Free Online FOOD for MIND & HUNGER - DO GOOD 😊 PURIFY MIND.To live like free birds 🐦 🦢 🦅 grow fruits 🍍 🍊 🥑 🥭 🍇 🍌 🍎 🍉 🍒 🍑 🥝 vegetables 🥦 🥕 🥗 🥬 🥔 🍆 🥜 🎃 🫑 🍅🍜 🧅 🍄 🍝 🥗 🥒 🌽 🍏 🫑 🌳 🍓 🍊 🥥 🌵 🍈 🌰 🇧🇧 🫐 🍅 🍐 🫒Plants 🌱in pots 🪴 along with Meditative Mindful Swimming 🏊‍♂️ to Attain NIBBĀNA the Eternal Bliss.
Kushinara NIBBĀNA Bhumi Pagoda White Home, Puniya Bhumi Bengaluru, Prabuddha Bharat International.
Categories:

Archives:
Meta:
April 2012
M T W T F S S
« Mar   May »
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30  
04/17/12
18 04 2012 WEDNESDAY LESSON 585 FREE ONLINE eNālāndā Research And Practice UNIERSITY And THE BUDDHIST ONLINE GOOD NEWS LETTER by ABHIDHAMMA RAKKHITA through http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org Dhammapada: Verses and Stories Dhammapada Verse 138 Evil Results Of Hurting Harmless Saints
Filed under: General
Posted by: site admin @ 4:35 pm

18 04 2012 WEDNESDAY  LESSON 585 FREE ONLINE eNālāndā Research And Practice UNIERSITY And THE
BUDDHIST

ONLINE

GOOD
NEWS LETTER by ABHIDHAMMA RAKKHITA through http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org

Dhammapada: Verses and
Stories

Dhammapada
Verse 138
Evil Results Of Hurting Harmless Saints

Verse
138. Evil Results Of Hurting Harmless Saints

Sharp pain or deprivation,
or injury to body,
or to a serious disease,
derangement of the mind;

Explanation: The following ten forms of suffering will come to
those who hurt the harmless, inoffensive saints: severe pain; disaster;
physical injury; serious illness, mental disorder.

IV.

MEDITATION

MINDFULNESS

FOUR APPLICATIONS OF MINDFULNESS

LOTUS POSTURE

SAMADHI

CHAN SCHOOL

FOUR
DHYANAS

FOUR FORMLESS REALMS

MINDFULNESS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Mindfulness (Pali:
sati,
Sanskrit: smti / स्मृति) in Buddhist meditation.; also translated as awareness) is a spiritual faculty (indriya) that is considered to be of great
importance in the path to enlightenment according to the teaching of
the Buddha. It is one of
the
seven factors of awakenment. “Correct” or “right”
mindfulness (Pali: sammā-sati,
Sanskrit samyak-smti) is the
seventh element of the
noble eightfold path. Mindfulness meditation can be traced back to
the Upanishads, part of Hindu scriptures and a treatise on the Vedas.
[1]

Enlightenment (bodhi) is a state of being in which greed, hatred
and
delusion (Pali: moha) have been overcome,
abandoned and are absent from the mind. Mindfulness, which, among other things,
is an attentive
awareness of the reality of things (especially of the present moment) is
an antidote to delusion and is considered as such a ‘power’ (Pali: bala).
This faculty becomes a power in particular when it is coupled with
clear
comprehension
of whatever is taking place.

The Buddha advocated that one should establish mindfulness (satipatthana) in one’s day-to-day life
maintaining as much as possible a calm awareness of one’s body functions,
sensations (feelings), objects of consciousness (thoughts and perceptions), and
consciousness itself. The practice of mindfulness supports
analysis resulting in
the arising of
wisdom (Pali: paññā, Sanskrit: prajñā).[2] A key
innovative teaching of the Buddha was that
meditative stabilisation must be
combined with liberating discernment.
[3]

The Satipatthana Sutta (Sanskrit: Smtyupasthāna
Sūtra
) is an early text dealing with mindfulness.

Mindfulness practice, inherited from the Buddhist tradition, is
increasingly being employed in Western
psychology to alleviate
a variety of mental and physical conditions, including
obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, and in the prevention of relapse in
depression and drug addiction.
[4] See also Mindfulness (psychology).


Contents

 [hide

  • 2 Ten
    forms of mindfulness
  • 3
    Continuous mindfulness practice
  • 4 Zen
    criticism
  • 5
    Scientific research
  • 6 See
    also
  • 7
    References
  • 8
    Footnotes
  • 9
    External links
  • Terminology

    The Buddhist term translated into English as
    “mindfulness” originates in the Pali term sati and in its
    Sanskrit counterpart sm
    ti. Translators rendered the Sanskrit word as trenpa
    in Tibetan (wylie:
    dran pa) and as nian
    in Chinese.

    The Pali-language scholar Thomas William Rhys Davids (1881) first translated sati as English mindfulness in sammā-sati “Right Mindfulness; the
    active, watchful mind”.
    [5] Noting that Daniel John Gogerly (1845) initially
    rendered sammā-sati as “Correct meditation”,
    [6] Davids explained, “sati is literally
    ‘memory’ but is used with reference to the constantly repeated phrase ‘mindful
    and thoughtful’ (sato sampagâno); and means that activity of mind and
    constant presence of mind which is one of the duties most frequently inculcated
    on the good Buddhist.”
    [7]

    When practicing mindfulness, for instance by
    watching
    the breath
    , one must remember
    to maintain attention on the chosen object of awareness, “faithfully
    returning back to refocus on that object whenever the mind wanders away from
    it.”
    [8] Thus, mindfulness means not only, “moment to
    moment awareness of present events,” but also, “remembering to be
    aware of something or to do something at a designated time in the future”.
    [8] In fact, “the primary connotation of this Sanskrit
    term [smrti] (and its corresponding Pali term sati) is recollection”.
    [8]

    The English term mindfulness, in use for centuries, long
    predates its use in the Buddhist context. The
    OED defines it as “The state or quality of being
    mindful; attention; regard”, with obsolete meanings of “memory”
    and “intention, purpose”. This word was first recorded as myndfulness
    in 1530 (Palsgrave translates
    French pensee) , as mindfulnesse in 1561, and mindfulness
    in 1817.
    Morphologically
    earlier terms include mindful (first recorded in 1340), mindfully
    (1382), and the obsolete mindiness (ca. 1200).
    [9]

    John D. Dunne, an associate professor at
    Emory University whose current research focuses especially on the concept of
    “mindfulness” in both theoretical and practical contexts, asserts
    that the translation of sati and sm
    ti as
    mindfulness is confusing and that a number of Buddhist scholars have started
    trying to establish “retention” as the preferred alternative.
    [10]

    Sanskrit

    The Sanskrit word smti स्मृति (smriti,
    smRti, or sm’Rti) literally means “that which is
    remembered”, and refers both to “mindfulness” in Buddhism and
    “a category of metrical texts” in
    Hinduism, considered second in authority to the Śruti scriptures.

    Monier Monier-Williams’s Sanskrit-English
    Dictionary
    differentiates eight meanings of sm
    ti स्मृति, “remembrance, reminiscence, thinking of or upon,
    calling to mind, memory”:

    1. memory as one of the Vyabhicāri-bhāvas [transient
      feelings];
    2. Memory (personified either as the daughter of Daksha and wife of Agiras or as the daughter of Dharma and Medhā);
    3. the whole body of sacred tradition or what is
      remembered by human teachers (in contradistinction to
      Śruti or what is directly heard or revealed to the Rishis; in its widest acceptation this use of the term Smti includes the
      6
      Vedangas, the Sūtras both Śrauta and Grhya, the Manusmti, the Itihāsas (e.g., the Mahābhārata and Ramayana), the Puranas and the
      Nītiśāstras, “according to such and such a traditional precept or
      legal text”;
    4. the whole body of codes of law as handed down
      memoriter or by tradition (esp. the codes of
      Manusmti, Yājñavalkya Smti and the 16 succeeding inspired lawgivers) … all
      these lawgivers being held to be inspired and to have based their precepts
      on the
      Vedas;
    5. symbolical name for the number 18 (from the 18
      lawgivers above);
    6. a kind of meter;
    7. name of the letter g- ग्;
    8. desire, wish[11

    Chinese

    Buddhist scholars translated smti with
    the
    Chinese word nian “study; read
    aloud; think of; remember; remind”. Nian is commonly used in
    Modern Standard Chinese words
    such as guannian
    觀念 (观念)
    “concept; idea”, huainian
    懷念 (怀念) “cherish the memory of; think of”, nianshu
    念書 () “read; study”, and niantou 念頭 () “thought; idea; intention”. Two specialized
    Buddhist terms are
    nianfo 念佛
    “chant the name of Buddha; pray to Buddha” and nianjing
    念經 () “chant/recite sutras”.

    This Chinese character nian is composed of jin
    “now; this” and xin

    “heart; mind”.
    Bernhard Karlgren graphically explains nian meaning “reflect,
    think; to study, learn by heart, remember; recite, read – to have
    present to the mind”.[12] The Chinese character nian or nien is pronounced as Korean yeom or yŏm , Japanese ネン or nen,
    and
    Vietnamese niệm.

    A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms gives basic translations of nian:
    “Recollection, memory; to think on, reflect; repeat, intone; a thought; a
    moment.”
    [13]

    The Digital Dictionary of Buddhism gives more detailed translations of nian
    “mindfulness, memory”:

    Related terms and practices

    Although sati/smrti is the primary term that
    is usually invoked by the word mindfulness in a Buddhist context, it has been
    asserted “in Buddhist discourse, there are three terms that together map
    the field of mindfulness . . . [in their Sanskrit variants] sm
    ti
    (Pali: sati), samprajaña (Pali: sampajañña) and
    apramāda (Pali: appamada).”[15] All three terms are sometimes (confusingly) translated
    as “mindfulness,” but they all have specific shades of meaning and
    the latter two properly mean “clear comprehension” and
    “vigilance,” respectively. In the
    Satipatthana Sutta, sati
    and sampajañña are combined with atappa (Pali; Sanskrit: ātapa
    ), or “ardency,” and the three together
    comprise yoniso manisikara (Pali; Sanskrit: yoniśas manaskāra
    ), “appropriate attention” or “wise
    reflection.”
    [16]

    In a publicly available correspondence
    between
    Bhikkhu Bodhi and B. Alan Wallace, Bodhi has described Ven. Nyanaponika Thera’s views on “right mindfulness” and sampajañña
    in the following fashion: “… He held that in the proper practice of
    right mindfulness, sati has to be integrated with sampajañña, clear
    comprehension, and it is only when these two work together that right
    mindfulness can fulfill its intended purpose.”
    [17]

    English

    Pali

    Sanskrit

    Chinese

    Tibetan

    mindfulness/awareness

    sati

    smti स्मृति


    (niàn)

    trenpa (wylie: dran pa)

    clear comprehension

    sampajañña

    samprajaña संप्रज्ञान

    正知力
    (zhèng zhī lì)

    sheshin (wylie: shes bzhin)

    vigilance/heedfulness

    appamada

    apramāda ज्ञानकोश

    不放逸座
    (bù fàng yì zuò)

    bakyö (wylie: bag yod)

    ardency

    atappa

    ātapa आतप

    勇猛
    (yǒng měng)

    nyima (wylie: nyi ma)

    attention/engagement

    manasikara

    manaskāra मनस्कार

    如理作意
    (rú lǐ zuò yì)

    yila jeypa (wylie: yid la byed pa)

    foundation of mindfulness

    satipaṭṭhāna

    smtyupasthāna

    念住
    (niànzhù)

    trenpa neybar zagpa (wylie: dran pa
    nye bar gzhag pa)

    Ten
    forms of mindfulness

    In the Āgamas of early Buddhism, there are ten forms of mindfulness. According to
    the
    Ekottara Āgama, these ten are:[18]

    1. Mindfulness
      of the
      Buddha;
    2. Mindfulness
      of the
      Dharma;
    3. Mindfulness
      of the
      Sagha;
    4. Mindfulness
      of giving;
    5. Mindfulness
      of the heavens;
    6. Mindfulness
      of stopping and resting;
    7. Mindfulness
      of discipline;
    8. Mindfulness of breathing;
    9. Mindfulness
      of the body;
    10. Mindfulness
      of death.

