mindfulness

The Many Uses of Mindfulness: Happiness, Positive Thinking, Abundance, Law of Attraction, Relaxation etc.

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For many years I have paid particular attention to things people want such as abundance, happiness, ability to generate positive thoughts, law of attraction, relaxation and so forth. Being like all people, I too have had a personal interest in how I could embody these things and how I could teach it to others. I have read all the books, gone to the seminars, practiced the exercises and spoken to the leaders in these fields to get a better handle on what it takes to achieve these qualities that are valued by so many people. At the same time that I’ve been doing my research, I have continued to practice mindfulness and this has spanned over a period of more than forty years.

To my surprise I have discovered that although these qualities continue to be valued and movements continue to arise around them there is considerable doubt as to the ultimate value of the pursuit of these things. To make matters worse I have spoken with many people who teach these things who candidly admit that the various approaches they teach simply don’t work. There is acknowledgment that these techniques can provide temporary results but inevitably fall by the wayside. I think temporary results are fine and can open the door to a new way of being if approached mindfully. Usually these people have come to me to discuss mindfulness and want to know what it has to say about what they are doing.

Mindfulness has a lot to say about these things if my personal experiences and my interpretation of others experiences in mindfulness are being seen clearly. To begin with, happiness, positivity, relaxation, abundance, law of attraction and so forth are just part of the spectrum of human experience. There is the other side of the spectrum which if ignored can cross the border to denial and disconnection. At that point delusion can set in and a cascade of disappointment can become hard to bear. I think it’s great to fully experience the sought after states of being but only if the opposite states of being are welcomed just as much. This is where equanimity, active acceptance, non striving and letting go come in. The age old saying that the best way to achieve these things is by not trying to achieve them comes to mind as true in every field of human experience. There is a fine line to tread here to fully grasp and engage this process and the practice of mindfulness supplies the map and the missing link. It ultimately transforms the inner experience to reflect a new relationship with the world which in turn redefines the sought after experiences and provides a firm foundation of peace.

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The Many Uses of Mindfulness: Healing

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The Many Uses of Mindfulness: Healing

Over the years people have come to me to learn mindfulness for many different reasons. At the top of the list is healing. Healing can be physical, mental, emotional or spiritual and in the end true healing involves an interface between all of these. To begin with, I like to draw the distinction between healing and curing. Curing is usually thought of in terms of a physical shift from disease to no disease. To me healing has more to do with one’s relationship to the desire for curing. That relationship can be “healed” through the practice of mindfulness. It produces a new way of looking at the issue that results in the clear experience of the issue in the present moment versus the experiences of it from the past and all the anxiety producing concerns for how it may morph in the future. Letting go of the past and future concerns of the issue jettisons a lot of unnecessary baggage and allows for a redirection of energy which can be used to help transform the existing situation. With the redirection of that energy the body/mind is given a greater opportunity to achieve balance and find the ‘healer within”. Mindfulness serves as the “hub” of the healing wheel and facilitates other strategies that can relieve different situations. Many people find other important approaches such as diet, nutrition, exercise, and sense of community are enlivened by a good dose of mindfulness.

Paul

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Mindfulness Based Stress Beating Tips

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Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

Mindfulness Based Stress Beating Tips #1

To reduce stress through the practice of mindfulness takes a certain level of commitment. It is fairly simple to understand the concept of paying attention moment by moment but because it involves doing things in a new way there is a level of patience needed to get through the beginning phase of practice. In our “instant” culture this can certainly be a challenge at times. Rest assured though, that regular practice will ultimately create positive change.

Mindfulness Based Stress Beating Tips #2

There are two kinds of mindfulness practice. One kind is the meditation practice which uses the core practice of paying attention moment by moment without judging our breath, bodies, thoughts, emotions, beliefs and attitudes. It involves going inward with silence and stillness in order to fully experience these things. The second practice is mindfulness in everyday life which is bringing that moment to moment awareness to our experiences outside of the meditation practice. Mindful eating, walking communicating, exercising, brushing teeth etc…..all activity becomes part of mindfulness in everyday life. Although the emphasis is traditionally placed on the meditation practice, the everyday/informal practice is just as important. In fact, both are needed to maintain balance in life.

