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Mindfulness Explained: From Ancient Wisdom To Modern Science AudioChapter from Mindful Master AudioBook by Nick Trenton
Mindful Master: 10 Minutes a Day to Less Stress, Less Worry, More Peace, and More Resilience (Mental and Emotional Abundance Book 3) By Nick Trenton
00:04:48 The Benefits of a Mindfulness Practice
00:14:04 A Historical Perspective - From the East to the West, and from Religion to Science
00:18:42 Mindfulness from the Eastern Perspective
00:22:51 Mindfulness in the Modern Era, and Positive Psychology
00:25:04 Neuroscience on Mindfulness and Meditation - Why You Have “Two Minds”
00:28:23 Mindfulness in Plain English Self-Awareness and Mindfulness
00:30:02 The Pillars of Mindfulness
00:34:53 A Word of Warning
Hear it Here - https://Mindful Master
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Practical steps to live in the present and stop overthinking with everyday meditation and mindfulness.
If you’re feeling emotionally absent in your own life, something needs to change. If you can’t focus on the present moment, and keep drifting to past regrets or future dangers, something needs to change. That change is mindfulness meditation.
Tame your anxious and negative emotions and stay even-keeled no matter what.
Mindful Master is a spotlight on how to focus on the now, which is to focus on happiness and gratitude. All we have is the present moment, and cultivating this skill is the key to fulfillment. This book brings mindfulness and meditation into simple, everyday practices for you to become the best version of yourself.The modern world pulls us 100 different directions at once, so it’s easy to become lost and overwhelmed. Mindful Master is the tool you need to downsize your thoughts and focus only on what matters.
Mindfulness and meditation in plain English for both beginners and veterans.
Nick Trenton grew up in rural Illinois and is quite literally a farm boy. His best friend growing up was his trusty companion Leonard the dachshund. RIP Leonard. Eventually, he made it off the farm and obtained a BS in Economics, followed by an MA in Behavioral Psychology.
Unlock the most valuable tool to help navigate life’s challenges.
•Positive psychology and how to use it for your own peace of mind.•The surprising pillars of mindfulness and mental calm.•How mindfulness can develop in less than 10 minutes a day with simple exercises.•How to master meditation and make it work for you, even for skeptics.•Emergency techniques for moments of rage, anxiety, and worry.•How to ease emotional turmoil and simply breathe.
Discover how to live in the present, not in the past or future. No more emotional overwhelm. It’s time to take charge of your life.
• Meditation is not the same as mindfulness, which can be practiced right now, no matter what you are doing. Each day presents opportunities to enter a state of heightened awareness, in the ordinary activities that you engage in—from washing your face, to eating, to the daily commute, to your interactions with others.
• A common myth about the practice of mindfulness is that it requires total emptiness of the mind, where every emerging thought is blocked by a wall to prevent it from disturbing a pure, flawless Zen state. In reality, however, the mind will wander—and you are not required to completely stop it from doing so.
• In mindfulness, you can allow your mind to wander, and work instead toward simply becoming aware, notice the stream of thoughts without becoming attached to it, and anchor back to the now. All you need is an attitude of non-striving, acceptance, patience, and the willingness to consistently and gently bring yourself back to the present.
• A way to come back to the present moment is to tune in to your breathing. As the breath remains constant no matter what time of the day it is or what activity you engage in, breathing is a natural anchor you can use to bring yourself back to the now. Focusing on how your breath moves in and out of you leads you to redirect your consciousness to what is in the here and now.
• In addition to breathing, your body’s sense perceptions (from your eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin) are effective anchors you can employ to activate your direct experience circuit instead of your narrative circuit.
• You can be mindful when you interact with others. As you talk with the person in front of you, really see them, be fully with them, and immerse yourself in their world for the time that you are with them.
• Practice mindfulness as you read, write, and listen. Mindful reading allows a space for absorption, reflection, and insight to boom. Mindful writing sharpens your capacity for keen observation, discernment, and faithful documentation of what is. Mindful listening grants you the ability to remain calm, open, and accepting of the other person’s being as an expression of the present moment.
This is book 3 in the Mental and Emotional Abundance series, as listed below:1. The Empath Self-Care Blueprint2. Transform Your Self-Talk3. Mindful Master
#BarnesDekeyserWachs #BCE #BhagavadGhita #Buddhism #Buddhism #KabatZinn #FullCatastropheLiving #GaëlleDesbordes #Hoffman #Kabatzinn #KabatZinn #MartinosCenter #MBSR #McMindfulness #Meditation #MindfulMaster #Mindfulness #MindfulnessPractice #NormanFarb #Ortner #Selfawareness #Shapiro #StressReduction #Zen #ZenBuddhism #RussellNewton #NewtonMG #MindfulMaster #MindfulnessExplained #NickTrenton
Transcript
mental models 30 thinking tools that separate the average from the exceptional
Speaker:improved decision-making logical analysis and problem-solving written by
Speaker:peter Hollins narrated by Russell Newton copyright 2019 by peter Hollins
Speaker:production copyright by peter Hollins
Speaker:“Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.”