    According to Nan Huaijin, the Ekottara
    Āgama emphasizes mindfulness of breathing more than any of the other methods,
    and teaches the most specifically on teaching this one form of mindfulness.
    [19]

    Continuous mindfulness practice

    In addition to various forms of meditation
    based around specific sessions, there are mindfulness training exercises that
    develop awareness throughout the day using designated environmental cues. The
    aim is to make mindfulness essentially continuous. Examples of such cues are
    the hourly chimes of clocks, red lights at traffic junctions and crossing the
    threshold of doors. The mindfulness itself can take the form of nothing more
    than taking three successive breaths while remembering they are a conscious
    experience of body activity within mind.
    [20] This approach is particularly helpful when it is
    difficult to establish a regular meditation practice

    Zen criticism

    Some Zen
    teachers emphasize the potential dangers of misunderstanding
    “mindfulness”.

    Gudo Wafu Nishijima
    criticizes the use of the term of mindfulness and idealistic interpretations of
    the practice from the Zen standpoint:

    However recently many so-called Buddhist
    teachers insist the importance of ‘mindfulness.’ But such a kind of attitudes
    might be insistence that Buddhism might be a kind of idealistic philosophy.
    Therefore actually speaking I am much afraid that Buddhism is misunderstood as
    if it was a kind of idealistic philosophy. However we should never forget that
    Buddhism is not an idealistic philosophy, and so if someone in Buddhism reveres
    mindfulness, we should clearly recognize that he or she can never be a Buddhist
    at all.
    [21]

    Muho Noelke, the abbot of Antaiji, explains the pitfalls of consciously seeking
    mindfulness.

    We should always try to be active coming out
    of
    samadhi. For this, we have
    to forget things like “I should be mindful of this or that”. If you
    are mindful, you are already creating a separation (”I - am - mindful - of
    - ….”). Don’t be mindful, please! When you walk, just walk. Let the walk
    walk. Let the talk talk (Dogen Zenji says: “When we open our mouths, it is
    filled with Dharma”). Let the eating eat, the sitting sit, the work work.
    Let sleep sleep.
    [22]

    Scientific
    research

    Main
    article:
    Mindfulness (psychology)

    Mindfulness practice, inherited from the Buddhist tradition, is
    increasingly being employed in Western psychology to alleviate a variety of
    mental and physical conditions. Scientific research into mindfulness generally
    falls under the umbrella of
    positive psychology. Research has been ongoing over the last
    twenty or thirty years, with a surge of interest over the last decade in
    particular.
    [23][24] In 2011, NIH’s National
    Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
    (NCCAM)
    released finding of a study where in
    magnetic resonance images of the brains of 16 participants 2 weeks
    before and after mindfulness meditation practitioners, joined the meditation
    program were taken by researchers from
    Massachusetts General Hospital, Bender
    Institute of Neuroimaging in Germany, and the
    University of Massachusetts Medical School. It concluded
    that “..these findings may represent an underlying brain mechanism
    associated with mindfulness-based improvements in mental health.”
    [25] A January
    2011 study in the journal Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, based on
    anatomical
    magnetic resonance images (MRI) of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
    participants, suggested that “participation in MBSR is associated with
    changes in gray matter concentration in brain regions involved in learning and
    memory processes, emotion regulation, self-referential processing, and
    perspective taking.”
    [26]

    See also

    Portal icon

    Thinking
    portal

  • Dennis
    Lewis
  • Eternal Now
    (philosophy)
  • Henepola
    Gunaratana
  • John Garrie
  • Mahasati
    Meditation
  • Mahasi
    Sayadaw
  • Metacognition
  • Mindfulness (journal)
  • Nepsis
  • S.N. Goenka
  • Shinzen
    Young
  • Thich Nhat
    Hanh
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness_%28psychology%29

    Mindfulness (psychology)

    Modern clinical psychology and psychiatry since the
    1970s have developed a number of therapeutic applications based on the concept
    of
    mindfulness (Pali sati or Sanskrit smti
    /
    स्मृति) in Buddhist meditation.


    Contents

     [hide

  • 4 Reception and criticism
  • 5 Specific mindfulness-based therapy programs
  • 6 Mindfulness meditation in organizations
  • 7 See also
  • 8 References
  • 9 Bibliography
  • 10 External links
  • Definitions

    Several definitions of mindfulness have been used in modern
    psychology. According to various prominent psychological definitions, Mindfulness
    refers to a psychological quality that involves

    bringing one’s complete attention to the
    present experience on a moment-to-moment basis,
    [1]

    or involves

    paying attention in a particular way: on
    purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally,
    [1]

    or involves

    a kind of nonelaborative, nonjudgmental,
    present-centered awareness in which each thought, feeling, or sensation that
    arises in the attentional field is acknowledged and accepted as it is
    [2]

    Bishop, Lau, and colleagues (2004)[3] offered a two component
    model of mindfulness:

    The first component [of mindfulness] involves
    the self-regulation of attention so that it is maintained on immediate
    experience, thereby allowing for increased recognition of mental events in the
    present moment. The second component involves adopting a particular orientation
    toward one’s experiences in the present moment, an orientation that is
    characterized by curiosity, openness, and acceptance.
    [3]:232

    In this two-component model, self-regulated attention (the first component) involves conscious awareness of one’s current thoughts, feelings, and surroundings,
    which can result[
    citation needed] in metacognitive skills for controlling concentration. Orientation to experience (the
    second component) involves accepting one’s
    mindstream, maintaining open and curious attitudes, and thinking in
    alternative categories (developing upon
    Ellen Langer’s research on decision-making). Training in mindfulness and mindfulness-based
    practices, oftentimes as part of a quiet
    meditation session, results[citation
    needed
    ]
    in the development of a
    Beginner’s mind, or, looking at experiences as if for the first time.

    Practicing mindfulness can help people to
    begin to recognise their habitual patterns of mind, which have developed out of
    awareness over time
    [4] and this allows practitioners to respond in new rather
    than habitual ways to their life.
    [5]

    Historical
    development

    In 1979 Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn founded the
    Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts
    to treat the chronically ill,
    [6] which sparked
    a growing interest and application of mindfulness ideas and practices in the
    medical world
    [7]:230-1 for the
    treatment of a variety of conditions in people
    both healthy and unhealthy. Many of the variety of mindfulness-based
    clinical treatments we have today are mentioned on this webpage below.

    Much of this was inspired by teachings from the East, and
    particularly from the Buddhist traditions, where mindfulness is the 7th step of
    the
    Noble Eightfold Path taught by Siddhartha Gautama, The Buddha, who founded Buddhism almost 2,500
    years ago. Although originally articulated as a part of what we know in the
    West as Buddhism, there is nothing inherently religious about mindfulness, and
    it is often taught independent of religious or cultural connotation.
    [8][9]

    Clinical
    research shows Buddhist mindfulness techniques can help alleviate anxiety
    [10], stress[10], and
    depression
    [10]

    Thich Nhat Hanh[11] has brought
    mindfulness to the attention of Westerners. It was on a retreat he led in the
    United States that an American doctor, Jon Kabat-Zinn, first realised the
    appropriateness of mindfulness in the treatment of chronic medical conditions.
    And, later Kabat-Zinn adapted Hanh’s teachings on mindfulness into the
    structured eight-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course, which has
    since spread throughout the western World.
    [12]Mindfulness
    and other Buddhist meditation techniques receive support in the West from
    figures such as the scientist
    Jon Kabat-Zinn, the teacher Jack Kornfield, the teacher Joseph
    Goldstein
    , the psychologist Tara Brach, the writer Alan Clements, and the
    teacher
    Sharon Salzberg, who have been widely[who?] attributed with playing a significant role in
    integrating the healing aspects of
    Buddhist meditation practices with the concept of psychological
    awareness and healing.
    Psychotherapists have adapted
    and developed mindfulness techniques into a promising
    cognitive behavioral therapies vis.
    Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT, pronounced act)
    [13][14] ACT was
    recently reviewed by SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and
    Practices
    [15]

    Scientific research

    Over the past 30 years there has been an
    increase in the number of published studies on mindfulness.
    [16] The current body of scientific literature on the effects of
    mindfulness practices is promising despite the presence of methodological
    weaknesses.
    [10][17] The current research does suggest that mindfulness
    practices are useful in the treatment of pain,
    [10] stress,[10] anxiety,[10] depressive relapse,[10] disordered eating,[10] and addiction,[18][19] among others. Mindfulness has been investigated for its
    potential benefit for individuals who do not experience these disorders, as
    well, with positive results. Mindfulness practice improves the immune system[20] and alters
    activation symmetries in the prefrontal cortex, a change previously associated
    with an increase in positive affect and a faster recovery from a negative
    experience.
    [20]

    Mindfulness scales

    Mindfulness is often used[by whom?]
    synonymously with the traditional Buddhist processes of cultivating awareness
    as described above, but more recently[
    when?] has
    been studied as a psychological tool capable of stress reduction and the
    elevation of several positive emotions or traits. In this relatively new field
    of western psychological mindfulness, researchers attempt to define and measure
    the results of mindfulness primarily through controlled, randomised studies of
    mindfulness intervention on various dependent variables. The participants in
    mindfulness interventions measure many of the outcomes of such interventions
    subjectively. For this reason, several mindfulness inventories or scales (a set
    of questions posed to a subject whose answers output the subject’s aggregate
    answers in the form of a rating or category) have arisen. The most prominent
    include:

    Through the use of these scales - which can
    illuminate self-reported changes in levels of mindfulness, the measurement of
    other correlated inventories in fields such as subjective well-being, and the
    measurement of other correlated variables such as health and performance -
    researchers have produced studies that investigate the nature and effects of
    mindfulness. The research on the outcomes of mindfulness falls into two main
    categories: stress reduction and positive-state elevation.

