Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast. Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, and inspire a simple and uncomplicated life. Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye.

Like most of us, I was not born into a life of mindfulness or meditation. I'm not proud of it, but I spent my teenage years and most of my 20s,

mindlessly eating, drinking, smoking, numbing, escaping, lying, cheating, and running my mouth with no regard for possible consequences

or how my actions might affect others.

Needless to say, it has not been a seamless transition from that lifestyle to mindful living.

It's not like this spiritual journey is only difficult in the beginning

or that you reach a certain point and it's all downhill from there.

Even after many years of practice, we still sometimes take a tiny step forward,

two giant steps back, climb up a steep cliff only to fall halfway down a treacherous slope and then start again.

I used to think the word relapse only applied for a setback in someone's recovery from addiction for example or the

or the deterioration of someone's health after a period of

improvement, but we can also experience a relapse in our

mindfulness practice. After making significant progress in

certain aspects of our lives, it can be extremely discouraging and

infuriating when we revert back to old behavior patterns that we thought we had already

outgrown. Even with a well-established and diligently cultivated meditation

practice, everyone stumbles from time to time. For example, it doesn't matter how dedicated

I may be to mindful eating. I still sometimes lose the battle against deep-fried, sugar--coated or salty deliciousness. In other words, we all

relapse sometimes, but it's important to remember that a relapse is a bruise, not a

tattoo. In sports terms, losing a a in the game. Sometimes we make life changes and don't repeatedly slip back to old habits, but many of our behavior patterns are so deeply embedded in our personalities, mannerisms, and routines, yet even then, none of them are set in stone.

I decided to quit smoking many years ago, for example, and I haven't slipped once, but I have also vowed to be gentle with my words and in all

honesty that is where I keep slipping. Mindful speech is where I often fall

...