Speaker:•Thích Nhất Hạnh
Speaker:Today the word “mindfulness” is seemingly everywhere.
Speaker:People now speak of mindfulness and meditation not only in the realm of
Speaker:temples and retreats, but also in the workplace,
Speaker:schools, hospitals, government, the military and even the sports field.
Speaker:Researchers have studied the effect mindfulness has on our productivity,
Speaker:resilience, and well-being, and now
Speaker:neuroscientists are even investigating the effect meditation has on our brains.
Speaker:But most of us would be hard-pressed to come
Speaker:up with a concise definition of mindfulness if put on the spot.
Speaker:What does it really mean?
Speaker:Is it some wishy-washy Buddhist concept that promises peace of mind,
Speaker:ecstasy, and enlightenment?
Speaker:Is it a stress management technique?
Speaker:Both?
Speaker:If you think that mindfulness is more or less the same as meditation,
Speaker:you’re partly right, although there’s a little more to it.
Speaker:In 2012, the American Psychological Association gave their definition of
Speaker:mindfulness as “a moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience without judgment.
Speaker:In this sense, mindfulness is a state and not a trait.
Speaker:While it might be promoted by certain practices or activities, such as meditation,
Speaker:it is not equivalent to or synonymous with them.”
Speaker:Mindfulness is essentially awareness—but it’s a
Speaker:certain quality of awareness that we can cultivate within ourselves.
Speaker:While it’s so easy these days to rush in with our personal opinions, appraisals,
Speaker:and judgments of every stimulus, mindful awareness is characterized by a complete
Speaker:nonattachment to the sensations and thoughts we become aware of.
Speaker:Instead of reacting to every transient thought or feeling that arises within us,
Speaker:being mindful is like taking a step back to watch ourselves having that emotion, or that thought.
Speaker:In becoming aware of our thoughts as thoughts, we gain some distance from them,
Speaker:and give ourselves the opportunity to choose to become engaged—or not.
Speaker:Now, while that could be taken to mean that mindfulness leads
Speaker:us to disengage from the present reality, this could not be further from the truth.
Speaker:The key to awareness is that it is always based in the present.
Speaker:Awareness and mindfulness are not theories or fixed personality traits,
Speaker:but something we do and experience, continually, moment after moment.
Speaker:While anxious rumination can take us away from the immediate moment in front of us
Speaker:and either back to the remembered past or into the imagined future,
Speaker:mindfulness is about being fully present with what’s going on right here, right now.
Speaker:And what are we meant to be aware of?
Speaker:Thoughts, physical sensations, emotions, or a blend of all three.
Speaker:Mindfulness can be a concept too abstract and elusive to grasp without effort, but understanding
Speaker:it becomes a little easier when we consider what happens when we’re not engaged in it.
Speaker:When we are not mindful, we are simply not paying attention.
Speaker:We see but we don’t really look; we hear but we don’t really listen.
Speaker:Without mindfulness, we go through our lives like robots on autopilot.
Speaker:If you’ve ever eaten a meal without actually tasting it, found yourself at home with
Speaker:no memory of having driven yourself there, or zoned out in a conversation
Speaker:with a friend, you know what it means to not be in control of your own conscious awareness.
Speaker:When we are distracted, unconscious, or acting mindlessly, we are not in our full awareness—and
Speaker:this includes any time we get carried away with worries for the future or regrets about the past.
Speaker:We lack mindfulness when we act without noticing what we’re really doing.
Speaker:Without mindfulness, we are unable to fully focus or concentrate,
Speaker:departing from the present and getting carried away by our thoughts.
Speaker:We act without thinking, getting pulled this way and that by our shifting experiences,
Speaker:as though we’re walking through life half-asleep.
Speaker:Many people have claimed that mindfulness is accompanied by an attitude of compassion,
Speaker:while others would describe this perspective more as a kind of
Speaker:acceptance—an acknowledgement of the moment and yourself within it, however you are.
Speaker:No judgment or interpretation.
Speaker:No clinging or rejecting.
Speaker:Combining the above facets and features, we can thus boil all of this down to a workable,
Speaker:clear definition of what mindfulness is - a state of non-judgmental awareness of the present moment,
Speaker:which we can access through certain practices, such as meditation.
Speaker:The Benefits of a Mindfulness Practice
Speaker:What can mindfulness help with?
Speaker:The answer is - everything.
Speaker:This may seem like a grandiose claim, but it’s only because when we talk about mindfulness,
Speaker:we are talking about the very lived quality of our experience in each passing moment,
Speaker:no matter what we are doing, thinking or feeling.
Speaker:In this way, mindfulness doesn’t specialize—it’s a skill that can be applied any time we are able
Speaker:to pause and become aware of the moment we are having, as we are having it (i.e. always!).
Speaker:People have been touting the benefits of daily meditation
Speaker:for years, but there is now considerable scientific evidence for the many benefits
Speaker:associated with increased mindfulness in general.
