Meet Jonathan Prescott!

Why is cultivating awareness important?

Mindfulness of our own body, feelings, and thoughts gives us the ability to respond rather than react. Awareness offers the pause necessary to meet life's challenges with love and compassion instead of our well-worn habitual reactions. Awareness is the foundation of freedom.

What does living with awareness look like to you?

For me, awareness is like an anchor. Instead of being swept away by the currents of life, I’m able to remain anchored within awareness of my breath. That anchored awareness shows me that I’m much more than my habits, my preferences, and my opinions. Taking a single mindful breath is a kind of freedom that unearths kindness and love even in difficult situations.

How does awareness support you to live well?

Here’s a story about how awareness supports me: My aging parents recently moved into a retirement community. My mother suffered a lot when faced with letting go of the possessions she’d accumulated over 90 years. Even though she agreed to stay away from their former home while estate sale professionals did their work, she showed up one day and began retrieving items she had no room to store in her small apartment.

When I got the phone call that this was happening, I was upset. I drove to her former home while ruminating, ‘How could she do this? We agreed not to interfere and there she is…’ But when I arrived at the house, I paused to breathe mindfully before going inside. That moment of freedom allowed me to break the rumination cycle and see my mom as she was in that moment: a frail, elderly woman facing huge losses. 

I put my arms around her and said, ‘I love you, mom.’ 

We held each other and cried.