    Stress reduction

    Human response to stressors in the
    environment produces emotional and physiological changes in individual human
    bodies in order to cope with that stress.
    [22] This process most likely evolved to help us attend to
    immediate concerns in our environment to better our chances of survival, but in
    modern society, much of the stress felt is not beneficial in this way. Stress
    has been shown to have several negative effects[citation
    needed
    ]
    on health, happiness, and overall wellbeing (see
    stress (biology)). One field of
    psychological inquiry into mindfulness is
    Mindfulness-based stress reduction or MBSR. Several studies have produced relevant
    findings:

    Elevation of positive emotions and outcomes

    While much research centered on mindfulness
    seeks to reduce stress, another large body of research has examined mindfulness
    as a tool to elevate and sustain “positive” emotional states as well
    and their related outcomes:

    Mindfulness meditation as cross-modal
    adaptation

    Bedford (2012)[33] proposed a novel
    psychological theory of how mindfulness meditation leads to healing based in
    the field of perception. According to the theory, mindful meditation along with
    guided imagery creates a conflict between a visual image and the immune system,
    the latter of which is argued to be a sensory modality. This cross-modal
    visual-immune system conflict now acts like any cross-modal conflict in
    perception: one of the modalities must change to realign the two modalities.
    When the immune system is the modality that changes, healing can occur. In this
    view, there is no “mind” over “matter”; what appears as the mind influencing
    the body is actually just low level interaction of multiple perceptual
    modalities/senses, which they evolved to do to maintain perceptual accuracy.

    Future directions

    The research leaves many questions still
    unanswered. Much of the terminology used in such research has no cohesive
    definition. For example, there is a lack of differentiation between
    “attention” and “awareness” and an interchangeable use of
    the two in modern descriptions. Buddhist contemplative psychology however,
    differentiates more clearly, as “attention” in that context signifies
    an ever-changing factor of consciousness, while “awareness” refers to
    a stable and specific state of consciousness.
    [21]

    Reception and criticism

    Various scholars have criticized how
    mindfulness has been defined or represented in recent western psychology
    publications.
    B. Alan Wallace has stated that an
    influential definition of mindfulness in the psychology literature (by Bishop
    et al.
    [3]) differs in significant ways from how mindfulness was
    defined by the Buddha himself, and by much of Buddhist tradition.
    [34] Wallace concludes that “The modern description and
    practice of mindfulness are certainly valuable, as thousands of people have
    discovered for themselves through their own practice. But this doesn’t take
    away from the fact that the modern understanding departs significantly from the
    Buddha’s own account of sati, and from those of the most authoritative
    commentators in the Theravada and Indian Mahayana traditions.”
    [34]:62

    Eleanor Rosch has stated that contemporary “therapeutic systems
    that include mindfulness”
    [35] “could as much be called wisdom-based as
    mindfulness-based.”
    [36]:262 In
    these therapeutic approaches

    Mindfulness would seem to play two roles: as
    a part of the therapy itself and as an umbrella justification
    (”empirical”) for the inclusion of other aspects of
    wisdom that
    may be beyond our present cultural assumptions. Where in this is mindfulness in
    its original sense of the mind adhering to an object of consciousness with a
    clear mental focus?
    [36]:262

    William Mikulas, in the Journal of Consciousness Studies, stated that “In Western psychology, mindfulness
    and concentration are often confused and confounded because, although in the
    last few years there has been a moderate interest in mindfulness, there has not
    been a corresponding interest in concentration. Hence, many mindfulness-based
    programs are actually cultivating both concentration and mindfulness, but all
    results are attributed to mindfulness.”
    [37]:20

    Specific mindfulness-based therapy programs

    Since 2006 research supports promising
    mindfulness-based therapies for a number of medical and psychiatric conditions,
    notably
    chronic pain (McCracken et al.
    2007),
    stress (Grossman et al. 2004),
    anxiety and
    depression (Hofmann et al. 2010), substance abuse (Melemis 2008:141-157), and recurrent suicidal behavior (Williams et al. 2006). Bell (2009) gives a brief overview
    of mindful approaches to
    therapy, particularly family therapy, starting with a discussion of mysticism and emphasizing the value of a mindful therapist.

    Morita therapy

    Main
    article:
    Morita therapy

    The Japanese psychiatrist Shoma Morita, who trained in Zen
    meditation, developed
    Morita therapy upon principles of mindfulness and non-attachment.

    Gestalt therapy

    Main
    article:
    Gestalt therapy

    Since the beginnings of Gestalt therapy in the early 1940s, mindfulness, referred to as “awareness“, has been an essential part of its theory and
    practice.
    [38]

    Adaptation Practice

    Main
    article:
    Adaptation Practice

    The British psychiatrist, Clive Sherlock , who trained in the traditional Rinzai School of Zen, developed Adaptation Practice (AP) in 1978 based on
    the profound mindfulness/awareness training of Zen daily-life practice and
    meditation. Adaptation Practice is used[by whom?] for long-term relief of depression,
    anxiety, anger, stress and other emotional problems.
    [39][40]

    Mindfulness-based stress reduction

    Main
    article:
    Mindfulness-based stress
    reduction

    Jon Kabat-Zinn developed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
    over a ten-year period at the
    University of Massachusetts Medical School. He (1990:11) defines the essence of MBSR: “This
    “work” involves above all the regular, disciplined practice of
    moment-to-moment awareness or mindfulness, the complete
    “owning” of each moment of your experience, good, bad, or ugly.”
    Kabat-Zinn explains the non-Buddhist universality of MBSR:

    Although at this time mindfulness meditation
    is most commonly taught and practiced within the context of Buddhism, its essence
    is universal. … Yet it is no accident that mindfulness comes out of Buddhism,
    which has as its overriding concerns the relief of suffering and the dispelling
    of illusions. (2005:12-13)

    MBSR has clinically proven beneficial for
    people with depression and anxiety disorders.[
    citation needed] This
    mindfulness-based psychotherapy is practiced as a form of complementary
    medicine in over 200[
    citation needed]
    hospitals, and is currently the focus of numerous research studies funded by
    the
    National Center for
    Complementary and Alternative Medicine
    .

    Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy

    Main
    article:
    Mindfulness-based cognitive
    therapy

    Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) psychotherapy combines cognitive therapy with
    mindfulness techniques as a treatment for
    major depressive disorder.

    Acceptance and commitment therapy

    Main
    article:
    Acceptance and commitment
    therapy

    Steven C. Hayes and others have
    developed
    acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), originally called “comprehensive
    distancing”, which uses strategies of mindfulness, acceptance, and
    behavior change.

    Dialectical behavior therapy

    Main
    article:
    Dialectical behavior therapy

    Mindfulness is a “core” exercise used
    in
    Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a
    psychosocial treatment
    Marsha M. Linehan developed for treating people with borderline personality disorder. DBT is dialectic, explains Linehan (1993:19), in the sense of “the
    reconciliation of opposites in a continual process of synthesis.” As a
    practitioner of Buddhist meditation techniques, Linehan says:

    This emphasis in DBT on a balance of acceptance
    and change owes much to my experiences in studying meditation and Eastern
    spirituality. The DBT tenets of observing, mindfulness, and avoidance of
    judgment are all derived from the study and practice of Zen meditations.
    (1993:20-21)

    Hakomi

    Main
    article:
    Hakomi

    Hakomi therapy, under development by Ron Kurtz and others, is
    a
    somatic psychology based
    upon Asian philosophical precepts of mindfulness and
    nonviolence.

    Internal Family Systems Therapy

    Main
    article:
    Internal Family Systems Model

    Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS), developed by Richard C. Schwartz, emphasizes the
    importance of both therapist and client engaging in therapy from the Self,
    which is the IFS term for one’s “spiritual center”. The Self is
    curious about whatever arises in one’s present experience and open and
    accepting toward all manifestations.

    Mindfulness
    meditation in organizations

    In the U.S., certain businesses,
    universities, government agencies, counseling centers, schools, hospitals,
    religious groups, law firms, prisons, the army, and other organizations offer
    training in mindfulness meditation.

    In the U.S. business world, interest in mindfulness is rising
    dramatically. This shows in the popular business press, including books such as
    Awake at Work (Carroll, 2004) and Resonant Leadership: Renewing
    Yourself and Connecting with Others Through Mindfulness, Hope, and Compassion
    .
    [41]

    The website of the University of Massachusetts Medical School
    Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society and Carroll’s
    (2007) book, The Mindful Leader, mention many companies that have
    provided training programs in mindfulness. These include Fortune 500 companies
    (such as Raytheon,
    Procter &
    Gamble
    , Monsanto, General Mills, and Comcast) and others (such as BASF
    Bioresearch, Bose, New Balance, Unilever, and Nortel Networks). Executives who
    “meditate and consider such a practice beneficial to running a corporation”
    [42] have included
    the chairman of the Ford Motor Company,
    Bill Ford, Jr.[page needed]; a managing partner of McKinsey & Co., Michael Rennie; and Aetna
    International’s former chairman,
    Michael Stephen. A
    professional-development program — “Mindfulness at Monsanto” — was started at
    Monsanto corporation by its CEO, Robert Shapiro.

    Sounds True, an audio recordings company,[43] has mindfulness as a core value.

    At Sounds True, we strive to practice mindfulness in every
    aspect of our work. Recognizing the importance of silence, inward attention,
    active listening and being centered, Sounds True begins its all-company
    meetings with a minute of silence and maintains a meditation room on-site for
    employees to utilize throughout the day.
    [44]

    In some newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals in fields
    other than management, one can find indicators of interest in mindfulness in
    organizations outside of business. This includes legal and law enforcement
    organizations.
    [45]

    Research on mindfulness in the workplace has been conducted by
    McCormick and Hunter.
    [49] Hunter has
    taught a course on mindfulness to graduate students in business at
    Claremont Graduate University, and McCormick has taught mindfulness in the
    business school of California State University Northridge. In 2000,
    The Inner Kids Program, a mindfulness-based program developed for
    children, was introduced into public and private school curricula in the
    greater Los Angeles area.
    [50]

    See
    also

    http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/mindfulness

    Mindfulness

    Present Moment
    Awareness

    Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the
    present. When you’re mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a
    distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass
    you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.

    Live in the Moment

    The Art of Now:
    Six Steps to Living in the Moment

    How to to pay attention to the present.

    Back to the
    Present: How to Live in the Moment

    How to get mindful now.