Speaker:Though there are some empirical challenges with measuring a fleeting state of mind,
Speaker:research is accumulating to show that mindfulness does indeed promote
Speaker:emotional self-regulation, stress reduction, and mental well-being.
Speaker:Research done in 2006 by Walsh and Shapiro into mindfulness practices such as tai chi and yoga has
Speaker:shown that these techniques can train heightened awareness and greater concentration and focus.
Speaker:The goal with many such disciplines is to master voluntary control over
Speaker:conscious awareness itself, so that such awareness can be directed at will.
Speaker:When you are able to control and direct your own awareness,
Speaker:you are better able to allot attention and beam targeted focus on your present experience.
Speaker:Mindfulness also results in an increased sense of calm along with what is called
Speaker:metacognition—the ability to think about your own thinking.
Speaker:Have you ever seen those movie scenes wherein the soul leaves the body,
Speaker:then watches everything that happens to and around the (now unconscious) body?
Speaker:In a way, metacognition works something like that.
Speaker:The main differences are that in metacognition,
Speaker:you don’t need your soul to depart from your body, nor does the rest of you become unconscious.
Speaker:In metacognition, you only need to recognize that a part of your mind can somehow “detach”
Speaker:from the rest of you and then watch and think about the thoughts that occur in your mind.
Speaker:When you’re able to wield this ability at will, the benefits can be innumerable.
Speaker:As you watch your own thoughts, you can avoid being consumed and enslaved by them,
Speaker:especially by those automatic thoughts that only serve to wreck your calm and inner peace.
Speaker:Through metacognition, you gain power over your thoughts, and not the other way around.
Speaker:Another benefit of mindfulness is the strengthened
Speaker:ability to unplug from rumination and switch off anxious thinking.
Speaker:When you’re stressed out and overwhelmed by the events unfolding in front of you,
Speaker:it’s easy to succumb to your mind’s narrative of what could go wrong and
Speaker:how powerless you are to stop the cascade of unfortunate events that will soon commence.
Speaker:When you practice mindfulness, you learn to curb such narratives and
Speaker:realize you have the power to choose how you respond in every situation.
Speaker:The result?
Speaker:An enhanced sense of well-being.
Speaker:What does “well-being” mean in this context?
Speaker:Typically, it refers to a general state of good mental health that encompasses a range
Speaker:of aspects - lower stress and reactivity along with better cognition, focus, memory,
Speaker:as well as mental flexibility, and even more satisfying relationships.
Speaker:In 2008, Chambers and colleagues asked twenty amateur meditators to attend a
Speaker:ten-day mindfulness retreat, then compared their responses
Speaker:on a self-report inventory with those of a control group who didn’t meditate.
Speaker:The group that meditated claimed to have higher mindfulness levels, and also improved mood and
Speaker:fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, and rumination (i.e. anxious overthinking).
Speaker:Surprisingly, they also demonstrated the ability to sustain attention
Speaker:on a task at a much higher level than their non-meditating peers.
Speaker:A meta-study by Hoffman et. al. done in 2010 analyzed thirty-nine other
Speaker:mindfulness studies and concluded that mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)
Speaker:or mindfulness-focused cognitive therapy could have significant therapeutic benefits
Speaker:for the treatment of mood disorders and a range of psychological issues.
Speaker:Stress reduction is one of these benefits.
Speaker:Norman Farb and six of his colleagues found in 2010 that some of these effects could
Speaker:even be seen in the brain—by using an fMRI, they found that those who meditated showed
Speaker:less neural reactivity when watching a sad film compared to those who didn’t meditate.
Speaker:In many mindfulness practices, people essentially learn better emotional
Speaker:regulation, exerting a level of control and selectivity over the feelings they experience,
Speaker:so much so that their actual neural function is altered.
Speaker:Another study also conducted in 2010 by Jha and colleagues compared a military
Speaker:group who had attended a mindfulness course for eight weeks with control
Speaker:groups of civilians who didn’t meditate, as well as military who didn’t meditate.
Speaker:The working memory capacity of the nonmeditating military was the worst,
Speaker:and the meditating military group the best—in other words, the more a person meditated, the
Speaker:higher the chance they would self-report better mood and demonstrate enhanced working memory.
Speaker:This might not surprise you if you’re a meditator yourself.
Speaker:Those who meditate teach themselves to tune out distracting sensations and
Speaker:information if they choose to, and sustain attention on a single focus for longer.
Speaker:This translates to greater cognitive flexibility,
Speaker:i.e. the ability to take control of and direct one’s attention at will.
Speaker:Mindfulness doesn’t just give you greater conscious mastery over your own thoughts,
Speaker:but over your feelings too.
Speaker:“Reactivity” describes the spontaneous, knee-jerk emotional reaction we may
Speaker:have to inner or outer stimuli—a rude comment from someone, a scary movie,
Speaker:or an upsetting memory you recall at three o’clock in the morning.
Speaker:A 2007 study by Ortner and colleagues showed two groups of people some upsetting pictures.
