Autor: Julio Cesar Tafforelli | Publicado: 2014-12-23T08:37:00-08:00




Questions about Mindfulness.

Click on any question below to read the answer…







What is mindfulness?

The art of being present


Two definitions:

‘Mindfulness. It’s a pretty straightforward word. It means the mind is fully attending to what is at hand, what you’re working on, the person you’re talking to, the surroundings you’re moving through. It is a basic human capacity. It’s not a talent. We all have it. We all need it. and yet, it is so often elusive. Our mindfulness can slip away from us in an instant, and we are lost in distraction or engrossed in obsessive thoughts or worries about [the past or] the future.’ Barry Boyce



‘Mindfulness means deliberately paying attention, being fully aware of what is happening both inside yourself – in your body, heart, and mind – and outside yourself in your environment. Mindfulness is awareness without judgement or criticism. The last element is key. When we are mindful, we are not comparing or judging. We are simply witnessing the many sensations, thoughts and emotions that come up as we engage in the ordinary activities of daily life. This is done in a straightforward, no-nonsense way, but it is warmed with kindness and spiced with curiosity.’ Jan Chozen Bays








What is it about?

Given that it’s so easy for us to lose awareness of the present by getting lost in thoughts about the past or the future, mindfulness is training in the art of being present.&nbsp;

By taking time out of our hectic, busy lives to work on mindfulness, we develop the ability to be present, aware and mindful when we return to our everyday activities: driving our cars, working, exercising, being with our families, playing sports.&nbsp;

Much like training to get fit, mindfulness requires practice. It’s like training a muscle, the muscle of awareness. The more practice we do, the ‘fitter’ our minds get. There are various tools to assist us in the practice of staying present, these include following the breath, using sound, the body scan, and mindful walking.




‘Although it is an “art” that can be cultivated through a daily, formal practice, you can easily practice it instantaneously by remembering to be aware of your present-moment experience anytime in the course of a day.’ Susan Smalley and Diana Winston








Why is it important?

‘The mindfulness revolution begins with the simple act of paying attention to our breath, body, and thoughts, but clearly it can go very far. It helps us in our home life, with our family, our friends, and our colleagues. It helps us in our businesses, our volunteer groups, our churches, our communities, and in our society at large. It’s a small thing. We can all do it. And it can change the world.’ Barry Boyce


To prevent tuning out and living on automatic pilot
To allow for a richer, fuller, connected existence
To conserve mental and emotional energy
To be able to apply to power of a concentrated, focussed mind to our lives
There is a growing body of scientific literature on the positive effects of training attention and emotion
To develop a heart-to-heart connection with ourselves, with our loved ones, and with the world…’it can bring a sense of meaning and purpose to life, based on understanding the nonseparation of self and other. Given the condition we find ourselves in these days on the planet, understanding our interconnectedness is not a spiritual luxury; it’s a societal imperative’ Jon Kabat-Zinn


Jeff Brantley: Have you ever started eating an ice-cream cone, taken a lick or two, then noticed all you had was a sticky napkin in your hand? Or been going somewhere and arrived at your destination only to realise you hadn’t noticed anything or anyone along the way?Of course you have; we all have. These are common examples of mindlessness, or “going on autopilot.”

We all fall in to habits of inattention that result in our not being present for our lives. The consequences of this inattention can be quite costly. They can result in our missing some really good things and also in our ignoring really important information and messages about our lives, our relationships, and even our own health.

Our reactions to the stressful events of our lives can become so habituated that they occur essentially out of our awareness until, because of physical, or emotional, or psychological dysfunction, we cannot ignore them any longer. These reactions can include tensing the body; experiencing painful emotional states, even panic and depression; and being prisoners of habits of thinking and self-talk, including obsessional list making and intense, even toxic, self-criticism.

An important antidote to this tendency to “tune out”, to go on automatic pilot, is to practice mindfulness.

Jan Chozen Bays: Left to our own devices, we easily become lost in thoughts about the past and the future. The capacity of the human mind to plan for the future is a unique gift. Unfortunately the mind, in its anxiety for us, tries to make plans for a huge number of possible futures, most of which will never arrive. This constant leapfrogging into the future is a waste of our mental and emotional energy.

When we allow the mind to rest in the present, full of what is actually happening right now, redirecting it away from repeated fruitless excursions in to the past, or future, or fantasy realms, we are doing something very important: conserving the energy of the mind. It remains fresh and open, ready to respond to whatever appears before it.






How can mindfulness benefit employees in the workplace?