    Mastering Your
    Own Mind

    Become a high-performance user of your own brain.

    What is Body
    Sense?

    What happens when we lose touch with our bodies?

    Movement, Dance,
    and Present Moment Awareness

    How present moment awareness can help your dance skills.

    The Power to Be
    Me

    Power promotes authenticity and consistency in the self

    See
    Also

    Mindful Eating

    Plan Your Meals

    Thinking ahead can help you return to intuitive eating.

    Pay Attention!

    How to really enjoy your meal.

    Mindful Eating,
    or Mindlessly Eating Better?

    Why mindful eating needs to go beyond “listen to your
    body.”

    The Pistachio
    Effect

    How shelled nuts can help you slow down.

    3 Tips for
    Snacking Mindfully (With New Snack Foods!)

    Meet some new foods—and smaller portions.

    See
    Also

    A Mindful Life

    The Pursuit of
    Happiness

    The surest ways to find well-being.

    Mastering Your
    Own Mind

    Become a high-performance user of your own brain.

    Breathe Away Pain

    Mindfulness meditation can help chronic pain sufferers.

    Mindfulness
    Meditation: Thoughts on Paying Attention

    Want to defeat procrastination? Pay attention.

    How Mindlessness
    Can Make Us More Mindful

    Nail-biting and other mindless habits can be unexpected
    assets

    Mindfulness Helps
    to Combat Stress

    New study on meditation.

    Nine Essential
    Qualities of Mindfulness

    Learn how to say “yes” to the present moment.

    See
    Also

    Recent Posts on
    Mindfulness



    You might know
    how to be happy, but can you do it?


    The spirit in
    which you do something is often as important as the act itself.


    What makes
    multi-talented people tick?


    Quitting
    smoking? Mindfulness can help quiet your nicotine cravings.


    Life lessons
    learned from my adventure with silent blue-haired nuns.


    Happiness is:
    taming that if-I-don’t-get-it-I’ll-die type of desire.


    Turning points
    contain a message from yourself to yourself.


    What’s the
    relationship between stress and performance?


    Greed,
    ignorance and anger are the path to unhappiness.


    Give up your
    attachments and criticism fades to the background


    Shifting your
    tone doesn’t mean being phony; it’s about being grounded.


    http://www.mindfulness.com/


    Mindfulness
    and Movement: Present Moment

    Leave
    the first response

    March 3, 2012 / Posted in
    Meditation, Mindfulness


    Wounded
    Warriors on track

    Every
    Friday morning between 6 am and 8 am a coach works out with his stable of
    runners. Usually its overcast on the tartan track by Scripps Integrative
    Medicine. When it’s not foggy the westward glance as you round the track is the
    panorama of the rolling greens of the Torrey Pines South and beyond the majesty
    of the deep blue green Pacific. When the groundbreaking for the Integrative
    Medicine center took place, the medicine woman from one of San Diego’s
    indigenous tribes gave a blessing acknowledging the healing winds that blow
    over this sacred spot.

    Warmups.
    Banter. Laughter. Work out briefing. Timed distances and speeds. Labored
    breathing. Grimaces. And continual adjustments.This coach is a little
    different. He is not only their coach, he is also their prosthetist. Any week
    there are 6 to 10 runners mostly single amputees with 2 or 3 double amputees
    working on their aerobic fitness and working on the fit of their new running
    leg or legs.

    If
    you want to know the future; create it. And the human spirit is alive never to
    be held down. For some it will be about limitations. For others, it is the
    gratitude and appreciation of being alive and whatever confronts one is
    something to be overcome and is just a challenge for the human spirit mindful
    about what it means to “Be awake, fully present and living my life
    intentionally.”

    A
    dear friend
    Karen
    Dietz
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    shared this piece from a
    blogger on
    Mental
    Floss
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    , Miss
    Cellania
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    :

    In
    the beginning of the blog she reminds us:

    Some
    people live their lives by making the best of what they have. And then there
    are people who even make the best of what they don’t have. After all, you just
    don’t tell some people, “You can’t do that.” Because they will prove you wrong.

    Read
    Miss Cellenia blog on
    Challenge
    Accepted
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    about 8 inspiring stories
    that resonate with the Wounded Warriors. You’ll resonate with being mindful as
    you sit or move.

    Present
    moment, beautiful moment.

    Find out what I
    am doing by
    following me on Twitterhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    Leave the first response Subscribe via RSS ShareThis

    Mindfulness
    from the Heart

    Leave the first
    response

    February 13, 2012 / Posted in
    Meditation, Mindfulness


    The
    poem below from e.e. cummings truly speaks from the heart. With Valentine’s Day
    a day away, it shares a moment of reflection of the love of another. And at the
    same time a deeper love that many of us find difficult to do and to live: A
    deep love of ourselves: “I deeply and profoundly love and accept myself with
    all my heart and from the depths of my being.” It resonates with Jon
    Kabat-Zinn’s: You are enough just by sitting there breathing.

    Many
    years ago a dear friend Marilyn Deak, psychologist and mentor in Energy
    Psychology, was working with me on learning the Emotional Freedom Technique
    (EFT by founder Gary Craig) shared at
    emofree.comhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif. I found it interesting
    that I had trouble remembering the statement: “I deeply and profoundly accept
    myself.” What made those words so difficult to remember? Maybe some of you have
    experienced the same thing. Especially when living out the archtype of
    caregiver, servant, servant-leader when coming from what
    James
    Hollis
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    calls the “Not enough”
    category of humanity.

    I Carry Your Heart With Me

    i
    carry your heart with me
    i carry it in my heart
    i am never without it
    anywhere i go you go, my dear;
    and whatever is done
    by only me is your doing, my darling
    i fear no fate
    for you are my fate, my sweet
    i want no world
    for beautiful you are my world, my true
    and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
    and whatever a sun will always sing is you
    here is the deepest secret nobody knows
    here is the root of the root
    and the bud of the bud
    and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
    which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide
    and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
    i carry your heart
    i carry it in my heart
    —-E. E. Cummings

    A
    song I heard many years ago by the Incredible String Band has remained one that
    I have treasured. And from my heart to yours:

    May the longtime sun shine upon you
    All love surround you.

    And the pure light within you
    Guide your way on

    Close
    your eyes. For the next few minutes let Snatam Kaur sing to yourself from your
    heart. For so many of us it is difficult to be compassionate and caring to the
    God that lives within us. Namaste.

    If
    you are interested, rest your pointed over the heart picture above and go to
    the website of artist Sandy Levin. Click on
    Glass
    Gallery
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    and view her Heart
    Series
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    When
    looking for the poem, I came across the website of the
    Randomguruhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif and in his My Mind’s Zen
    Garden shared Cummings poem back in 2006. Also come to find that Carlos is a
    San Diegan.

    Find out what I
    am doing by
    following me on Twitterhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    Leave the first response Subscribe via RSS ShareThis

    This
    Will Also Pass: an interview on Mindfulness

    Leave
    the first response

    January 20, 2012 / Posted in
    Breathe, Meditation, Mindful
    Business
    ,
    Mindful Leadership, Mindfulness


    Johan
    Bergstad
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    is a licensed psychologist
    in Sweden, mindfulness teacher, writer/poet and photographer. The movie he
    recently released: This Will Also Pass” is a wonderful interview he did with,
    retired surgeon and Mindfulness teacher, Andries J Kroese.

    For
    those interested in learning more about Mindfulness a good starting place is
    Mindful.orghttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif, that is hosted by Shambhala
    Sun Foundation.
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    Shambhala
    Sun
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    or their websitehttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif truly is a starting point
    for all things Mindful.

    Find out what I
    am doing by
    following me on Twitterhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    Leave the first response Subscribe via RSS ShareThis

    Mindfulness:
    Living and Leading with Intention

    1
    Comment

    January 8, 2012 / Posted in
    Mindful
    Business
    ,
    Mindful Leadership, Mindfulness


    I
    have been influenced in the practice of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh since
    the mid-80’s and by
    Karen
    Sothers

    and
    Steve
    Alper
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    since the mid-90s with
    their work at the
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gifScripps
    Center for Integrative Medicine
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    under the leadership of Dr Mimi Guarnerihttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif. With my 25 years as a Vistage Chairhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif I have been blessed to be
    exposed to the many aspects of leadership from the perspective of what does it
    mean to be a leader who practices Mindfulness.

    I
    would like to share some insights from a dear friend and an alumna Vistage
    Chair, Mary Lore, author of
    Managing
    Thought
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    . Some good thought to
    reflect on as we begin our new year awake and aware.

    Living and Leading with Intention

    Do
    you have a written vision statement or intention for:

    Your
    organization or your family?
    Your role in your organization or family?
    Your life? Your career? Yourself?
    Your relationship with your children? Your direct reports?
    Your relationships with your customers, suppliers, investors, employees,
    colleagues, manager, or boss?
    Your marriage, education, livelihood, well-being, success?
    Your vacation, the home or car you hope to buy, a conversation, an activity, a
    sales call, an acquisition, or a meeting?

    We
    can set vision statements and choose our intentions and purpose for any aspect
    of our being. You can intend:

    Good
    health.
    Helping your employees fulfill their dreams.
    Being of highest and best service to your customers, employees, investors,
    suppliers, children, parents, and humanity.
    Being a loving partner to your spouse.
    Being a guide and mentor to your children or your direct reports.
    Being open, receptive, and kind in a conversation and using the interaction as
    a source of learning about yourself and others.

    And
    then, before you say or do anything, ask yourself, “What can I say or do in
    this moment to BE my intention?” Before you make a phone call or respond to a
    comment, before you join a meeting or have a conversation, or before you open
    the door when you come home from work, exhale and inhale deeply. Remind
    yourself of your intention and ask what you can say or do to move another step
    toward making your intention a reality.

    With
    practice, taking the breath becomes natural for you. With practice, reminding
    yourself of your intention and asking yourself how you can think and behave in a
    manner consistent with your intention also becomes natural for you. With
    practice, you are able to think these powerful thoughts just as quickly and
    naturally as your old thoughts.

    When
    we choose our intentions and are mindful, we achieve clarity of purpose. We are
    clear on what matters most to us, on what we value. We stop “re-acting” to
    colleagues, customers, family members, employees, and situations and start
    creating what we wish to create. Our thoughts, strategies, goals, plans,
    actions, and reactions are focused on what is truly significant. We become
    inspired. We achieve significant results. We transform our relationships, our
    families, and our organizations.

    How
    could you live with intention? How could you lead with intention?

    For
    more on information on conscious, meaningful living and leading with purpose:

    Watch
    video:
    Powerful
    resolutions, intentions, and affirmations to create a life well-lived.
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    Watch, listen, or read:
    How
    to Make Goals and Resolutions You Can Keep
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    Listen or Read:
    Focus
    on What You Want, Not What You Don’t Want
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    Read:
    What’s
    Your “I Have a Dream” Speech?
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    Take this free
    Self-Assessment
    for a Life Well-Lived.
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    For
    daily inspiration on this topic, follow Managing Thought on
    Twitterhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif or like it on Facebook.

