The world is perhaps the most unstable it’s been in human history bringing challenges of safety, survival, purpose and meaning.
But, Why should we turn to Mindfulness in these times?
Because in spirituality and in psychology, it is a general axiom, that the more unstable our external circumstances get, the more we need to attend to our inner stability. One of the most effective ways of doing this is with a mindfulness practice… the practice of present moment awareness. The general buzz about mindfulness usually touts the promise of a sense of wellbeing, happiness, and relaxation. This is accurate in a general way.
But are these general terms enough for us? Perhaps we need a broader understanding of these benefits.
Let’s take a look at what benefits there might be from an overall reduction in anxiety and anxiety responding (over-responding to life events). What studies show is, a mindfulness practice can lower high blood pressure, mitigate digestive problems, tension headaches, reduce chronic pain sensation, improve memory, reduce susceptibility to depression, reduce sleep problems, and much more. And it is easy to see these issues have been on the rise, not only in the US but worldwide. The times we live in are changing rapidly, careening from potential disaster to weak solutions, back and forth. And we may feel we can’t do anything about it and this can bring a sense of helplessness, and perhaps even dejection. With the sense of inner stability, wellbeing, mental and emotional flexibility, an increase in connection with those around us, comes hope. And hope is precious. It can get us up and out of the darkest spots.
And if we look carefully, we may notice many of the problems in our lives and in our world today cannot be solved by logic alone. It is easy to get stuck with indecision, which is often a conflict between intuitive mind and logical mind. Albert Eishtein reputedly said: “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” And Viktor Frankl reputedly said “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space, is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
Though these are very high-minded notions, let us remember mindfulness practice is very simple in form; it can be communicated in 35 seconds or so. And if we view it just as a relaxation exercise or as a means to attain nirvana, we miss its depth. This is why I prefer to refer to it as mind training rather than meditation. The practice of present moment awareness puts is in touch with our intuitive mind. We all probably have experienced the intuitive mind at some point, here and there. But since we aren’t aware there is a logical mind and an intuitive mind, we don’t realize the difference and its significance. We think we have only one mind: I think, therefore I am, said French philosopher René Descartes. Another way to look at his quote is: I think logically, therefore I am logically me and everything is governed by logic. Not true. Present moment awareness is awareness, not thought, the way thought is usually conceptualized; cognition and awareness are separate functions. Here is where research, on the scientific side, and spiritual experience, on the spiritual side, gets deep, so I will keep it simple and leave that territory for a later date.
The gift of all this is that, a regular mindfulness practice can add considerably to our subjective experience of ourselves, others, and the world. It can help us more readily access gratitude, wonder, awe, enjoyment of life, closer relationships, connection with nature, and creativity… all sorely needed in today’s world. Stress has a way of working its way into our lives unnoticed, bringing discord, intolerance, conflict and confusion. This occurs when we are influenced more by the external world than an internal stability. And, it can start with just 3 minutes twice a day. And here, the regularity is more important than the duration.
I hope you can join us with any of our workshops and trainings, and especially, our monthly community meditation. It can help us be more like the change we want to see in the world (a paraphrase after Mahatma Gandhi).
We look forward to seeing you.
Alfie