Speaker:Those who routinely meditated were far more able to disengage emotionally than those who didn’t.
Speaker:This disengagement could come down to the ability to self-observe—to step
Speaker:outside of emotions and thoughts rather than getting tangled and identified with them.
Speaker:Self-awareness essentially disengages you from the
Speaker:automatic neural pathways associated with certain emotional responses.
Speaker:By being mindful, we give ourselves the
Speaker:chance to learn to respond to emotional stimuli in a new way.
Speaker:Or not respond at all!
Speaker:This is a superpower, when you think about it—the ability to adapt your brain’s response
Speaker:to stressful or difficult situations so you can achieve more equanimity and mental resilience.
Speaker:Gaëlle Desbordes, a professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School and a neuroscientist
Speaker:at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, found encouraging neuroscientific
Speaker:evidence to suggest that mindfulness-based therapies can help those with depression.
Speaker:Using fMRI, she observed the brain in real time, and discovered that changes
Speaker:to neural structure during meditation actually persist even after the person stops meditating.
Speaker:For example, the amygdala, a region of the brain associated with memory
Speaker:and the processing of emotion, shows modestly dampened responses
Speaker:to emotive images when the person is a meditator versus when they aren’t.
Speaker:This suggests that people who meditate may have learnt better emotional self-regulation.
Speaker:Currently, research is still ongoing to determine what exact aspects of meditation
Speaker:cause this effect and how we can use it in the treatment of depression and other mood disorders.
Speaker:Some researchers have even found that mindfulness is associated with better
Speaker:relationships, and it’s easy to imagine why.
Speaker:Barnes, Dekeyser, Wachs, and Cordova have all separately identified that mindfulness
Speaker:improves communication and strengthens a healthy response to relationship conflict and stress.
Speaker:Finally, there have also been a few (admittedly small and inconclusive) studies which suggest
Speaker:that mindfulness may work as an intervention for physical conditions with a strong psychological
Speaker:component, such as irritable bowel syndrome, psoriasis, and fibromyalgia.
Speaker:The research is strongly suggestive—there doesn’t seem to be an area of life that
Speaker:isn’t improved by adopting a more mindful approach.
Speaker:Tuning into the present moment with calm, non-judgmental awareness has been connected
Speaker:with greater insight, better immune functioning, stress management, faster cognitive speed,
Speaker:improved self-esteem, better intuition and even an enhanced sense of morality.
Speaker:A Historical Perspective - From the East to the West, and from Religion to Science
Speaker:Now that we’ve identified a straightforward working definition for mindfulness,
Speaker:and have seen that there’s no shortage of evidence to support its benefits for our
Speaker:overall well-being, let’s take a closer look at the history behind this now popular movement.
Speaker:In knowing where some of these concepts and practices have actually come from,
Speaker:we gain a deeper understanding and insight into their original purpose.
Speaker:People have been cultivating mindfulness using various practices for thousands of years,
Speaker:but almost always as part of a greater cultural and historical tradition.
Speaker:Broadly, mindfulness developed in an Eastern religious framework
Speaker:and was heavily influenced by the spiritual philosophies of both Hinduism and Buddhism.
Speaker:Some have argued, though, that other religious traditions also have their
Speaker:own version of mindfulness, and that today the concept is truly international and secular.
Speaker:Nevertheless, we can gain insight into the heart of mindfulness by understanding the
Speaker:spiritual institutions that primarily gave rise to mindfulness practices.
Speaker:Hinduism is the oldest surviving world religion (its earliest beginning being
Speaker:traced back 4000 years ago to the Indus Valley),
Speaker:and has been understood as a blend of many historical traditions throughout ancient India.
Speaker:Key Vedic writings (for example the Bhagavad Ghita) were created around 3000 years ago and
Speaker:detail important stories and rituals, although these texts have been subsequently added to.
Speaker:A large part of the identity of Hinduism has always been mindfulness—in fact,
Speaker:reading some of these ancient texts is not all that different
Speaker:from reading a work by any of the modern mindfulness authors today.
Speaker:Buddhism has also had a pronounced influence on our modern-day conception of mindfulness.
Speaker:Founded around 500 BCE by Gautama Buddha, Buddhism is fundamentally
Speaker:concerned with living in harmony with the fundamental laws of the universe,
Speaker:and seeking enlightenment from the constant round of karmic suffering.
Speaker:Over the course of hundreds of years, Buddhism spread throughout the East and
Speaker:split into different philosophical traditions, for example Japanese Zen and Tibetan Buddhism.
Speaker:Throughout, the concept of mindfulness remained central.
Speaker:Today, many people in the West have their first introduction to the concept of mindfulness
Speaker:either via Western writings on Buddhism, or through a more accessible form - yoga.
Speaker:Historically and culturally, yoga is inseparable from the practice of mindfulness.
Speaker:Bodily awareness can be cultivated in exactly the same way as awareness
Speaker:of external sensations or of one’s thoughts or feelings.