    __________________________

    Mary
    J. Lore is a mentor to corporate leaders, multiple award winning author,
    keynote speaker, and founder of Managing Thought, LLC. Hailed by business
    leaders around the world, her multiple award-winning book Managing Thought: How
    Do Your Thoughts Rule Your World? You not only change the way you think about
    success—you change the way you think, period. Mary helps individuals and
    organizations turn counter-productive thinking into inspired action and
    significant results. In her career, she has served as a CPA, a crisis
    management and business turnaround expert, and an entrepreneur. Mary serves as
    an expert resource for Vistage, served as a Chair from 2002 – 2010, and was a
    member during the 1990s. Visit Mary at
    www.managingthought.comhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif and www.maryjlore.com. If
    you’d like to help Mary teach millions of people how to change their thoughts
    and their lives, go to
    www.managingthought.com/PBSPledgeSpecialhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif.

    Find out what I
    am doing by
    following me on Twitterhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    1 Comment… What do you
    think?

    Subscribe via RSS ShareThis

    Sometimes
    Mindfulness Sneaks Up When In a Mindless State

    Leave
    the first response

    December 18, 2011 / Posted in
    Mindfulness


    Present
    moment, beautiful moment. It is all we have.

    And
    in the present moment it is amazing what can be created when one looks back at
    a compilation of present moments.

    For it is with the heart that one
    sees rightly
    For what is essential is invisible to the eye


    And
    from the viewpoint of
    someone
    who watched it happen
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    What is this life if, full of care,
    We have no time to stand and stare.


    from “Leisure,” by W.H. Davies

    In
    an article “
    Pearls
    Before Swine
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    ” written by Gene Weingarten
    he relays the story of virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell playing incognito in the
    the Washington, D.C. Metro station at L’Enfant Plaza on his three million
    dollar Stradivarius. On Friday, January 12, 2007, Joshua Bell played for 43
    minutes. Of the 6 pieces he played he started with Bach’s “Chaconne” one of the
    most difficult violin pieces to master. In those 43 minutes 1097 people passed
    by on their way to work. At the end of his playing, he had collected $32.17. Of
    the 40+ people the Washington Post contacted there was only one who mentioned
    the violinist immediately.

    The
    full article “
    Pearls
    Before Swine
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    ” is a good read. How often
    our busyness and business finds us in a state of mindlessness. How can we
    embrace our lives from the context of mindfulness?

    Leisure
    W. H. Davies

    WHAT
    is this life if, full of care,
    We have no time to stand and stare?—

    No
    time to stand beneath the boughs,
    And stare as long as sheep and cows:

    No
    time to see, when woods we pass,
    Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

    No
    time to see, in broad daylight,
    Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

    No
    time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
    And watch her feet, how they can dance:

    No
    time to wait till her mouth can
    Enrich that smile her eyes began?

    A
    poor life this if, full of care,
    We have no time to stand and stare.

    And
    as I searched for more videos on Joshua Bell, the present moment presented me
    with a video that said:

    The following content has been
    identified by
    the YouTube community as being potentially
    offensive or inappropriate.

    Viewer discretion is advised.

    I
    was reminded by the poet Terence: Homo sum: humani nil a me alienum puto

    I am a man,
    I consider nothing that is human alien to me.

    And
    I watched.

    I
    was saddened and realized what my fellow man endures and so often I have no
    knowledge of those experiences
    .
    I was reminded of my previous post. There is both sadness and joy. There is
    both compassion and brutality. There is both hate and love. We are humans and
    nothing that is human is alien to us.

    Sometimes
    watching the mindless helps us realize that everything I do is a choice. Will I
    feed mindfulness or mindlessness with each of my choices. Susan Scott words
    from her big 3 ideas in Fierce Conversations: My life succeeds or fails one
    conversation at a time.

    Can
    I quiet myself enough to listen?


    Wiseman
    is a good listener

    Find out what I
    am doing by
    following me on Twitterhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    Leave the first response Subscribe via RSS ShareThis

    Both
    Mindful & Aware of Both/And. So No “Buts” nor Either/ors

    Leave
    the first response

    December 16, 2011 / Posted in
    Mindfulness


    One
    of
    Mary
    Lore’s
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    practices in her book Managing
    Thought
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    is to remove the “But” from
    one’s conversations and replace it with “and.” Begin to listen to yourself and
    others. Catch yourself and begin to replace your “but” with “and.” It opens the
    conversation to possibilities as opposed to cutting them off. The gift of a
    good improv artist is that they leave an ending line as something that a member
    of their ensemble can build upon. With “and” the possibilities are endless. With
    “but” the limits become all confining.

    A
    dear friend and Kaizen sensi,
    Toni Davieshttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif, shares from time to time
    the writings of Tom Lane, a close associate for many years in continuous
    improvement. Here are some wonderful reflections from
    Tom’s bloghttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    over this
    holiday and Christmas season:

    BOTH/AND OR EITHER/OR

    Where
    do you fall on a spectrum of “both/and” thinking on one side, and “either/or”
    thinking on the other side. Any initial reactions to that? I find myself almost
    always on the “both/and” side of that question. And I find that conversations
    with “either/or” people are not very productive or enjoyable. It seems to be
    some kind of fundamental difference in how we humans deal with the world.
    In the “both/and” world, there is this constant realization that two or more
    different actions/beliefs/possibilities can exist at the same time. It is
    totally possible that we are both encoded by nature to certain things and socialized
    to many other things. It is possible that both evolution and some spiritual
    intervention both happened in our development. That we humans can be both
    heartless about some things and very compassionate about other things. The
    both/and world allows for the enormous complexity of what life seems to be
    about. It is the world of gray. It is the world of no easy answers. It is the
    world of “maybe”.
    On the other hand, the world of “either/or’, seems to be a world of black and
    white. (I must confess that I am speculating since I have not lived in this
    world) It is the world of being with me or against me. It is the world of nice
    and neat contrasts. I think that the reason I have not spent much time here is
    that, I have too often seen both sides of the situation. Either/or thinking
    only sees one side. My side is right and your side is wrong. It is the thinking
    of people who need lots of control in their living. To allow even the
    possibility of two seemingly contradicting ideas to hold a position of
    validity, seems absurd to “either/or” thinkers. It just does not compute.
    There is only debate with the “either/or” thinkers and no chance for dialogue.
    To dialogue is to recognize the complexity and nuance of life and that nothing
    stands on its own as the ‘TRUTH”. But to the either/or folks, their truth is
    the only truth and no other can stand with it. To even allow another
    possibility to stand the same ground, is to put into question the absolute
    quality and validity of their view of the world. The either/or world is a world
    of needing lots of control. It seems to live by a ‘might makes right’
    mentality.
    And, if you are on the both/and world, you can see this process and understand
    how it has some validity in the world. There are some things that seem absolute
    (like we die) and there is value in some of that. And you also see how so many
    things are simply in the grey area. For people who want to know for certain,
    grey is not a good place. It is hard to find their clarity of “rightness”. Most
    of life, in my view, is in the grey. But, I can also see how some can define
    the world totally differently and see it as only black and white. And I can
    also see how they can not see that. Tlane 12/15/11

    The
    picture above was painted by Joe Flynn, a dear friend, I met at
    Scripps
    Center for Integrative Medicine
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    founded back in the
    mid-90’s by
    Rauni
    Prittinen-King

    and cardiologist
    Dr Mimi Guaranerihttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif, the 2011 Bravewell
    Leadership Award
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    recipient. Joe came to
    group support since the late 90’s when Kaye, his wife, was a patient. Joe is a
    living example of “both/and.”

    Joe
    is home from hospice and has been under the care of his caregiver, Lupe, and
    Joe’s team of caregivers. Joe is both alive and he is dying. I’ve had the
    pleasure before Thanksgiving and last Thursday to sit with him in the late
    afternoon and early evening and talk about life and all things of appreciation
    and gratitude. At Thanksgiving his 3 sons and their families gathered to
    celebrate with Joe. When I called the next day, some of the grandchildren were
    saying good bye and on their way home in other cities. Joe is both living and
    dying.

    Joe
    would put it: ” We’re all dying. So I’m either alive or dead. As long as I am
    here, breathing; I am alive!

    Joe
    is both a philosopher and an artist. You become a philosopher when dealing as a
    negotiator which he did for Kaiser in Oakland for over 30 years. You become a
    philosopher when you and your best friend with your dates leave the bar at the
    Coconut
    Grove
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    on November 28th, 1942
    because you’re not being served.You become a philosopher when your bomber is
    shot down over Romania. You become a philosopher when your best friend is also
    shot down and doesn’t get home. You become a philosopher when the citizens of
    the country help you and several hundred other Prisoners of War travel a few
    hundred miles to escape into Turkey.

    You
    become an artist because it allows you to express yourself. You become an
    artist because it is something you do for yourself and your philosopher doesn’t
    care what other people think. Your creativity allows you share your art because
    each year for over 30 years you create a Christmas painting that becomes the
    front of your Christmas card “Exclusively for Family and Friends.”

    The
    philosopher allows family into your art studio and has them choose any of your
    paintings to take with them. The studio is emptied. The philosopher aware than
    being almost blind doesn’t allow the artist to be so the studio closes. The
    philosopher knows the artist spirit is alive and hears of a teacher who helps
    the blind and near blind paint.

    What
    you see above is Joe’s painting as he told me, every stroke by his hand. His
    teacher mixed the colors according to his directions. She then over many months
    verbally directed where he needed to paint. Her voice directed Joe’s hand with
    the pressure and length of the stroke needed.

    Matt
    Crisci
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    has a collection of Joe’s
    cards. The idea was to tell Joe’s story with each card as a chapter. Matt also
    had same idea for Mary Clark whose Christmas poems spanned more than 50 years.
    It looks like both Joe’s and Mary’s books will not be written. The anniversary of
    Mary’s
    death
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    will be this coming Monday,
    December 19th. The San Diego Natural History Museum has a
    beautiful
    memorial to Mary
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    , both written, in picture
    and mainly with the video of her reading one of her poems.

    Matt,
    however, was able to share the life of one of our group in his book:
    Papa Cadohttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif. You can read two chapters.

    So
    I am both honored and blessed to have people like Joe, Mary, Papa Cado, Matt,
    Tom, Toni and Mary in my life. They remind me both to be mindful and grateful
    for the gift of life.


    It
    is with the heart one sees rightly

    Find out what I
    am doing by
    following me on Twitterhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    Leave the first response Subscribe via RSS ShareThis

    Mindful
    Running: A Journey Not A Destination

    2
    Comments

    November 1, 2011 / Posted in
    Breathe, Mindful
    Running

    This
    was shared by Roger Wright
    Running
    For My Existence
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    Roger,
    thanks for sharing and reminding us that like marathon running: Life is a
    journey not a destination.

