What is Mindfulness?
Do you ever notice yourself operating on autopilot? For instance, you finish your meal and realize you don’t really remember eating it? Or you arrive at your destination in the car but don’t really remember the drive? Our minds often wander away from what is happening in the present moment. This mindless wandering is a default state of consciousness. Researchers have found that a wandering mind is an unhappy mind; that when our awareness is awake to what’s happening in the present moment, we are much happier, even if what’s occurring is boring or unpleasant.
Focusing the mind on what’s happening in the present moment with a quality of non-judgmental acceptance and curiosity - this is mindfulness. It’s a very simple concept, but very difficult to put into practice. For most of us, meeting each moment with patient, open, accepting awareness feels out of reach. But anyone can learn to be more mindful, it just takes training and practice.
You can be mindful about anything as long you are paying attention in the present moment and cultivating an open and accepting attitude. You can mindfully talk to a friend, fold the laundry, or walk to work. But for most of us, our minds are not present much of the time. We evolved to ruminate about the past, worry about the future, and plan plan plan. Sound familiar? Although this is quite normal, spending our days ruminating and worrying will rob us of the joy and beauty available in our lives. And over time this pattern can erode our sense of aliveness, connectedness, and purpose.
Mindfulness practice invites us into a gentler relationship with our minds, bodies, and lived experiences. With practice, this ancient methodology offers the gifts of peace and freedom even during difficult circumstances. While staying present for a beautiful hike in the mountains might feel easy, staying present for our most painful emotions, memories, and thoughts can be very challenging. With daily practice in mindfulness of the small and mundane aspects of life, we build capacity and resilience to remain compassionate and values-centered during the larger obstacles and challenges we inevitably meet.
What is Meditation?
Fortunately, the mind is like a muscle that can be trained with practice just like muscles in the rest of the body. Meditation is the workout our minds need to become more capable of living in the present moment. Meditation is simply the practice of training the mind to concentrate in the present moment in a particular way. Rather than judgmentally scrutinizing one’s present moment experiences, meditation teaches us to observe anything that arises in the present (an itch, a sound, a difficult thought or feeling) with curiosity and openness, patiently observing the sensation and then returning the awareness back to an anchor in the present moment. The most common present-moment anchor for meditative attention awareness is the breath - but you can use many other anchors (sounds, feet on the floor, a candle flame). The key is to persistently but patiently bring the mind’s attention back to your anchor again and again, with acceptance, perhaps even humor, and observe how quickly the mind wanders into thought. Each time you return to your anchor in the present moment is a flex of your mindfulness muscle.
Why learn to meditate?
There is quite a lot of scientific evidence supporting the benefits of mindfulness meditation. These practices have been found to help ease ailments from high blood pressure to implicit bias and stereotype threat. Research has shown that with as little as 10 minutes a day of mindfulness meditation, people experience reduced anxiety, improved mood, improved sleep, and increased meaning.
Using mindfulness tools in the context of therapy is an essential aid in working through challenges and uncovering new ways of relating to ourselves and others. Sometimes what we notice when we go inward and pay attention is difficult, and working with a skilled therapist to address what comes up is a useful way to integrate mindfulness practice with intentional healing and growth work.
If you’re interested in reading about some of the highest quality research on meditation practice, check out the book Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body by Daniel Goleman, Richard Davidson.
Formal and Informal Mindfulness
Becoming present for your life can be cultivated in the formal practice of meditation and also in informal practice throughout your day. Every moment is an opportunity to wake up and observe your life and surroundings through the lens of non-judgmental awareness and curiosity. Notice when you have little opportunities throughout the day to remain present for your 5 senses. Notice the urge to get lost in thought or pick up your phone and zone out. In the line at the grocery store when you’re bored or impatient, open your ears to the sounds around you. When you’re in traffic feeling frustrated, see if you can tune into the temperature of the air, the feel of the seat beneath you. When you’re talking to a friend and thinking of what to say next, consider slowing down and paying exquisite attention to what they’re saying rather than what’s next. When you realize you missed a deadline, or you’re late to an appointment, or your hard drive crashes, or you didn’t get invited to an event…can you take 10 long deep breaths and feel inside for all the emotions that arise? Can you stay with them with compassion without clinging to them or pushing them away? All of these are opportunities to bring your mindfulness practice into your everyday life.
If you’d like to learn more about mindfulness and meditation, I periodically offer an introductory mindfulness class both virtually and out of my office. To learn more about current course and workshop offerings, click on the EVENTS tab above.
What is Yoga?
Yoga is an ancient modality that culturally originated in India. Yoga includes philosophical and ethical principles, physical movements, breathing techniques, and meditation practices. The tradition of yoga co-evolved alongside the religious traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It also co-evolved alongside the ancient Indian traditional medicine called Ayurveda, which sees human health holistically, inclusive of mind, body, and spirit. Yoga inherits many principles from all of these traditions and offers methods for finding ease and freedom in life. The physical practices of yoga are particularly popular in Western culture, called “asana”, and offer what I think of as physical therapy for the Autonomic Nervous System. When practiced mindfully, yoga asana can relieve tension, improve mood, and create a sense of well-being. Traditionally, asana practice helps prepare the body for seated meditation practices.
Yoga offers “vagal tone” and develops interoceptive awareness. What is vagal tone? The Vagus Nerve is one of our 12 cranial nerves and is essential to our parasympathetic (rest and digest) response in the body.
Yoga Research has shown the practice of yoga can reduce symptoms of PTSD and decrease anxiety, improve mood, and improve sleep.
