Post by The Dan on Apr 29, 2016 14:32:55 GMT 12
What is Mindfulness?
- Mindfulness is the practice of bringing one's attention to the internal and external experiences occurring in the present moment - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness
- it is about our human attempt to connect accurately with reality
What is reality?
- a subjective perception stimulated by the unknown objective reality
- an awareness of ourselves
- a story we tell ourselves about what our senses have perceived
- a connection to that which exists outside of our physical bodies
- the degree of accuracy between our perceptions and the stimuli
What is the difference between focusing on the past, the future, and the present?
- the past is based on memories and historical evidence, both of which are flawed entirely by biases, subjective perception, and unreliable recall processes in the brain
- the future is a fictional simulation created by our brain, based on our beliefs, memories and influences
- neither the past or the future are technically real, until proven otherwise by science
- the present is the closest time period we have to reality, as it puts us in touch with current evidence - all else is an imagination, often lacking in evidence
What leads us away from the present and reality?
- worrying, regret, anxiety, depression and disappointment
- expectations and predictions
- stereotyping and categorising, particularly "I've heard this before" or "This is the same as last time"
- desire to achieve a future outcome
- irrational belief that past mistakes can be fixed
How can we focus our attention on the present moment?
- scan your body using only your mind
- try to accurately measure what you are doing (e.g. counting steps as you walk, or timing how long each breath takes)
- learn to separate thoughts from the rest of reality, by paying attention to other stimuli (e.g. notice a thought, then notice your reaction to that thought, then notice your bodily sensations, then noises etc)
- make each task important, in whatever way you can, such as creating a fun competition for yourself, or seeing if you can find a new way of doing things
How can we train ourselves to be more mindful?
- mindfulness meditation
- taking regular breaks to observe reality
- using phone reminders for quick "reality checks" throughout the day
Resources
www.samharris.org/podcast/item/mindfulness-meditation
Dan's 10min meditation www.theinspirationallifestyle.com/guided-mindfulness-meditation/
- Mindfulness is the practice of bringing one's attention to the internal and external experiences occurring in the present moment - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness
- it is about our human attempt to connect accurately with reality
What is reality?
- a subjective perception stimulated by the unknown objective reality
- an awareness of ourselves
- a story we tell ourselves about what our senses have perceived
- a connection to that which exists outside of our physical bodies
- the degree of accuracy between our perceptions and the stimuli
What is the difference between focusing on the past, the future, and the present?
- the past is based on memories and historical evidence, both of which are flawed entirely by biases, subjective perception, and unreliable recall processes in the brain
- the future is a fictional simulation created by our brain, based on our beliefs, memories and influences
- neither the past or the future are technically real, until proven otherwise by science
- the present is the closest time period we have to reality, as it puts us in touch with current evidence - all else is an imagination, often lacking in evidence
What leads us away from the present and reality?
- worrying, regret, anxiety, depression and disappointment
- expectations and predictions
- stereotyping and categorising, particularly "I've heard this before" or "This is the same as last time"
- desire to achieve a future outcome
- irrational belief that past mistakes can be fixed
How can we focus our attention on the present moment?
- scan your body using only your mind
- try to accurately measure what you are doing (e.g. counting steps as you walk, or timing how long each breath takes)
- learn to separate thoughts from the rest of reality, by paying attention to other stimuli (e.g. notice a thought, then notice your reaction to that thought, then notice your bodily sensations, then noises etc)
- make each task important, in whatever way you can, such as creating a fun competition for yourself, or seeing if you can find a new way of doing things
How can we train ourselves to be more mindful?
- mindfulness meditation
- taking regular breaks to observe reality
- using phone reminders for quick "reality checks" throughout the day
Resources
www.samharris.org/podcast/item/mindfulness-meditation
Dan's 10min meditation www.theinspirationallifestyle.com/guided-mindfulness-meditation/