    Thanks
    also to Doug Freese and his continued contributions to Google Group:
    rec.running.

    Find out what I
    am doing by
    following me on Twitterhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    2 Comments… What do you
    think?

    Subscribe via RSS ShareThis

    Lee
    Thayer on Leadership Virtuosity: Steps To Being Mindful

    Leave
    the first response

    October 31, 2011 / Posted in
    Mindful
    Business
    ,
    Mindful Leadership


    Lee
    Thayer Quote

    Lee
    Thayer’s
    Leadership Virtuosityhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif in his series of books on
    leadership is a must read for all who want to see what is the cost of becoming
    a virtuoso leader.
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    Some
    of Lee’s thoughts:


    The Performing Leader

    The
    primary advantage of de-personalizing performance–of making the person’s performance and not his psyche and/or
    personality the issue–is that the person’s performance is objectively measurable and improvable. The persons
    internal mind-set and other habits are not.

    A
    second advantage of separating the “person” from his or her performance is that
    it permits the leader to have adult relationships with his performers without
    becoming their mother or their therapist or their day-cafe supervisor.

    The Intolerant
    Leader

    You get what
    you tolerate

    It
    certainly has the logic going for it:

    If
    you tolerate poor performance, you will probably get it
    If you tolerate certain mistakes, you will in all probability have to put up
    with them
    If you tolerate broken promises, you will get them…
    If you tolerate deceit and conniving, you will get them
    If you tolerate incompetence, incompetent people will know where to apply.

    The Caring
    Leader

    Those
    who are not competent in their roles in any collective jeopardize the lives of
    all the rest of us

    Those
    who do not understand that the organization cannot care for their needs unless
    they first care for the needs of the organization put the lives of all the rest
    of us in jeopardy.

    Any
    member of any organization, at any level, who expresses distaste for her role
    is doing so because she is incompetent.


    The
    Accomplishment-Minded Leader

    Having
    a purpose in life is not just New Age claptrap. It is inescapably pragmatic. In
    this way:

    Those
    who don’t know or don’t care where they are going have nothing by which to
    navigate except other people who don’t know or don’t care where they are going.
    They don’t know what is relevant to their journey because they are not
    committed to any particular destination. they carry no compass, having no need.
    They could, like the ancient Polynesians, read the currents. But no one seems
    to know how to do this. It is not on the test they had in school

    …The
    leadership virtuoso takes a (habitual) posture something like this:

    Who
    ought to own the problem? (in most cases, this should be the person or people
    who have the problem.)
    Who ought to own the problem of fixing it? (Same as above.)
    Who ought to get credit for eliminating the problem–the one who becomes aware
    of it, the one who figures out what to do about it, or the one who implements
    the fix? (that’s easy. They need to be the same person or group of people)

    The
    leader who needs to get credit for any one of those three will never be much
    more than a mediocre manager

    There
    is a difference between accomplishment as a way of life and accomplishment for
    the sole purpose of moving up in the organization. The leadership virtuoso
    takes great care not to reward the latter. In a great organization, not to be
    accomplishment-minded is to be wrong-minded.

    …To
    accomplish anything at all worthy of being human will always be determined by
    how accomplishment-minded
    we are–individually and
    collectively

    The “Good”
    Leader

    It
    is not the good leader’s role to make his or her people “happy.” It is her role
    to make learners out of them, to make it necessary for them to increase their
    competencies in their own roles.

    …Until
    the people in a organization put the organization first, and themselves second,
    or third, their leaders are not good for them, for the organization, or for the
    future of this civilization. What’s incompatible is that if people have no duty
    to the larger whole (e.g. the organization, the society), there can be no
    virtue. The good leader teaches people what their duties are–to themselves, to
    others, to the larger whole. Until that happens, no good is likely to come of
    it. A leader who cannot make this happen is a bad leader. Under a bad leader,
    everyone loses.

    …People
    who are not capable of leading themselves will choose leaders who are not good
    for them.

    It
    is our duty to be the kind of people who deserve “good” leaders. It is the good
    leader’s duty to make us do what we ought to do, to become the kind of people
    we ought to become. We clearly get the leaders we deserve.

    The
    ingredient most often missing from all our talk about leadership is…power. The leader’s influence is
    limited by the limitations of her power. What brought Carly down at HP was not
    her incompetence. It was a shortfall of the power needed to fend off the
    opposing powers.

    If
    a leader does not have the prerogative to choose his own personnel, he will
    likely fail. If the leader does not have or exercise fire-power, he will lose.
    If the leader cannot impose his will on his followers, he will lose. It is the
    leader’s prerogative, necessarily, to risk being wrong. If it becomes
    groupthink, everyone loses.

    Leadership
    virtuosity requires leading people from where they are to where they ought to
    be, from who they are to who they ought to be. To fail at this is to fail in
    the leadership role and to betray those people.

    If
    it is done for their long-term benefit, and the benefit of the larger whole
    (all of the organization’s other stakeholders), you must have the power
    necessary to make it happen. If you turn that moral obligation over to others,
    you have failed your leadership role. You have done harm.

    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    Click here: http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gifLeadership Virtuosityhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif if you want to be
    challenged to become who you ought to be.

    Find out what I
    am doing by
    following me on Twitterhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    Leave the first response Subscribe via RSS ShareThis

    And
    Then There were 15-Mindfulness In Life and Leadership

    Leave
    the first response

    October 11, 2011 / Posted in
    Mindful
    Business
    ,
    Mindful Leadership, Mindfulness


    Today
    was added the 13th, 14th and 15th women who have received the Nobel Peace
    Prize. These women Nobel Prize winners, many who you will not have known until
    you read about them, embody mindfulness.

    The
    first nine women Peace Prize winners you can read about in this article on the
    Nobel
    Prize website
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    in the words of the
    individuals who presented these women their awards.
    Baroness
    Bertha von Suttner
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    1905
    Jane
    Addams
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    1931
    Emily
    Green Balch
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    1946
    Betty
    Williams
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    1976
    Mariead
    Corrigan
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    1976
    Mother
    Teresa
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    1979
    Alva
    Myrdal
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    1982
    Aung
    San Suu Kyi
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    1991
    Rogoberta
    Menchu Tum
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    1992
    Jody
    Williams
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    1997
    Shrin
    Ebadi
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    2003
    Wangari
    Maathai
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    2004
    Ellen
    Johnson Sirleaf
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    2011
    Leymah
    Gbowee
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    2011
    Tawakkul
    Karman
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    2011

    The
    Nobel Peace Prize 2011
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    was awarded jointly to Ellen
    Johnson Sirleaf
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    , Leymah
    Gbowee
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    and Tawakkul
    Karman
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    “for their non-violent
    struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation
    in peace-building work”.

    Mindful.orghttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif shares a list of the past
    awardees and nominees where mindfulness impacted their life and their work as
    with the 15 women Nobel Peace Prize winners.

    You
    will want to visit
    Mindful.orghttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif for their many offerings to
    further your study, understanding and practical practice of mindfulness.

    Congratulations
    to 2011’s laureates: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian peace
    activist Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen, who were together recognized
    for,
    as
    the New York Times put it
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    , “their nonviolent role in
    promoting peace, democracy and gender equality.”

    From
    the Mindful.org archives:
    Martin Luther King Jr.

    In
    1964, Martin Luther King Jr. became the youngest person to receive the Nobel
    Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination
    through civil disobedience and other nonviolent means. By the time of his death
    in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and stopping the
    Vietnam War.

    Surrendered
    to Love
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    : Bell Hooks explains how Martin
    Luther King’s vision of life based on a love ethic could heal our world.
    Thich Nhat Hahn

    Thich
    Nhat Hahn is a Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist. He was
    nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1967. He remains
    active in the peace movement, promoting non-violent solutions to conflict.

    There
    is no path to peace. The path is peace.
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    : Thich Nhat Hahn talks to
    U.S. Congress about changing our society’s foundation of violence.
    Mahatma Gandhi

    A
    pivotal figure in India’s history, and one of the most well-known
    representatives of non-violence in the 20th century, Gandhi was nominated for
    the Nobel Peace Prize in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and 1948, the year he was
    murdered. The omission has been publicly regretted by later members of the
    Nobel Committee.

    The
    Global Gandhi
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    : According to Gandhi, inner
    transformation is the key to social change. Can it be applied to the climate
    crisis? An exploration by Diana Calthorpe Rose of the Garrison Institute.
    Dalai Lama

    His
    Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the spiritual leader of the
    Tibetan people. The Dalai Lama was named the 1989 winner of the Nobel Peace
    Prize in recognition of his nonviolent campaign over nearly 40 years to end
    China’s domination of his homeland.

    Studying
    Mind from the Inside
    http://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif
    : The true nature of the
    mind, says the Dalai Lama, is beyond any concept or physical form, and
    therefore it cannot be studied solely by third-person, scientific methods. Mind
    must also be studied through a rigorous observation of our own subjective
    experience.

    Find out what I
    am doing by
    following me on Twitterhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif

    Leave the first response Subscribe via RSS ShareThis

    Creating
    A Mindful Society-Free to stream until November 1st

    1
    Comment

    October 10, 2011 / Posted in
    Mindful
    Business
    ,
    Mindful Leadership, Mindful
    Running
    ,
    Mindfulness


    Great
    Opportunity to listen to excellent program on Mindfulness for free.

    You
    can stream the video of this marvelous session on Creating A Mindful Society.
    It can be viewed for free for 30 days starting October 3rd.

    Go
    to:
    live.soundstrue.comhttp://www.previewshots.com/images/v1.3/t.gif and register (name and
    email) You can then return when you have time to listen at your convenience to
    the entire program.

    Listed
    below are the speakers with information about them and then the topic of their
    presentation.

    Welcome
    and meditation with Saki Santorelli

    Keynote
    address by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD
    The Transformative Power of Mindfulness in America and the World

    Jon
    Kabat-Zinn will articulate the need for and the promise of bringing greater
    mindfulness and heartfulness into our society on every level—from the
    individual to the institutional, from the corporate to the governmental, from
    the national to the international. He will offer a few simple steps to embody
    greater mindfulness in our own lives and accelerate the cultivation of greater
    mindfulness in our society. The talk will include a guided meditation.

    Closing
    and meditation with Saki Santorelli

    Welcome
    and meditation with Michael Craft

    Keynote
    address by Richard Davidson, PhD
    Change Your Brain by Transforming Your Mind
    This talk by one of America’s leading neuroscientists will explore the emerging
    field of contemplative neuroscience. Richard J. Davidson, founder of the Center
    for Investigating Healthy Minds, will showcase recent findings that illustrate
    how training the mind can change the brain in ways that promote mental and physical
    well-being.