Mindfulness Based Stress Beating Tips #3

The purpose of mindfulness is to allow us to break the stress cycle and begin healing from within. Stress causes us to disconnect from the present moment. Disconnecting is a natural protective coping mechanism that ends up getting stuck in us through chronic stress. Paying attention mindfully is the beginning point of this healing experience and reverses being stuck in stress/fight or flight. The process can be summed up with this sequence: 1. Mindful Attention, 2. Connection, 3. Communication, 4. Regulation, 5. Order, 6.Ease. The reverse sequence is what makes us sick on many levels. That sequence is: 1. Disattention, 2. Disconnection, 3. Discommunication, 4. Disregulation, 5. Disorder, 6. Disease.

Mindfulness Based Stress Beating Tips #4

There are certain qualities that characterize the mindful experience. 1. Non striving allows the experience to come to us rather than trying to force it. Allowing ourselves to fully experience everything without filtering out unwanted experiences is the core of the practice. Trying to force it simply takes us out of the moment. 2. Non judging is a quality that comes with practice and is facilitated by simply noticing judgment without trying to change it. 3. Letting go is another core quality and is what allows you to stay in the moment. Practice letting go of the past and the future and you will find yourself in the present moment. 4. Sense of humor is another quality that comes with present moment experience and is fun to develop and watch unfold. Other qualities that you may notice unfolding in the present moment are compassion, kindness, love, appreciation, forgiveness, gratitude and ease.

Mindfulness gives you time. Time gives you choices. Choices, skillfully made, lead to freedom. You don’t have to be swept away by your feeling. You can respond with wisdom and kindness rather than habit and reactivity.

~ Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

When we let go of wanting something else to happen in this moment, we are taking a profound step toward being able to encounter what is here now. If we hope to go anywhere or develop ourselves in any way, we can only step from where we are standing. If we don’t really know where we are standing—a knowing that comes directly from the cultivation of mindfulness—we may only go in circles, for all our efforts and expectations. So, in meditation practice, the best way to get somewhere is to let go of trying to get anywhere at all.

~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

If we practice mindfulness, we always have a place to be when we are afraid.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

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Mindfulness and Creativity

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Mindfulness and Creativity. How does mindfulness create and sustain the creative process? The essence of the creative process is freedom. The opposite of freedom is fear (although many say the opposite of fear is love). That being said, perhaps there is a close relationship between freedom and love.

Throughout the ages people have described the feeling that comes with the creative process and it is generally one of being in the moment/flow of whatever activity you are involved in. There is a timeless and effortless sense that usually is experienced as well as a sense of positive energy and a feeling of satisfaction. This is of course the specific quality of present moment awareness and is the result of either a sustained training in mindfulness or having stumbled upon an activity/subject that allows you to enter the present moment as a particular doorway for you. We all have activities/subjects that put us into this experience but all too few of us can access this experience 24×7 which is the real effect of mindfulness practice.

For many, creativity comes as either a physical, mental, emotional or “spiritual” experience or a combination of some of these. For the mindfulness practitioner they are trained in engaging all 4 areas in the exercise of creativity so that it becomes a truly holistic experience. There is a sense of balance driving the creativity and is sustained by that balanced “chi” energy rather than the artificial, temporary adrenaline energy so many people become reliant upon and sustain with negative behaviors, eventually succumbing to it’s pressure over the long term.

There is limitless creativity available to everyone when you step into the present moment.

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Mindfulness and Multitasking

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woman multitasking

Lately multitasking has come to the attention of the field of stress as an activity that produces high levels of stress, reduces workplace productivity and dilutes our ability to experience life more fully. For the most part I agree with that but not because multitasking is intrinsically counterproductive, but because people have not been trained on how to multitask effectively.

Let’s take a close look at how the average person multitasks versus how someone trained in mindfulness multitasks. The average person has not been trained in focusing attention and letting go so consequently when it comes to multitasking as they move from one subject/activity to the next, part of the previous subject/activity comes with them and after awhile it all becomes a mish mosh of unfocused confusion and does in fact cause stress.

