3c. Connecting to Culture
Although modern meditation practices are often believed to have non-Indigenous origins, mindfulness practices are embedded in the spiritual beliefs and traditions of many Tribes. The values and benefits of mindfulness and meditation have been offered to the Coast Salish youth and elders through the Indigenous Mindfulness Program.
According to Nehiyaw (Cree) descendent Gary Hutton, this program works to share the benefits of mindfulness in a way that integrates with existing Indigenous cultural practices, spirituality, and ways of knowing:
- Mindfulness has long been essential to the Indigenous worldview, traditional culture, and spiritual practices
- Indigenous beliefs show us that everything in nature is relative to us, sacred and imbued with spirit
- Mindfulness of our own movements and interactions is required to move through the world with this perspective
- A deep, inner stillness and mindfulness helps us live up to our own values and beliefs
I am going to venture that the man who sat on the ground in his tipi meditating on life and its meaning, accepting the kinship of all creatures, and acknowledging unity with the universe of things was infusing into his being the true essence of civilization.