Speaker:By focusing on the breath and its flow in the moment, yoga has been rightly described
Speaker:as a “moving meditation” and had been used as an adjunct to more traditional sitting meditation.
Speaker:Today, meditation, mindfulness, and yoga are commonplace in the West,
Speaker:although practiced with a greater or lesser degree of faithfulness to the original tradition.
Speaker:With certain authors (such as Kabat-Zinn who founded Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction,
Speaker:or MBSR) and influential teachers and speakers (like Thích Nhất Hạnh)
Speaker:bringing mindfulness to the West, the concept is now thoroughly embedded
Speaker:in modern psychology and personal development literature everywhere.
Speaker:Joe Kabat-Zinn is known as the father of secular mindfulness and has been largely responsible for
Speaker:popularizing the concept of mindfulness in the West for the last forty years.
Speaker:His MBSR courses essentially aim to offer Westerners the
Speaker:benefits of mindfulness… without the Buddhism.
Speaker:Kabat-Zinn is himself not a Buddhist and wanted to emphasize instead the therapeutic benefits
Speaker:of mindfulness practice for everything from pain relief to stress management.
Speaker:Passionately believing that mindfulness is the medicine for much that ails the Western world,
Speaker:Kabat-Zinn has aggressively promoted mindfulness (some would say “McMindfulness”) in everything
Speaker:from health care, to education, psychology, business, science, government and global politics.
Speaker:Kabat-Zinn essentially sees the world as needing mindfulness more than ever—in an
Speaker:era of overpopulation, climate collapse, political instability and inequality,
Speaker:mindfulness could be the key to a saner, calmer, and more compassionate future.
Speaker:Mindfulness from the Eastern Perspective
Speaker:Hindus may find the West’s emphasis on yoga as a trendy stress relief
Speaker:tool and fitness fad a little one-dimensional.
Speaker:For a traditional yogi or mindfulness practitioner,
Speaker:the idea of using mindfulness to enhance military training,
Speaker:improve athletic performance or be a better businessman is a little nonsensical.
Speaker:Yoga was originally intended to be part of a comprehensive spiritual discipline and path,
Speaker:and was never practiced for its own end,
Speaker:but rather as something that allowed one to attain higher states of consciousness.
Speaker:For the Hindus, mindfulness is only the first step,
Speaker:and something to assist in the ultimate aim - union with the divine.
Speaker:From the Eastern perspective, holding awareness is just one of many mental skills to cultivate,
Speaker:and the others take considerably more discipline and dedication that go beyond a weekly yoga class.
Speaker:In training our thoughts to stay still and under our conscious control,
Speaker:we strengthen our awareness in much the same way as we strengthen
Speaker:various muscles through repeated, controlled actions during exercise.
Speaker:And much like how exercise should be done with a dedication to consistency
Speaker:before we see positive results, so too should mindfulness be
Speaker:practiced habitually before we reap its benefits across a wide range of contexts.
Speaker:The Buddhist perspective, on the other hand, also differs, and is divided in
Speaker:itself across many varying disciplines and traditions, in many different countries.
Speaker:After all, 2500 years have passed since the teachings of
Speaker:the original Buddha—things were bound to have changed somewhat since then!
Speaker:So, what does it mean for the novice interested in mindfulness that there
Speaker:are so many different traditions, both modern and ancient, Eastern and Western?
Speaker:Is it only possible to practice “real” mindfulness by being true to its ancient Eastern origins?
Speaker:Is one guru, speaker, author, or leader objectively better or more correct than another?
Speaker:There are a plethora of different constructs, perspectives, theories, models, opinions,
Speaker:histories, ideas, and traditions associated with mindfulness—and the sheer volume of
Speaker:different paths can prove to be quite intimidating for someone starting out.
Speaker:Acknowledging the value of compassion, non-attachment,
Speaker:and kindness, we can take a distinctly Buddhist approach
Speaker:and try to show respect to all unique paths, even if they’re not our own.
Speaker:Each approach can be understood as a spoke on a great wheel held together by
Speaker:a central spike—though each spoke comes from a completely different direction,
Speaker:each points inwards to the same place, and ultimately serves a unified purpose.
Speaker:As you explore mindfulness practice for yourself, or perhaps take up meditation,
Speaker:you may encounter various teachings, concepts, and theoretical underpinnings.
Speaker:The more historical and detailed metaphysical concepts are well beyond the scope of this
Speaker:introductory book, but for now, it may be enough to simply be aware of the presence of differences,
Speaker:and remain open to them without making any judgments yet about which is “correct."
Speaker:Keep in mind that despite such discrepancies, the core principles of mindfulness still hold
Speaker:and its essence remains the same—awareness of the present moment, without judgment.
Speaker:Mindfulness is intensely private and experiential—your own practice is the
Speaker:arena for your learning and insight, and not the words of other people.
Speaker:Nevertheless, in the chapters that follow we will be working
Speaker:within a predominantly contemporary, Western understanding of mindfulness,
Speaker:which will differ from the countless other approaches you could potentially adopt.