On the other hand, when someone trained in mindfulness multitasks and they move from subject/activity to subject/activity they are able to let go of the previous subject/activity and move cleanly onto the next without the usual spill over from the previous. On the outside it may look the same as the untrained person, but on the inside there is a clean movement from task to task with no residual left over from the previous. Multitasking then becomes faster, more efficient, more productive and frankly, fun to do. Rather than produce and perpetuate adrenaline addiction, it produces and perpetuates what the Eastern traditions call Chi, or positive modulated energy.

This reminds me of a story/legend of a famous Yogi who would ask the many gathered people who had come to see him to ask him a question all at the same time. He would then proceed to answer every one of them. I don’t know if that is a true story but it got me thinking many years ago about the potential of attention and the story has stuck with me all these years.

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Mindfulness and Meaning

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Mindfulness and Meaning

My Mindfulness approach to understanding the meaning of our experiences came as quite a shock to me. As a typical person brought up in a culture stressing the importance of finding meaning in our lives and the world around us I spent many years searching for those answers. I never really settled on a final explanation and meaning. I will leave that to other fields like quantum physics and mechanics which seem so tantalizingly close to making great breakthroughs in these age old questions.

When I started my mindfulness practice many years ago I was drawn in by the allure of paying close attention to all things “present moment”…breath, body, emotions, thoughts etc. with the expectation that if I was diligent in my practice an explanation and meaning for everything would eventually come to me. As I paid close attention to being present I did begin to imagine explanations for many things but was still unable to come to an understanding of the meaning of things.

After a few years I started to get tired of looking for meaning and explanations so decided to simply fully experience the present moment without trying to ascribe any meaning or explanation to it. That meant letting go of trying to find the meaning of why I thought the way I did, had certain emotions and bodily makeup and responses. It was difficult to do as I had been brought up in our culture of looking for meaning in everything. As I was able to let go of the search for meaning I discovered the doorway into a deeper experience of the present moment. There was a dramatic shift in the way I saw and experienced things. There was also a dramatic sense of freedom and adventure unfolding. I have continued to use this approach in my practice and at my classes at MBSR Phoenix/Scottsdale and it has paid dividends in my ability to fully experience life, sustain a sense of freedom and wonderment and participate in the adventure of life. It has also allowed me to more fully impart these things to others.

I have learned that there is a lot more to life than what meets the eye and that there is no need to figure it all out.

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Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction As Evidence Based Practice

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The Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR Training) began in 1979 at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Its initial mission was to treat people for various stress related illnesses that hadn’t responded to traditional approaches. It became apparent after a short period of time that not only were people greatly benefiting from the mindfulness based stress reduction therapy using this alternate approach, but that the results we often better than the traditional approaches.

The realization of the potential broad based benefits of this practice gave rise to initial studies in the area of pain management. Outcomes were excellent and along the way it was noticed that people were benefiting in many other ways. Since 1980 there have been over 1500 studies from all over the world attesting to the effectiveness of mindfulness in many different areas of illness and also in areas of human performance. It is being taught in health care settings, school systems, athletics, corporations and every area of our society.

The studies touch upon physical, mental and emotional conditions of every imaginable kind. Everything from heart disease, immune disorders, digestive problems, pain, fear, depression, anxiety, anger, inability to focus and many others have been studied and published over the past 35 years. MBSR training at the Scottsdale Institute for Health and Medicine serves the entire Phoenix area and teaches the same program pioneered at the Center for Mindfulness by Jon Kabat Zinn, PhD.

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How and Why to Commit to the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program

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The good news about MBSR training is that it is simple to understand. The knowledge that practicing present moment awareness reverses the stress cycle by counteracting the disconnect coping mechanism caused by the fight or flight experience makes sense and is easy to grasp quickly. The other news is that practicing mindfulness meditation and mindfulness in everyday life takes a fair level of commitment and determination.

Our culture is a high adrenaline, multi tasking experience. From an early age we are bombarded with stimuli that tear down our ability to focus and be in the present moment. The resulting strain on our healthcare system attests to the inherent problems of living life in the fast lane. Yet to go against the “norm” in our culture is to create other problems where we feel like we don’t belong and a sense of alienation creeps into our lives. To slow down and focus on the present moment is like swimming against the current and creates its own stress.