    Saki
    Santorelli, EdD, MA
    The Healing Power of Mindfulness
    Experience, first hand, a range of mindfulness practices used in the
    mindfulness-based stress reduction training program at the University of
    Massachusetts Medical School.
    Saki F. Santorelli, EdD, MA, is director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the
    University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center; executive director of the
    Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society; and associate
    professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Author
    of Heal Thy Self, Saki F. Santorelli has been active in the emerging fields of
    mind-body and integrative medicine for more than 20 years, including the
    development of many experiential, mindfulness-based professional education and
    development programs. He has more than 30,000 hours of clinical experience in
    mindfulness-based stress reduction and has trained thousands of people,
    including physicians, nurses, and teachers. For more than a decade, Santorelli
    also has taught a program for medical students that explores the role of the
    mindfulness in medicine and health care.

    Keynote
    address by Janice Marturano
    Finding the Space to Lead
    The complexities of the global economy and the speed with which our environment
    is changing requires all of us—leaders and potential leaders—to use our minds’
    full capabilities. Right in the midst of speed and complexity, we can cultivate
    our innate ability to pause and be present, developing greater focus and
    clarity, and the mental space for creativity and compassion to arise.

    Closing
    and meditation with Michael Craft

    Welcome
    and meditation with Melvin McLeod

    “Beyond
    Stress Reduction”?Rhonda Magee, JD
    An exploration of how mindful lawyers are changing the world—and how we all can
    make a difference.
    Rhonda Magee, JD, is professor of law at the San Francisco School of Law and a
    leading voice for bringing the practice of mindfulness into the legal
    profession. Magee’s scholarly work focuses on race law and policy, humanizing
    legal education, and the practice of law. Through her work, she aims to help
    law students and practitioners cope with pressure in order to be more
    successful and effective. Magee’s coursework shares a common theme of examining
    how law responds to the vulnerable in society. Rhonda Magee is author of
    numerous journal articles, including “Legal Education and the Formation of
    Professional Identity” and “Racial Suffering as Human Suffering: An
    Existentially Grounded Humanity Consciousness as a Guide to a 14th Amendment Reborn.”

    “Mind
    Over Money: Making Money Matter”?Kristi Nelson
    Learn how the core principles inherent to mindfulness offer us critical
    opportunities to redirect our personal—and ultimately our collective—economies.
    Kristi Nelson has worked in nonprofit leadership and development for the past
    25 years, helping to raise millions of dollars for organizations committed to
    progressive social and spiritual change. From 2002 to 2010, Nelson offered
    values-based fund-raising consulting to organizations such as the Institute for
    Jewish Spirituality, Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Spirit in Action, Kripalu Yoga
    Center, and the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society. She also was founding
    executive director of the Soul of Money Institute. Kristi Nelson is currently
    the director of resource development and community relations for the Center for
    Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society. She is currently writing a
    book about mindfulness and money.

    “Mindfulness,
    Mentoring, and Youth”?Ali Smith & Atman Smith with Andres Gonzalez
    The founders of Baltimore’s acclaimed Holistic Life Foundation discuss how
    mindfulness and yoga practices for youth in high-risk environments has helped
    them become more centered, deal with peer pressure, and manage strong emotions.
    Brothers Ali Smith and Atman Smith joined with their University of Maryland
    classmate Andres Gonzales to return to the inner-city streets of Baltimore and
    introduce yoga, mindfulness, and wholesome living to schoolchildren. In 2001,
    they founded the Holistic Life Foundation, which carries out its mission
    through after-school yoga programs, mentoring, a stress reduction and
    mindfulness curriculum, an environmental advocacy program, and more.

    “Bringing
    Mindfulness to the Military to Enhance Performance and Build Resilience”?Elizabeth
    Stanley, PhD, Captain (Retired)
    Elizabeth Stanley shares some of her experiences in developing
    mindfulness-based mind fitness training and teaching it to troops before their
    deployment to combat.
    Elizabeth Stanley, PhD, Captain (Retired), is an associate professor of
    security studies at Georgetown University and founding president of the Mind
    Fitness Training Institute, which teaches mindfulness-based mind fitness
    training to organizations operating in high-stress environments. A retired
    ninth-generation Army officer from a military family, Stanley served as a
    military intelligence officer with the United States Army, leaving service with
    the rank of Captain. She has extensive experience with mind fitness techniques,
    including long-term intensive practice in the United States and Burma
    (Myanmar). She completed teacher training in mindfulness-based stress reduction
    and has co-taught with Jon Kabat-Zinn. She also has training in somatic-based
    techniques that help individuals re-regulate their autonomic nervous systems
    after stressful or traumatic experiences. She has served on the United States
    Army Science Board, the National Security Advisory Panel of the Sandia National
    Laboratories, and the executive board of Women in International Security. Author
    of Paths to Peace, Elizabeth Stanley has published widely on a variety of
    topics related to mind fitness and national security.

    “Wired
    in the Moment: Mindfulness & Mental Focus in the Tech Sector”?Jenny Lykken
    A discussion of why and how tech workers design and develop mindfulness-based
    programs, including successful solutions and important challenges in the
    delivery of mindfulness-based programs in the workplace.
    Jenny Lykken, a graduate of the psychology program at Harvard, is the learning
    and development specialist at Google. In her current role, Lykken manages and
    facilitates global personal growth learning programs, including classes on
    mindfulness, stress management, and emotional intelligence. She also consults
    with teams to customize learning solutions based on their requests and ideas
    for personal growth training and development. An avid snowboarder and yoga
    practitioner, Lykken enjoys daily hikes and meditations on the Pacific coastal
    trail near her home in San Francisco.

    Keynote
    address by Congressman Tim Ryan
    A Mindful Nation
    Our nation faces daunting challenges—in education, health care, defense, the
    environment, and the economy. Everywhere we turn, we face the need to let go of
    old ways of doing things and enter uncharted territory. Given the scientific
    evidence of the benefits of various mindfulness and awareness practices, it
    would be irresponsible for us not to explore whether they can help us find the
    resilience we need to face our challenges with the can-do spirit for which
    Americans are famous.

    Tami
    Simon hosts the Mindfulness Town Hall where Jon Kabat-Zinn, Richard J.
    Davidson, Janice Marturano, and US Congressman Tim Ryan discuss the following
    questions with the audience:
    1. How do we engage the broader public in a conversation about the benefits of
    mindfulness practice? Could millions someday make mindfulness practice a normal
    part of their lives, and if so, how might that happen?
    2. How can we develop, demonstrate, and gain acceptance for specific
    applications of mindfulness in different aspects of society and the workplace?
    3. How do we help create a mindful society, in terms of both civil society and
    public policy?
    4. What is the future of the mindfulness community? Where do we go from here?

    http://stress.about.com/od/tensiontamers/a/exercises.htm

    Mindfulness Exercises - Everyday Mindfulness Exercises For Stress
    Relief

    Pick Your Favorite
    Mindfulness Exercises

    The practice of mindfulness can bring many benefits to your emotional and
    physical health, as well as to the relationships in your life. Mindfulness is
    an amazing tool for stress management and overall wellness because it can be
    used at virtually any time and can quickly bring lasting results. The following
    mindfulness exercises are simple and convenient, and can lead you to a deeper
    experience of mindfulness in your daily life.

    Mindfulness
    Exercise #1: Meditation

    Meditation brings many benefits in its own right, and has been
    one of the most popular and traditional ways to achieve mindfulness for
    centuries, so it tops the list of mindfulness exercises. Meditation becomes
    easier with practice, but it need not be difficult for beginners. Simply find a
    comfortable place, free of distractions, and quiet your mind. (See this article
    for more
    meditation
    techniques
    , or this one for
    a
    basic meditation for beginners.)

    Mindfulness
    Exercise #2: Deep Breathing

    That’s right:
    mindfulness can be as simple as breathing! Seriously, though, one of the most
    simple ways to experience mindfulness, which can be done as you go about your
    daily activities (convenient for those who feel they don’t have time to
    meditate), is to focus on your breathing. Breathe from your belly rather than
    from your chest, and try to breathe in through your nose and out through your
    mouth. Focusing on the sound and rhythm of your breath, especially when you’re
    upset, can have a calming effect and help you stay grounded in the present
    moment. (See this article for more on
    breathing
    exercises
    .)

    Mindfulness
    Exercise #3: Listening to Music

    Listening to
    music has many benefits — so many, in fact, that music is being used
    therapeutically in a new branch of complimentary medicine known as
    music therapy. That’s part of why listening to music makes a great
    mindfulness exercise. You can play soothing new-age music, classical music, or
    another type of slow-tempo music to feel calming effects, and make it an
    exercise in mindfulness by really focusing on the sound and vibration of each
    note, the feelings that the music brings up within you, and other sensations
    that are happening “right now” as you listen. If other thoughts creep
    into your head, congratulate yourself for noticing, and gently bring your
    attention back to the current moment and the music you are hearing.

    Mindfulness
    Exercise #4: Cleaning House

    The term
    “cleaning house” has a literal meaning (cleaning up your actual
    house) as well as a figurative one (getting rid of “emotional
    baggage,” letting go of things that non longer serve you), and both can be
    great stress relievers! Because
    clutter has several hidden costs and can be a subtle but
    significant stressor, cleaning house and de-cluttering as a mindfulness
    exercise can bring lasting benefits. To bring mindfulness to cleaning, you
    first need to view it as a positive event, an exercise in self-understanding
    and stress relief, rather than simply as a chore. Then, as you clean, focus on
    what you are doing as you are doing it — and nothing else. Feel the warm, soapy
    water on your hands as you wash dishes; experience the vibrations of the vacuum
    cleaner as you cover the area of the floor; enjoy the warmth of the laundry as
    you fold it; feel the freedom of letting go of unneeded objects as you put them
    in the donations bag. It may sound a little silly as you read it here, but if
    you approach cleaning as an exercise in mindfulness, it can become one. (I also
    recommend adding music to the equation.)

    Mindfulness
    Exercise #5: Observing Your Thoughts

    Many stressed and
    busy people find it difficult to stop focusing on the rapid stream of thoughts
    running through their mind, and the idea of sitting in meditation and holding
    off the onslaught of thought can actually cause more stress! If this sounds
    like you, the mindfulness exercise of observing your thoughts might be for you.
    Rather than working against the voice in your head, you sit back and
    “observe” your thoughts, rather than becoming involved in them. As
    you observe them, you might find your mind quieting, and the thoughts becoming
    less stressful. (If not, you may benefit from
    journaling as a way of processing all those thoughts so you can
    decrease their intensity and try again.)

    Mindfulness
    Exercise #6: Create Your Own!

    You are probably
    now getting the idea that virtually any activity can be a mindfulness exercise,
    and in a way, you’re right. It helps to practice meditation or another exercise
    that really focuses on mindfulness, but you can bring mindfulness to anything
    you do, and find yourself less stressed and more grounded in the process.

