Mindfulness - the state of being
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siuyuin
Oct 5, 2010, 1:50:37 PM10/5/10
to Happiness
As I started to research on the topic of happiness, I came across
happiness tips published in lifestyle magazines, and blog-a-thons by
authors trying to sell you their “DIY: be happy” book. Nothing made
an impression on me; I believe that true happiness comes with self-
awareness, inner peace, and a sense of satisfaction that comes with
acceptance.
I hit the gold mine when I came across Matthieu Ricard’s talk on the
topic at ted.com. I vaguely remember viewing some of his videos
before but this time around, I found what he said arresting,
insightful and profound. It’s pretty powerful stuff, what he talks
about, what the mind is capable of.
< http://www.ted.com/talks/matthieu_ricard_on_the_habits_of_happiness.html>
If, after watching the above video, the contents of Ricard’s talk
strike a chord with you, read on. If you have no clue about what he
said, or think it is pure hogwash, stop right here. Save the link in
your bookmark. Revisit the video again sometime in the future,
whether it be two days, two weeks, two months, two years, or two
decades later. One day, what he talks about will strike you like
lightning and you will never be the same person again. (Ok, maybe I
exaggerate.)
In the past, I had tried to practice meditation as a way to learn to
slow down as I often exhibit Type A personality traits. After reading
and exploring more about Ricard’s research on this topic, I made up my
mind to give meditation another try. I vaguely remember owning some
books on meditation from my previous failed attempt to try to learn
it. Now, with a clearer understanding and personal objective to
“train” my mind, I picked up one of the books again. On page 18 of
the book, “Whereever you go, there you are” by Jon Kabat-Zinn, was a
bookmark that I had left there the last time I read the book. This
time around, I read the book from cover to cover.
The primary barrier between me and the practice of meditation had been
that I have trouble with the sitting still, the blank slate of mind,
and the deathly silence. As soon as “silence” occurs, something will
encroach to destroy it. Those were my previous perceptions and
experience on meditation. I find that Kabat-Zinn’s approach is fairly
open. He talks about the state of being, about non-doing. About how
one can still practice meditation while doing something. About how a
five-second meditation is meditation. This works for better for me.
From my training as musician, I have learnt to listen critically to
music and have developed the ability to listen on different levels. I
found that I can practice mindfulness in my own unique way if I apply
my critical listening skills of “being”, separating out the sounds and
tones, pulse and phrasing, inner lines and harmonies, towards my own
style of meditation.
One of the incredible things about the mind is its ability to operate
on many levels, consciously, sub-consciously, to analyse, visualise,
feel, sense, intuit, etc. Sometimes all at once, sometimes singularly
focused. I believe that training of the mind essentially allows one
to allow one’s subconscious mind to come forth and at the same time
promotes greater clarity of thought and control of one’s emotions.
This has a particularly liberating effect on the mind, body and soul
and in effect creates a sense of happiness from within.
If you want to give meditation a try, set aside an hour and a half,
for the next video of Kabat-Zinn giving a talk at Google. As part of
the talk, he leads the attendees in a meditation session.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc>
Try it out and make the practice of mindfulness a personal habit.
-siu yuin
happiness tips published in lifestyle magazines, and blog-a-thons by
authors trying to sell you their “DIY: be happy” book. Nothing made
an impression on me; I believe that true happiness comes with self-
awareness, inner peace, and a sense of satisfaction that comes with
acceptance.
I hit the gold mine when I came across Matthieu Ricard’s talk on the
topic at ted.com. I vaguely remember viewing some of his videos
before but this time around, I found what he said arresting,
insightful and profound. It’s pretty powerful stuff, what he talks
about, what the mind is capable of.
< http://www.ted.com/talks/matthieu_ricard_on_the_habits_of_happiness.html>
If, after watching the above video, the contents of Ricard’s talk
strike a chord with you, read on. If you have no clue about what he
said, or think it is pure hogwash, stop right here. Save the link in
your bookmark. Revisit the video again sometime in the future,
whether it be two days, two weeks, two months, two years, or two
decades later. One day, what he talks about will strike you like
lightning and you will never be the same person again. (Ok, maybe I
exaggerate.)
In the past, I had tried to practice meditation as a way to learn to
slow down as I often exhibit Type A personality traits. After reading
and exploring more about Ricard’s research on this topic, I made up my
mind to give meditation another try. I vaguely remember owning some
books on meditation from my previous failed attempt to try to learn
it. Now, with a clearer understanding and personal objective to
“train” my mind, I picked up one of the books again. On page 18 of
the book, “Whereever you go, there you are” by Jon Kabat-Zinn, was a
bookmark that I had left there the last time I read the book. This
time around, I read the book from cover to cover.
The primary barrier between me and the practice of meditation had been
that I have trouble with the sitting still, the blank slate of mind,
and the deathly silence. As soon as “silence” occurs, something will
encroach to destroy it. Those were my previous perceptions and
experience on meditation. I find that Kabat-Zinn’s approach is fairly
open. He talks about the state of being, about non-doing. About how
one can still practice meditation while doing something. About how a
five-second meditation is meditation. This works for better for me.
From my training as musician, I have learnt to listen critically to
music and have developed the ability to listen on different levels. I
found that I can practice mindfulness in my own unique way if I apply
my critical listening skills of “being”, separating out the sounds and
tones, pulse and phrasing, inner lines and harmonies, towards my own
style of meditation.