So, we have to ask ourselves if it is worth the discipline of practicing MBSR training since it is likely to be a permanent requirement of our new lifestyle as long as we live in a culture like ours. Even if we don’t there are many reasons to practice mindfulness once a baseline norm is reached and peak performance mode appears as a permanent possibility. An important realization is that mindfulness gets easier the more you practice. After awhile it simply becomes the way you are and practice becomes easy and fun. Considering the rewards it seems obvious to me that the commitment is worth making. MBSR Scottsdale serves the needs of the MBSR Phoenix community and is available to all who are willing to make the commitment.

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Mindfulness and Sound

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MINDFUL MAGAZINE

Practice Mindfulness With Everyday Sounds

Susan Gillis Chapman helps us appreciate the music of everyday life.

by Susan Gillis Chapman

The most common instruction for mindfulness meditation is to pay attention to your breath. But the breath is not the only thing you can notice when you sit down to meditate. Whether you use a small gong or an app on your phone, ringing a bell is a good way to start and end a meditation session. The sound is not just a timer. It reminds us that mindfulness is about creating space for silence and for listening. By letting go of our usual distractions, we make room to appreciate the sounds around us.

Here are three types of sounds to appreciate as you sit in “silence.”

1. Background sounds

One of the first things you will notice once the sound of the opening bell fades away is background sounds: traffic noise, the whirring of a ceiling fan, murmuring voices in the hallway. As you notice each one, let go of the habit of naming and judging it and dive into the pure sensation of hearing. In this way, everything you hear is treated as equal—beyond being pleasant or unpleasant.

2. Melodic sounds

Sounds that form a melody tend to arouse emotions, which is what we love about music. When we sit quietly, we will inevitably notice melodic sounds. A chorus of birds greets the dawn. A siren wails in the distance. A pitter-patter of rain softly taps the windowpane. Listening to the rise and fall of these sounds can arouse feelings that don’t need to be named or clung to. Melodies can make us feel sadness, joy, or both. Try to find the dividing line between the sound and your emotional response. It’s challenging, but listen loosely. If something melodious moves you, stay with it and notice how it affects your body.

3. Abrupt sounds

Sudden, shocking sounds that interrupt us can also bring us back to awareness. Someone sneezes—achoo!—and we’re back to the now. The sudden arising of a sound can wake you up to the present moment when you’ve been lulled into habitual thought patterns. When sitting quietly, we’re not trying to fall into a trance. Relaxed awareness is the thing, like a deer on the alert for something new.

When the closing bell rings at the end of your session, let the sound relax you. Rest in it for a moment. As the reverberation fades away, let it help you transition into everyday activity. Every moment there are sounds inviting us to listen. Being open to them is just another way to appreciate the world around us and appreciate one another. All the conversations in our life begin here.

This article also appeared in the August 2013 issue of Mindful magazine.
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MBSR

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Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn developed the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Since its inception, MBSR has evolved into a common form of complementary medicine addressing a variety of health problems. The National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has provided a number of grants to research the efficacy of the MBSR program in promoting healing (see “Studies” below for information on this research). Completed studies have found that pain-related drug utilization was decreased, and activity levels and feelings of self esteem increased, for a majority of participants. More information on these studies can be found on the University of Massachusetts Medical School website: Center for Mindfulness

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction brings together mindfulness meditation and yoga. Although MBSR is a training with potential benefits for all types of participants, historically, students have suffered from a wide range of chronic disorders and diseases. MBSR is an 8-week intensive training in mindfulness meditation, based on ancient healing practices, which meets on a weekly basis. Mindfulness practice is ideal for cultivating greater awareness of the unity of mind and body, as well as of the ways the unconscious thoughts, feelings, and behaviors can undermine emotional, physical, and spiritual health. The mind is known to be a factor in stress and stress-related disorders, and meditation has been shown to positively effect a range of autonomic physiological processes, such as lowering blood pressure and reducing overall arousal and emotional reactivity. In addition to mindfulness practices, MBSR uses yoga to help reverse the prevalence of disuse atrophy from our culture’s largely sedentary lifestyle, especially for those with pain and chronic illnesses. The program brings meditation and yoga together so that the virtues of both can be experienced simultaneously .

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