Helps us think more effectively
Fosters attention to detail and increased concentration
Aids stress regulation and reduction
Aids self-awareness, self-acceptance and self-confidence
Raises emotional intelligence
Aids mental and emotional resilience
Aids optimal performance through freeing up full human potential
Helps cut through mental distraction allowing us to listen to each other more effectively
Helps to foster effective communication and manage difficult conversations
Fosters the ability to make mature, sound choices and helps effective decision making
Helps to avoid habitual reactions to one another and aids co-operation
Fosters empathy, care and concern for the needs of others, leading to a positive outcome for all
Fosters peacefulness, openness, and a brighter outlook









Who is it for?

Anybody, in any context. Mindfulness is growing. The following people are applying some form of mindfulness in their work or experimenting with doing so (Barry Boyce):


Health care practitioners
Therapists
Teachers
Professors
Journalists
Social workers
Social activists
Restauranteurs
Directors
Musicians
Artists
Lawyers
Judges
Corporate leaders
Police officers
Firefighters
Soldiers
High-tech professionals
Priests
Ministers
Rabbis
Sufi masters
Entrepreneurs
Homemakers
Politicians


And the list is growing…








When and where should it be done?

Joseph Goldstein:




Establish a regular, daily mindfulness meditation practice. This takes discipline. But as with any training, if we practice regularly, we begin to enjoy the fruits. There are many techniques and we can each find the one most suitable for us.
With the simple observation and feeling of each breath. Breathing in, we notice we’re breathing in; breathing out, we notice we’re breathing out. It’s very simple but not easy. After just a few breaths, we hop on the trains of association, getting lost in plans, memories, judgements and fantasies. The important thing is not to judge these things, but gently invite yourself back to the breath and the present moment.
Anytime during the day by remembering to return to the present, bringing your awareness to whatever activity you are engaged in.
Train ourselves in staying mindful and aware of our bodies throughout the day. As we go through our daily activities, we frequently get lost in thoughts of the past and future, not staying grounded in the awareness of our bodies.
Attend retreats.


Pracitising mindfulness in a formal setting, and establishing a daily practice, will automatically increase mindfulness in everyday situations but a willingness to consciously bring mindfulness to any and all contexts makes a great difference to the way life is experienced.








Case study:

Jack Kornfield


Peter, a middle-age computer designer, came to a meditation retreat looking for relief. He was coping with a recently failed business, a shaky marriage, and a sick mother. But meditation quickly became an agony. The anger and disappointment that pervaded his current situation rose up in the quiet room to fill his mind. His attempts to quiet himself by sensing his breath felt hopeless; his attention bounced away from his body like water on a hot skillet. Then it got worse. A restless woman seated nearby began to cough loudly and frequently. She began to fidget and move and cough more as the first day wore on.

Peter, who was struggling just to be with his own sorrow, became frustrated and angry, and as the woman continued coughing, he became enraged. He sought out [the] teacher…and insisted that meditation was the wrong approach, and told her that he wanted to leave. She asked him to close his eyes and mindfully notice the state of his body. IT was filled with tension and pain. With the teacher’s help he found he could hold the tension and hurt with a more accepting and kind attention. He breathed, relaxed a little, and recognised that the medicine he needed was nothing other than to understand his own pain.The next instruction he was given was simple: “As you sit, keep a gentle mindfulness on your body and notice whatever happens.” After only a few minutes, his fidgety neighbour began a long coughing spell. With each cough, Peter felt his own muscles clench and his breath stop. Now he became more curious, interested in how his body was reacting. He began to notice that hearing each cough produced an internal clenching and a wave of anger, which subsided as he practiced relaxing between the spells.

Finally, at the end of the sitting period, he got up to walk down to the lunchroom. As he arrived, he noticed this same difficult woman in line just ahead of him. Immediately he noticed how his stomach clenched and his breath stopped – just from seeing her! Again, he relaxed. After lunch, when he returned to the mediation hall, he checked to see what time his name was listed for a private interview with his teacher. Further down the same list he read the restless woman’s name. Still paying attention, he was surprised. Just seeing her name made her stomach clench and his breath tighten! He relaxed again. He realised that his body had become a mirror and that his mindfulness was showing him when he was caught and where he could let go.As the retreat went on, his attention grew more precise. He noticed that his own anxious and angry thoughts about his family and business problems could trigger the same clenching and tightening as the women’s cough did. He had always tried to have things under control. Now that his life had proved out of control, the habits of anger, blame, and judgement toward himself were tying him in knots. With each reaction, he could feel the knots arise. After each one, he would pause mindfully and bring in a touch of ease. He began to trust mindfulness. By the close of the retreat, he was grateful to the restless woman near him. He wanted to thank her for her teaching.

With mindfulness Peter found relief. He also discovered the benefit of curiosity and openness, what Zen master Suzuki Roshi “beginner’s mind.” In Suzuki Roshi’s words, “We pay attention with respect and interest, not in order to manipulate, but to understand what is true. And seeing what is true, the hear becomes free.”