    More Mindfulness Resources
    More on Stress Relief
    Additional Resources

    Related Articles

    http://zenhabits.net/the-mindfulness-guide-for-the-super-busy-how-to-live-life-to-the-fullest/

    The Mindfulness Guide
    for the Super Busy: How to Live Life to the Fullest

    “Smile, breathe and go slowly.” - Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Buddhist monk

    Post written by Leo Babauta.
    Follow me on
    Twitter.

    The idea of being mindful — being present, being more
    conscious of life as it happens — seems a bit impossible to many of the super
    busy.

    But not only is it possible, I’d submit that it’s
    desirable, and that it’ll help the busy (and non-busy) achieve their goals and
    enjoy life more fully.

    One of my favorite web big shots, Digg.com founder Kevin
    Rose (who is actually heading several companies and multiple other projects),
    has “be mindful” at the top of his
    resolutions for 2009. I hope he’s doing well, and I’d love to hear how someone as busy as
    he is implements a resolution like that.

    But in case Mr. Rose, and other super-busy types, are
    having trouble being mindful and living life to the fullest, this guide will
    help.

    Enjoying Life and
    Achieving Goals

    It seems contradictory to those who are used to sacrificing living for pursuing their goals … but
    cultivating mindfulness will help you achieve your goals and enjoy life more.

    Focusing on one task at a time, putting yourself fully
    into that task, is much more effective than multi-tasking. Focusing on one real
    goal at a time is also more effective. I’ve proven it to myself time and again
    over the last few years (see
    My Story for more). Focusing on what
    you’re doing right now is highly effective. You’re more productive when you’re mindful.

    But more importantly, being present is undoubtedly the
    only way to enjoy life to the fullest. By being mindful, you enjoy your food
    more, you enjoy friends and family more, you enjoy anything you’re doing more.
    Anything. Even things you might think are drudgery or boring, such as
    housework, can be amazing if you are truly present. Try it — wash dishes or
    sweep or cook, and remain fully present. It takes practice, but it’s
    incredible.

    One Month
    Challenge

    The best method I can offer for learning to be present, the best method for
    practicing, is to focus on it for one month. Make focusing on being present a
    habit. If you make it your only focus, I guarantee you’ll get better at it, and
    more importantly, you’ll get into the habit of remembering to focus, of
    remembering to practice, of being more aware.

    Do a one-month challenge. It’s the best method for forming
    new habits, and it works for being present. A good way to do this is join the
    monthly challenge on the
    Zen Habits forums or on The Power of Less Challenge forum. Then do the following:

    “Do you have patience to wait till your mud settles and
    the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by
    itself?” - Lao Tzu

    How to Be Mindful

    1. Do one thing
    at a time
    . Single-task, don’t multi-task.
    When you’re pouring water, just pour water. When you’re eating, just eat. When
    you’re bathing, just bathe. Don’t try to knock off a few tasks while eating or
    bathing or driving. Zen proverb: “When walking, walk. When eating, eat.”

    2. Do it slowly
    and deliberately
    . You can do one task at a time,
    but also rush that task. Instead, take your time, and move slowly. Make your
    actions deliberate, not rushed and random. It takes practice, but it helps you
    focus on the task.

    3. Do less. If you do less, you can do those things more slowly, more completely
    and with more concentration. If you fill your day with tasks, you will be
    rushing from one thing to the next without stopping to think about what you do.
    But you’re busy and you can’t possibly do less, right? You can. I’ve done it,
    and so have many busy people. It’s a matter of figuring out what’s important,
    and letting go of what’s not. Read more:
    The Lazy Manifesto: Do Less.

    4. Put space
    between things
    . Related to the “Do less” rule,
    but it’s a way of managing your schedule so that you always have time to
    complete each task. Don’t schedule things close together — instead, leave room
    between things on your schedule. That gives you a more relaxed schedule, and
    leaves space in case one task takes longer than you planned.

    5. Spend at least
    5 minutes each day doing nothing
    . Just sit in
    silence. Become aware of your thoughts. Focus on your breathing. Notice the
    world around you. Become comfortable with the silence and stillness. It’ll do
    you a world of good — and just takes 5 minutes!

    6. Stop worrying
    about the future – focus on the present
    . Become more aware
    of your thinking — are you constantly worrying about the future? Learn to
    recognize when you’re doing this, and then practice bringing yourself back to
    the present. Just focus on what you’re doing, right now. Enjoy the present
    moment.

    7. When you’re
    talking to someone, be present
    . How many of us
    have spent time with someone but have been thinking about what we need to do in
    the future? Or thinking about what we want to say next, instead of really
    listening to that person? Instead, focus on being present, on really listening,
    on really enjoying your time with that person.

    8. Eat slowly and
    savor your food
    . Food can be crammed down our
    throats in a rush, but where’s the joy in that? Savor each bite, slowly, and
    really get the most out of your food. Interestingly, you’ll eat less this way,
    and digest your food better as well.

    9. Live slowly
    and savor your life
    . Just as you would savor your
    food by eating it more slowly, do everything this way — slow down and savor
    each and every moment. As I type this, for example, I have my 3-year-old
    daughter, Noelle, on my lap. She’s just sitting here quietly, as the rain pours
    down in a hush outside. What a lovely moment. In fact, I’m going to take a few
    minutes off just to be with her now. Be right back. :)

    10. Make cleaning
    and cooking become meditation
    . Cooking and
    cleaning are often seen as drudgery, but actually they are both great ways to
    practice mindfulness, and can be great rituals performed each day. If cooking
    and cleaning seem like boring chores to you, try doing them as a form of
    meditation. Put your entire mind into those tasks, concentrate, and do them
    slowly and completely. It could change your entire day (as well as leave you
    with a cleaner house).

    11. Keep
    practicing
    . When you get frustrated, just
    take a deep breath. When you ask yourself, “What should I do now, Self?”, the
    answer is “keep practicing”.

    “When you drive around the city and come to a red light or
    a stop sign, you can just sit back and make use of these twenty or thirty
    seconds to relax — to breathe in, breathe out, and enjoy arriving in the
    present moment. There are many things like that we can do.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

    I’ll leave you
    with a video from one of my favorite mindfulness teachers, Thich Nhat Hanh
    (check out his books,
    Peace Is Every Step: The Path of
    Mindfulness in Everyday Life
    http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=zenhab-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0553351397, and True Love: A Practice for Awakening
    the Heart
    http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=zenhab-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1590304047):


    Also read:


    Read more about simple productivity,
    focus and getting great things done in my book,
    The Power of Less.

    http://www.mindful.org/

    http://www.bemindful.co.uk/

    About Mindfulness

    Many people find it hard to cope with the pressures of
    modern living. Every day, a quarter of a million people miss work because of
    stress, with 75 per cent of all illnesses thought to be stress-related. And
    when times are hard, It can be difficult to see the light at the end of the
    tunnel.

    Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to the present
    moment, using techniques like meditation, breathing and yoga. It helps us
    become more aware of our thoughts and feelings so that instead of being
    overwhelmed by them, we’re better able to manage them.

    Practising mindfulness can give people more insight into
    their emotions, boost their attention and concentration and improve
    relationships. It’s proven to help with stress, anxiety, depression and
    addictive behaviours, and can even have a positive effect on physical problems
    like hypertension, heart disease and chronic pain

    Anyone can learn mindfulness. It’s simple, you
    can practise it anywhere, and the results can be life-changing.

    http://mindfulness.org.au/


    Mindfulness Meditation is becoming
    widely popular as an adjunct to conventional medical and psychological
    therapies.

    This site is designed to assist
    people who are interested in the integration of psychotherapy and medical
    therapies, for their own well being , for the purpose of enhancing the
    therapeutic relationship or to improve the quality of clinical interventions.

     

    Parent Site:www.cwalsh.com.au

    Sister Site: www.familyconstellations.org.au (ConstellationFlow)

     

    Singapore Presentation 2010

    Mindfulness Neuroscience
    Presentation 2010

    Guided Mindfulness Soundtracks

    http://www.springer.com/psychology/cognitive+psychology/journal/12671

     

    Mindfulness

    Editor-in-Chief: Nirbhay N. Singh

    ISSN: 1868-8527 (print version)
    ISSN: 1868-8535 (electronic version)

    Journal no. 12671


    Order or
    recommend to librarian

    ·        
    About this journal

    ·        
    Editorial Board

    ·        
    Selected Articles

    Advances research, clinical practice, and theory on
    mindfulness

    This journal publishes peer-reviewed papers that examine
    the latest research findings and best practices in mindfulness. It explores the
    nature and foundations of mindfulness, its mechanisms of actions, and its use
    across cultures. In addition, Mindfulness
    features papers that address issues involving the training of clinicians,
    institutional staff, teachers, parents, and industry personnel in mindful
    provision of services.

    Coverage in the journal includes reliability and validity
    of assessment of mindfulness; clinical uses of mindfulness in psychological
    distress, psychiatric disorders, and medical conditions; alleviation of
    personal and societal suffering; the nature and foundations of mindfulness;
    mechanisms of action; and the use of mindfulness across cultures.

    Mindfulness features diverse
    viewpoints, including psychology, psychiatry, medicine, neurobiology,
    psychoneuroendocrinology, cognitive, behavioral, cultural, philosophy,
    spirituality, and wisdom traditions. It serves as a much-needed forum for the
    broad-based, leading-edge research in this burgeoning field.

    Related subjects » Child & School Psychology - Cognitive Psychology - Pediatrics - Psychology - Public Health - Social Sciences

    Abstracted/Indexed
    in:

    PsycINFO, Google Scholar, Academic OneFile, OCLC, Summon
    by Serial Solutions

    Downloads

     

    ·        
    7 days

    ·        
    30 days

    ·        
    90 days

    11 Apr

    12 Apr

    13 Apr

    14 Apr

    15 Apr

    16 Apr

    17 Apr

    0

    76

    153

    229

    Articles

    73

    Deconstructing Mindfulness and Constructing Mental
    Health: Understanding Mindfulness and its Mechanisms of Action
    Coffey, Kimberly
    A.; Hartman, Marilyn; Fredrickson, Barbara L.

    70

    Positive Reappraisal Mediates the Stress-Reductive
    Effects of Mindfulness: An Upward Spiral Process
    Garland, Eric L.; Gaylord,
    Susan A.; Fredrickson, Barbara L.

    47

    Mindfulness-Based Interventions: An Emerging
    Phenomenon
    Cullen,
    Margaret

    41

    Mechanisms of Mindfulness: A Buddhist Psychological
    Model
    Grabovac,
    Andrea D.; Lau, Mark A.; Willett, Brandilyn R.

    36

    Does Mindfulness Meditation Enhance Attention? A
    Randomized Controlled Trial
    Semple, Randye J.

     

    comments (0)