Meditation Corner November 24, 2002 Fay Elliott Moore   I have discovered that all human evil comes from this, man’s being unable to sit still in a room. – Blaise Pascal   These days I am teaching a course modeled after the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. You may well ask what is mindfulness and what does it have to do with stress management?   At its simplest, mindfulness is paying attention. Oftentimes I can pass through an entire day and barely recall anything that occurred.  However, when I am being mindful, I really pay attention to what is happening throughout the course of the day. I notice the sunlight streaming between the branches in the tree in my neighbors’ yard when I walk to the garage in the morning; I notice the fragrance of the steaming hot tea during my morning tea break; I notice the tension in the back of my neck when I sit at my computer too long; I notice the stress in my co-worker’s voice when he calls to discuss some management decision that has affected his life; I taste my veggie burger as if for the first time and take time to chew each bite thoroughly before I swallow it.  At the end of the day, I remember all these things and more, because, I was really there.  Thoreau said, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover I had not lived.” Mindfulness is a way of really living our lives moment to moment.    Stress comes in myriad ways: physically, mentally and emotionally. We experience physical stress when our bodies are faced with repetitive tasks day in and day out.  I experience stress sitting in front of my computer all day, never getting outside for fresh air, never feeling the sunlight on my skin because I have been indoors all day. We experience mental and emotional stress depending on how our minds react to what is happening to us. The human nervous system is designed to aid us in fleeing from dangerous situations. When we are under physical attack, adrenalin and other hormones flood our system to provide the energy to fight or flee the attacker. In our modern world, the perceived dangers are more often than not, an angry spouse or boss, screaming or disobedient children, chronic illness, bills, over-commitment and such. These perceived dangers cause the same adrenalin reaction as a confrontation with an angry grizzly bear. Chronically flooding the body with these hormones, stresses the heart, raises the blood pressure and eventually overwhelms the body’s recovery systems. Sitting still in a room doing absolutely nothing – meditatively – causes the reverse effect in the body. If it is practiced frequently, it can eventually immunize the body against the perceived stress while leaving it fully capable of fleeing the occasional grizzly bear that come along.   Mindfulness, Insight, or Vipassana meditation is a way of quieting the mind that involves both concentration and awareness (mindfulness). We concentrate to bring stability to the mind and maintain our focus. We are not trying to become so relaxed that we drift off or fall asleep. Rather Jon Kabat-Zinn says we are trying to fall awake. We become alert and aware. Then we focus our awareness on what is happening right now. We observe our state of mind and the thoughts that drift in and out of our minds, without judgment or the need to fix or change anything that is happening moment to moment. Meditation is the formal sitting practice; however, we can also practice informally by using our awareness to observe ourselves throughout the day. The combination of our formal and informal practice brings about a stability of mind. It enhances our capacity to choose a response when a perceived threat comes along rather than reacting in a habitual way. This capacity ultimately reduces the stress in our lives and enhances our capacity for joy. There are eight attitudes of mind that complement the formal and informal practice:  non-judging, patience, beginner’s mind, trust, non-striving, acceptance, letting go and gratitude.  We will talk about these attitudes and other useful aides to mindfulness practice in future articles. Meditation Corner April 20, 2002 Jean Meier   In previous articles, Fay Moore and I have described mindfulness meditation and the attitudes we strive to cultivate in our mindfulness practice including: non-judging, patience, beginner's mind, trust, non-striving, acceptance, and letting go. Students new to meditation sometimes find that it is a struggle to bring these principles into their lives on a day-to-day basis, especially on the job. How can this practice be integrated into a hectic, harried life? First, realize that the practice is not about achieving a perfect state of bliss or about living in a peaceful trance. Instead, it is about bringing mindfulness, awareness, into your life. Awareness does not mean thinking or analyzing but rather direct experience in the present moment. If you really look deeply at what is happening and see the world with a beginner's mind, you can act from a place of centered wisdom instead of from conditioned habit. You will begin to see the world with a freshness and a depth that engenders compassion, caring, and loving kindness. In his book The Inner Game of Work, Timothy Gallwey describes a very concrete example of the profound affect this approach can have on the job. Tim was hired to train telephone operators. The operators were instructed on proper telephone etiquette but, nonetheless, they were often discourteous and harsh with customers. When Tim was able to put aside his judgments and really listen with beginner's mind, he learned that the root of the problem was not incompetence but rather boredom and perceived lack of importance of the job. With this understanding, he was able to devise a creative solution. He taught the operators to be mindful though he didn't use that word. He asked them to be aware of small details such as the tone of voice of the customer and to notice even slight changes over the course of the call. This humanized the voice at the other end of the line. Each call became unique instead of boring. Operators began to notice that the way they approached the call actually had an effect on the other person and they realized that even a very short interaction could make a big difference in another person's life. Their demeanor changed and became naturally more open and compassionate. In his paper, Mindfulness and Mastery in the Workplace, Saki Santorelli says: "Changing the way we see ourselves in relationship to events actually alters our experience of those events, their impact in our lives, as well as our capacity to maintain our well-being in the midst of such events. Given this viewpoint, the cultivation of mindfulness—our capacity to be aware and to understand ourselves and the world around us—is crucial to our ability to handle stress effectively." Saki lists a number of simple ways to use mindfulness to reduce stress in the workplace. For instance, you could answer the phone on the second ring instead of the first. Take that one second to be aware of your breath and release tension before picking up the phone. Or choose to eat one lunch per week in silence. Eat slowly while really tasting the food. Another possibility is to take a moment when you park your car to prepare yourself for your workday. Then treat the walk across the parking lot as a walking meditation. You don't have to walk slowly, just walk with awareness.   If you really start to slow down and notice what is happening during your day, you will find many ways to integrate mindfulness into whatever you are doing. You have many chances to take a minute, breathe, and really be present. The more you pay attention the more you will notice if actions are hurtful or helpful. Mindfulness gives you a chance to choose which internal impulses to follow and which to let go of, when to act and when not to act.  Mindfulness is not about stopping thoughts or thinking positive thoughts; it's about meeting the challenges of your life head on. Mindfulness is about paying attention to the joy, the mystery, and the miracles taking place right in front of your eyes.