Patrick is a returning guest. You might enjoy checking out his previous sessions — #370, #364, #359, #355, #340 and #320 — in the archives.

ABOUT PATRICK

Patrick Cheater lives in The Pas, Manitoba, Canada with his partner and three cats, and works as a systems integrator.

I work for a factory automation supplier, designing and programming control panels for manufacturing. I was hired as an electrician and was trained in-house for my current role. I’m also a lifelong musician, and I played in an experimental metal music group, The Peaches, for about a decade.

He described what first drew him to mindfulness meditation practice.

It was the possibility of deep relaxation. At that time in my life, I couldn’t access relaxation in any kind of reliable way. That possibility of relaxation and developing an ability to let go of some fixations and stress -- that’s what sold me. With the caveat, of course, that it takes time.

Later on, that sense of possibility grew – overwhelmingly so -- to include idea that insight is cultivatable. There was a paradigm change where I felt, “Oh, that's not something that I'm doing. That's something that's happening to me when I'm open enough to allow it.”

Outside of his work and home life, Patrick’s primary focus is meditation and Unified Mindfulness.

I first heard Shinzen on the 10% Happier Podcast with Dan Harris. Subsequently, I listened to the original audiobook series The Science of Enlightenment. I discovered UM last year and have been a regular practitioner since summer 2023.

He described how, as a daily runner and meditator, these two practices co-evolved.

I had been practicing meditation for several years and I was also taking running more seriously. I wasn’t trying to win a race and I wasn’t explicitly trying to meditate. Looking back now, I see how running became an Auto Move practice, although I didn't have a name for it at the time. It became the best part of my day when I would go outside, let my body move, and let my mind run.

Patrick shared that the biggest impact mindfulness has had on his life has been in his relationships.

Specifically, I find I can be so much more present with people if I tune into expansive-contractive flow in dialogue and in intimate relationships. I have more space for the energy of sharing with others.