Speaker:Ultimately, we will be abandoning dogma to focus on the lived experience of better mental control,
Speaker:with a focus on boosting well-being in simple, practical, and achievable ways.
Speaker:Mindfulness in the Modern Era, and Positive Psychology
Speaker:Today, the modern Western reader is likely to encounter mindfulness
Speaker:concepts in self-help literature or in the general tenets of positive psychology.
Speaker:It’s not surprising—both aim to improve mood, integrity, resilience, compassion,
Speaker:interpersonal connection, joy, and overall quality of life.
Speaker:No matter what relational or psychological issue
Speaker:you’re dealing with, it’s hard to imagine how a mindfulness practice would be inappropriate.
Speaker:In the modern era, mindfulness can appear in many guises -
Speaker:•As a self-care technique.
Speaker:Regularly taking time out to go still within yourself, breathe and re-center is
Speaker:a great way to take care of your mental health in a stressful, frantic world.
Speaker:•As a way to increase workplace harmony and employee well-being.
Speaker:Mindfulness can tune us into our needs,
Speaker:as well as help us be compassionate with the needs of the people we work with.
Speaker:•As a way to cope with stress and adversity.
Speaker:During a crisis, mindfulness can act as a rudder,
Speaker:helping us to stay resilient and deal with overwhelming situations with grace.
Speaker:•As a tool for active stress relief.
Speaker:You could meditate before bed or use a mindfulness practice
Speaker:in a morning ritual to gather yourself for a busy day ahead.
Speaker:•To manage challenges like depression and anxiety—mindfulness practices
Speaker:can work hand in hand with therapy, especially CBT-style interventions.
Speaker:•As a way to promote and support physical and spiritual wellness.
Speaker:Mindfulness can be built into a yoga practice or other exercise routine,
Speaker:and could even be used in conjunction with prayer, ritual, or journaling.
Speaker:Mindfulness in the modern world may look rather different from how it did in ancient India,
Speaker:in the sociocultural context that the Buddha lived in.
Speaker:But that’s OK!
Speaker:How you choose to use mindfulness concepts in your own life is entirely up to you.
Speaker:Neuroscience on Mindfulness and Meditation - Why You Have “Two Minds”
Speaker:Let’s return to Norman Farb and colleagues at the University of Toronto,
Speaker:who you may recall from an earlier section.
Speaker:Their ground-breaking 2007 study, Mindfulness
Speaker:meditation reveals distinct neural modes for self-reference, looked at how human brains
Speaker:actually employ two separate neural networks when they interact with the world.
Speaker:The first is the default network which is active when your external world is
Speaker:pretty quiet, but you’re busy inside your head, ruminating, planning, worrying, and wondering.
Speaker:Farb called this the “narrative circuit” since it essentially tells stories,
Speaker:about ourselves, others, and the world.
Speaker:It’s all about interpretations and meaningful connections.
Speaker:This circuit runs automatically and effortlessly.
Speaker:The second circuit is called “direct experience,” and it activates far more of your brain.
Speaker:Here, you are not thinking about the past or the future, or telling yourself a story,
Speaker:but experiencing the present moment via your sense organs, right as it unfolds.
Speaker:Crucially, these two are mutually exclusive - stress about what you’re going to make
Speaker:for dinner tonight and you miss how sweet the birds sound in the moment.
Speaker:But focus on their lovely singing and your narrative circuitry quiets down.
Speaker:Narrative circuitry is useful for planning and strategizing, but it’s in direct experience
Speaker:that we actually encounter reality, where we feel as though we are actually alive.
Speaker:This isn’t to say that spending time in one state of consciousness is better than the other,
Speaker:but rather that it can be useful to make clear distinctions between them,
Speaker:and notice when you are in each state.
Speaker:Say you’re on vacation at a breathtaking beach.
Speaker:While you’re seated on the shore in front of a magnificent sunset, you realize that
Speaker:the day is ending and think about the situation at the office you’ve left for the entire week.
Speaker:You start to worry.
Speaker:You wonder if the report you told your assistant to hand in has been submitted yet,
Speaker:you become anxious, and you plan what you’d do if your assistant hasn’t followed through.
Speaker:This is the narrative circuit working.
Speaker:Yes, it might be useful to employ this type of thinking—if you’re actually at
Speaker:the office and are required to accomplish such tasks.
Speaker:But while you’re at this beach, the narrative circuit does nothing but take you away from
Speaker:really savoring the scenery and appreciating the majesty of that sunset right in front of you.
Speaker:This is where and when you should be activating your direct experience circuit instead.
Speaker:Through this circuit, you can truly be in the moment,
Speaker:feeling the sand between your toes, smelling the exhilarating scent of your piña colada,
Speaker:and witnessing the wonderful sunset hues of the sky.
Speaker:Note that the goal of mindfulness
Speaker:is not to totally eliminate the narrative circuit in your system.
