As we close out the year, our team at Lotus Consulting has been spending time reflecting on what it truly means to be present. Mindfulness is something we speak about often in our work with clients, but it is also something we practice together, imperfectly and intentionally, as a team.
This season, especially, invites pause. It offers moments to slow down, notice what is here, and reconnect with what grounds us. In the midst of busy schedules and meaningful clinical work, our team recently shared an evening together that embodied these principles in a very tangible way.
Mindfulness as a Sensory Experience
During a cold winter evening, our team gathered for dinner and then stepped into a glassblowing studio. Almost immediately, the experience asked something different of us. Attention shifted from conversation and planning to sensation. There was the intense heat of the furnaces. The steady hum of equipment and the crunch of glass materials beneath tools. The rich, shifting colors of molten glass as it softened, stretched, and transformed. Each moment required presence. Glassblowing does not allow for distraction. You feel the weight of the glass, notice the timing, adjust your breath and movement, and respond to what is happening in real time. In many ways, it mirrored what we practice in mindfulness-based therapies: staying with what is, rather than rushing toward outcome.
Beginner’s Mind and Gentle Curiosity
For most of us, this was a new experience. There was uncertainty, trial and error, and a sense of stepping outside familiar roles. This is what mindfulness often invites. A beginner’s mind. Curiosity without judgment. Willingness to try, observe, and adjust. In dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness is about noticing without immediately reacting, staying engaged with the present moment even when it feels uncomfortable or unfamiliar. Glassblowing offered a lived version of this practice. The glass could not be forced. It required attunement, patience, and respect for the process.
Connection Through Shared Presence
There was also something deeply connecting about learning side by side. Laughter surfaced easily. So did shared wonder. We watched one another focus, make mistakes, adapt, and succeed. The experience fostered connection not through conversation alone, but through doing, noticing, and being present together. These moments of shared presence matter. They strengthen teams, deepen trust, and remind us why relational connection is so central to emotional well-being.
Gratitude as a Practice
As we reflect on the year, we feel deep gratitude. For our team, whose care, thoughtfulness, and commitment shape Lotus Consulting every day. For our clients, who trust us with their stories and growth. And for our community partners and collaborators who support mental health and well-being in meaningful ways. Gratitude, like mindfulness, is not just a sentiment. It is a practice. One that invites us to notice what sustains us and to carry that awareness forward. As the year comes to a close, we hope you find moments of presence, renewal, and connection in the weeks ahead. Thank you for being part of our community.