One of the incredible things about the mind is its ability to operate
on many levels, consciously, sub-consciously, to analyse, visualise,
feel, sense, intuit, etc. Sometimes all at once, sometimes singularly
focused. I believe that training of the mind essentially allows one
to allow one’s subconscious mind to come forth and at the same time
promotes greater clarity of thought and control of one’s emotions.
This has a particularly liberating effect on the mind, body and soul
and in effect creates a sense of happiness from within.
If you want to give meditation a try, set aside an hour and a half,
for the next video of Kabat-Zinn giving a talk at Google. As part of
the talk, he leads the attendees in a meditation session.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc>
Try it out and make the practice of mindfulness a personal habit.
-siu yuin
siuyuin
Oct 9, 2010, 7:07:46 AM10/9/10
to Happiness
The following principles of mindfulness was taken from the Stress
Reduction Clinic's website:
http://www.stressreductionclinic.org/resources.html
Principles of Mindfulness:
• Mindfulness is deliberately paying attention, non-judgmentally.
• Mindfulness encompasses both internal processes and external
environments.
• Mindfulness is being aware of what is present for you mentally,
emotionally and physically in each moment.
• With practice, mindfulness cultivates the possibility of freeing
yourself of reactive, habitual patterns of thinking, feeling and
acting.
• Mindfulness promotes balance, choice, wisdom and acceptance of “what
is”.
Mindful Eating is:
• Allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing
opportunities that are available through food preparation and
consumption by respecting your own inner wisdom.
• Choosing to eat food that is both pleasing to you and nourishing to
your body by using all your senses to explore, savor and taste.
• Acknowledging responses to food (likes, neutral or dislikes) without
judgment.
• Learning to be aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide
your decision to begin eating and to stop eating.
Someone Who Eats Mindfully:
• Acknowledges that there is no right or wrong way to eat but varying
degrees of awareness surrounding the experience of food.
• Accepts that his/her eating experiences are unique.
• Is an individual who by choice, directs his/her awareness to all
aspects of food and eating on a moment-by-moment basis.
• Is an individual who looks at the immediate choices and direct
experiences associated with food and eating: not to the distant health
outcome of that choice.
• Is aware of and reflects on the effects caused by unmindful eating.
• Experiences insight about how he/she can act to achieve specific
health goals as he/she becomes more attuned to the direct experience
of eating and feelings of health.
• Becomes aware of the interconnection of earth, living beings, and
cultural practices and the impact of his/ her food choices has on
those systems.
-siu yuin
Reduction Clinic's website:
http://www.stressreductionclinic.org/resources.html
Principles of Mindfulness:
• Mindfulness is deliberately paying attention, non-judgmentally.
• Mindfulness encompasses both internal processes and external
environments.
• Mindfulness is being aware of what is present for you mentally,
emotionally and physically in each moment.
• With practice, mindfulness cultivates the possibility of freeing
yourself of reactive, habitual patterns of thinking, feeling and
acting.
• Mindfulness promotes balance, choice, wisdom and acceptance of “what
is”.
Mindful Eating is:
• Allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing
opportunities that are available through food preparation and
consumption by respecting your own inner wisdom.
• Choosing to eat food that is both pleasing to you and nourishing to
your body by using all your senses to explore, savor and taste.
• Acknowledging responses to food (likes, neutral or dislikes) without
judgment.
• Learning to be aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide
your decision to begin eating and to stop eating.
Someone Who Eats Mindfully:
• Acknowledges that there is no right or wrong way to eat but varying
degrees of awareness surrounding the experience of food.
• Accepts that his/her eating experiences are unique.
• Is an individual who by choice, directs his/her awareness to all
aspects of food and eating on a moment-by-moment basis.
• Is an individual who looks at the immediate choices and direct
experiences associated with food and eating: not to the distant health
outcome of that choice.
• Is aware of and reflects on the effects caused by unmindful eating.
• Experiences insight about how he/she can act to achieve specific
health goals as he/she becomes more attuned to the direct experience
of eating and feelings of health.
• Becomes aware of the interconnection of earth, living beings, and
cultural practices and the impact of his/ her food choices has on
those systems.
-siu yuin
siuyuin
Oct 19, 2010, 12:10:56 PM10/19/10
to Happiness
I want to pick up again on the thread of mindfulness and explore a
little more on changing the brain and its effects on our personal
happiness.
Learn about neuroplasticity:
http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2007/09/10/neuroplasticity-101-and-brain-health-glossary/
Here’s an article on meditation and neuroplasticity that writes about
Professor Richard Davidson’s research on brain changes that have been
recorded through meditation practice.
http://bipolarblast.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/meditation-and-neuroplasticity/
The lab that ran these research experiments: Lab for Affective
Neuroscience
http://psyphz.psych.wisc.edu/
An abstract from a journal article (note Davidson, Kabat-Zinn in the
author list)
“Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness
Meditation”
Richard J. Davidson, PhD, Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, Jessica Schumacher, MS,
Melissa Rosenkranz, BA, Daniel Muller, MD, PhD, Saki F. Santorelli,
EdD, Ferris Urbanowski, MA, Anne Harrington, PhD, Katherine Bonus, MA
and John F. Sheridan, PhD
http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi/content/abstract/65/4/564
A podcast by Richard Davidson
http://www.shrinkrapradio.com/2010/02/26/231-%E2%80%93-the-meditating-brain-with-richard-davidson/
So what are you waiting for? Go exercise your brain with meditation.
(-:
-siu yuin
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