity.
Maia doesn’t prescribe a single path to becoming a “better me.” Rather, it encourages conscious living, paying attention to the things that ignite our passion, discovering our values, and continuously challenging them through experiences that question our norms and promote personal growth.
This journey looks different for each individual, and that’s the beauty of it. We are all unique, shaped by our cumulative experiences. When we embrace this uniqueness instead of conforming to perceived expectations, extraordinary things unfold.
There are two core pillars to Maia: Living and Travel. Long before Maia came to be, it was the self-exploration of these two pillars that transformed my life, and when I started to notice that the people around me were curious about my outlook on life, I thought I could be on to something that needed sharing.
Travel might seem a little out of place at first, but it is the key to everything that is Maia today.
Travel is fundamental to my journey as it has been the catalyst for realizing that what I once perceived as the norm in my life is not necessarily the blueprint I must abide by. It was through travel that I learned that the societal norms of Mid-West America didn’t have to be the rules I lived my life by.
As I ventured into new countries and crossed paths with diverse individuals, I was exposed to new value systems and perspectives on life. Gradually, I began to realize that some of the values ingrained in me from my upbringing didn’t resonate as deeply as the ones I encountered elsewhere. Slowly I embarked on the journey of shaping my own personal value system, drawing inspiration from various sources and individuals, to create a set of principles that truly resonated with me.
For example, When I first changed to a plant-based diet, visiting my family in Wisconsin, where I grew up for the first time was a treat. I would get questions like, “But you can still eat cheese, right?” or “Fish is vegan, right?” On several occasions, I asked if something was vegan and would be told yes to discover it was coated in cheese upon arrival.
I don’t say this to take a dig at Wisconsin, but rather to point out that if I hadn’t met people around the world who were plant-based, I probably would have never made the change because it wasn’t a valuable or even a common concept where I was from.
While I highly recommend grabbing your passport and heading out on an adventure, I get that it’s not the top priority for everyone– however, just because you aren’t traveling doesn’t mean that you’re not able to reap the benefits of discovering different ways of living, or even meet people from other countries.
Social media has revolutionized our ability to connect with people across the globe, breaking down geographical barriers. Through literature, films, and articles, we can gain profound insights into diverse cultures and their unique customs. All it takes is a genuine sense of curiosity and wonder to embrace the myriad ways of life that exist in our world.
I have intentionally begun to delve deeper into writing about the fundamental cultural themes I have come across, such as the Italian concept of Il Dolce Far Niente and the French notion of Joie De Vivre. It’s worth noting that you don’t need a passport to explore and embrace elements of these lifestyles into your own.
I proactively pursued resources such as workshops, books, and tools to delve deeper into the concepts that resonated with me. This constant quest expanded my knowledge and self-awareness. As I opened new doors, I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone, challenging my beliefs and emphasizing the significance of self-reflection.
One of the values that profoundly impacted me was health. While I had always been somewhat focused on health, now I was taking a holistic approach, thanks to the people I had met along the way who opened my eyes to this, which influenced my lifestyle choices. I began practicing yoga, prioritizing mental well-being, and adopting cleaner eating habits.
These changes led to transformative experiences, such as the meditative power of sound baths and life-changing encounters with hypnotherapy. I became open-minded to new experiences, exploring them to determine if they aligned with my personal growth and well-being.
Little by little, I realized when I told people about my experiences, a lot of them were curious, wanting to discover more, asking to come along the next time, or jotting down the name of the book that I read that helped me discover something new about myself.
This is when I knew that I needed to share what I was learning because as I became a better me, I saw the people around me wanting to go on their journey of living more consciously and becoming aligned with what served them– and so Maia was born.
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