Speaker:The trick is to be aware and in control of how you move between
Speaker:the narrative and the direct experience circuits—and as you may have guessed,
Speaker:people who meditate have had much more practice in doing precisely that.
Speaker:Mindfulness in Plain English
Speaker:Self-Awareness and Mindfulness
Speaker:Mindfulness is essentially self-awareness.
Speaker:This state of mind, this ability to tap into “direct experience”
Speaker:in the here and now, is the core of every mindfulness-based technique or practice.
Speaker:However, mindfulness itself isn’t a technique or a practice.
Speaker:It’s more like an attitude, a perspective, or a state of being.
Speaker:In the next chapter, we’ll be looking at exactly how you can bring more mindfulness into your
Speaker:everyday life, but for now, it’s important to acknowledge that when we talk about mindfulness,
Speaker:we are pointing to a state of consciousness, and not any one particular technique, tradition,
Speaker:theory or worldview—in fact, all of this more appropriately belongs to the “narrative mind”!
Speaker:Our modern world doesn’t facilitate a mindful state of consciousness,
Speaker:and often actively prevents it.
Speaker:Rushing from one stressful moment to the next, running on autopilot and
Speaker:never truly connecting to the body, the breath or the moment as we inhabit it,
Speaker:we seem to wander the earth with vague existential complaints, a feeling of
Speaker:dissatisfaction, addiction to distraction, and the sense that life is passing us by.
Speaker:An attitude of open, receptive awareness right here, right now, is the simplest but also most
Speaker:profound starting point to find better balance and contentment within ourselves.
Speaker:Mindfulness, then, is not so much a “what” as a “how.”
Speaker:The Pillars of Mindfulness
Speaker:According to Joe Kabat-Zinn,
Speaker:there are seven basic pillars or attitudes that form the foundation of mindful living.
Speaker:These were first popularized in his bestselling book Full Catastrophe Living,
Speaker:but can be found in some form or other anywhere mindfulness is being discussed.
Speaker:An attitude of non-judgment and non-attachment
Speaker:Withhold judgment of what you are aware of.
Speaker:You don’t need to analyze, interpret, or form an opinion.
Speaker:Just let things be as they are.
Speaker:Watch with calm, accepting impartiality.
Speaker:There is a constant stream of sensations within us—but we don’t have to get caught up in them,
Speaker:or identify with or make meaning out of our every thought or feeling.
Speaker:Take a step back and withhold deciding whether something is liked or disliked,
Speaker:good or bad, expected or unexpected, and so on.
Speaker:Beginner’s mind
Speaker:This term is often associated with Zen Buddhism,
Speaker:and it seeks to describe a kind of open receptivity, something like the new and
Speaker:fresh mind of a beginner who isn’t yet stuck in the rut of believing he knows everything.
Speaker:Expertise and expectation can be a trap.
Speaker:Instead try to see things anew, in every moment.
Speaker:Clear your mind and simply observe, as though you
Speaker:and your current experience had no history before that moment.
Speaker:Take the clutter out of your mind and you may see what is,
Speaker:rather than what you hope, expect, assume, and so on.
Speaker:Patience
Speaker:Impatience means anxiously waiting for a moment that comes at some other time
Speaker:than the present, some better moment in the future that hasn’t yet arrived.
Speaker:Focusing on the present moment, on the other hand,
Speaker:reminds us to be patient—the now is the only place we will ever inhabit, after all!
Speaker:Let things unfold at the pace they will.
Speaker:How could it be otherwise?
Speaker:Can we sit with what is, right now,
Speaker:rather than always wanting things to be different than how they are?
Speaker:Trust
Speaker:This means trust in both yourself and in the
Speaker:greater unfolding of which you are but a small part.
Speaker:Fully inhabit your own authority to have your own experience.
Speaker:Look within.
Speaker:What does your intuition say?
Speaker:The only person in this world who gets to be you is you—embrace it and own the fact.
Speaker:Acceptance
Speaker:This is easier said than done.
Speaker:Without any resistance, open up to and accept whatever emerges in the present moment.
Speaker:There is no need to force, change or deny what you become aware of.
Speaker:Acceptance doesn’t mean we condone what we encounter—it just means we
Speaker:fully acknowledge and sit with its existence without wanting to flee.
Speaker:For example, during meditation you may notice again and again that you are feeling irritated.
Speaker:Simply accept that this is the case,
Speaker:rather than trying to pretend you aren’t, or that something else is happening.
Speaker:Non-striving
Speaker:There is no goal in meditation.
Speaker:Being mindful, we are not going anywhere or achieving anything.
Speaker:We are just being.
Speaker:There is nowhere to arrive—you are simply where you already are, and that’s that.
Speaker:Striving to be other than what you are right now
Speaker:is only another way of saying that you are unacceptable as you currently are.
Speaker:It’s a way of denying the present—which is all you have!
Speaker:If you practice mindfulness only so that you can boost your ego, solve a problem,
Speaker:or just feel better… you are simply engaging in more “thought traffic."
Speaker:Just try to quietly observe the thought traffic instead.
