Giving Back Magazine April 2018 | Page 34

Salud ALEXANDRA BORBOLLA Mindfulness Photography The Mindful Chair A lexandra Borbolla is doing some very interesting things with photography and mindfulness. Through meditation and discipline, she has opened the door to creativity and healing, awakening her curiosity to think outside the box and see opportunity beyond what is evident. “There is always something that needs healing inside us, an obstacle to jump, a cloudy day, or even a hurricane to endure. In life, the ones who learn how to be resilient are the people who will prevail and succeed, they are the ones who will be happier and who will enjoy life to the fullest.” “To be a mindfulness photographer, to tell a story with an image,” she says, “you have to be in the moment and slow things down in order to perceive the light, patterns, shapes, harmony and the beauty of life. We see reality through our lens with a unique perspective and when we click the shutter, the result is a print of our expression of reality. We reveal who we are in every interpretation of how we see the world. When I was ten years old, I experienced the tragic death of my friend Iñigo, as well as two other major losses that same year. So, I thought life was not about living but about dying, grief and deep 34 GBSAN.COM | APRIL 2018 In the Womb emptiness. The camera my dad gave me was like a raft in a vast ocean of sadness; it saved my life. My mother introduced me to a sport that gave me the drive and strength to keep going.” Art and sports taught me mindfulness, showed me the present and its wonders, and set me free through a sensation of being in “flow”. I became a mindfulness practitioner. I would train my mind to facilitate deep breathing, to visualize myself winning a competition, and to feel the sensation of jumping in the air flawlessly.” Life grew full of richness and meaning, offering lots of things to explore. Death became a reason for being present and for enjoying every single moment, even the hard ones because there is always a grateful moment within those moments. Gratefulness, is the key to everything. Sports showed me that hard work and passion make a person better every day, that there is no defeat that cannot teach