Speaker:Release into the flow
Speaker:In the never-ending flow of thoughts and feelings that washes over our awareness
Speaker:every second of every day, we may notice that some ideas are particularly “sticky."
Speaker:We can get stuck on a nagging thought, a persistent memory, an unhappy worry, and so on.
Speaker:On the other hand, we may dig in our heels and refuse
Speaker:to go fully into an experience that’s beckoning.
Speaker:Whether we’re extra-willing to experience some sensations or extra-reluctant to
Speaker:go along with others, we need to relax and let them both flow by,
Speaker:without trying to push or pull, hold on to or resist, in any way.
Speaker:A Word of Warning
Speaker:Before we dive into the next chapter,
Speaker:it’s worth taking a moment to spell out a quick caveat where mindfulness is concerned.
Speaker:Though the potential benefits are enormous, it’s fair to say that for now,
Speaker:the scientific evidence to support some claims is still largely inconclusive,
Speaker:and many key studies unfortunately suffer from rather poor methodology.
Speaker:Over and above the research limitations,
Speaker:there are some conceptual limitations that we should also be cognizant of.
Speaker:The effort to reshape Buddhism so that it essentially aligns with Western science
Speaker:and philosophy has led to a heavy emphasis on the individual, and personal attainment.
Speaker:This is a far cry from the intention of the collectivist societies who
Speaker:originated these ideas, and who used them to go beyond the ego, not reinforce it.
Speaker:Many traditional teachers take exception to the work of people like Joe Zabat-Kinn
Speaker:since they break mindfulness off from its religious roots and repackage and
Speaker:market it as a secular, rational, scientific and “universal” (i.e.
Speaker:Western) concept.
Speaker:Some purists worry that the watering down or downright falsification of
Speaker:certain mindfulness concepts has done more harm than good.
Speaker:There have even been reports of people experiencing meditation-induced mania,
Speaker:anxiety, and psychosis, as well as some discovering that meditation
Speaker:reactivates traumatic memories (albeit at more intense meditation retreats).
Speaker:This doesn’t mean that meditation hasn’t helped millions of people
Speaker:around the world, or that it can’t help you.
Speaker:It does mean, however, that it’s probably wise to
Speaker:proceed slowly at first and with modest expectations.
Speaker:In other words, let us try to explore the realm of mindfulness mindfully!
Speaker:Summary -
Speaker:•Mindfulness is a quality of consciousness—the
Speaker:state of being aware of your experience in the present moment, without judgment.
Speaker:•Mindfulness is not a fixed trait but an attitude that anyone can cultivate.
Speaker:•While mindfulness and meditation are related concepts, they are not one and the same.
Speaker:Mindfulness is a state, while meditation is an activity.
Speaker:Through meditation, one can achieve a state of mindfulness.
Speaker:•Mindfulness can help with all aspects of life, as it is not a specialized condition and is
Speaker:instead a state of awareness you can harness in each passing moment of your lived experience.
Speaker:•Research has shed light on the numerous benefits of mindfulness.
Speaker:When engaged in consistently, mindfulness brings about an increased sense of calm,
Speaker:greater concentration and focus, reduced stress levels, improved mood,
Speaker:better memory, and enhanced emotional regulation.
Speaker:•Much of the modern secular philosophy of mindfulness has its
Speaker:roots in ancient Hindu and Buddhist tradition.
Speaker:Putting emphasis on cultivating awareness and acceptance as well as incorporating meditation in
Speaker:their rituals, both religions have the concept of mindfulness central to their practice.
Speaker:•In the modern era, mindfulness has been a buzzword in positive psychology and self-help
Speaker:arenas, taking on a variety of forms including as a self-care technique, as a way to improve
Speaker:employee well-being, and as a tool for coping with stress, adversity, and emotional struggles.
Speaker:•Neuroscience has pointed out that the brain has two separate neural networks - the “narrative
Speaker:circuit” which constantly tells stories and interprets our experiences, and the “direct
Speaker:experience circuit” which processes the present moment through our sensory organs.
Speaker:One of mindfulness’s benefits is to help us switch
Speaker:from the “narrative circuit” to the “direct experience circuit” so that
Speaker:we can achieve a heightened sense of awareness and calm in our daily life.
Speaker:•The seven basic pillars of mindful living, as put forward by Joe Kabat-Zinn,
Speaker:are (1) an attitude of non-judgment and non-attachment, (2) beginner’s mind,
Speaker:(3) patience, (4) trust, (5) acceptance, (6) non-striving, and (7) release into the flow.
Speaker:•Note that some conceptual and research limitations exist as to the study of
Speaker:mindfulness’s effects, so it’s best to approach this practice slowly and
Speaker:with modest expectations—that is, take care to explore mindfulness mindfully.
Speaker:this has been mindful master 10 minutes a day to less stress
Speaker:less worry more peace and more resilience written by Nick Trenton narrated by Russell Newton
Speaker:copyright 2020 by Nick Trenton production copyright by Nick Trenton
