View Full Version : MINDFULNESS discussion FORUM.
I thought it maybe a nice Idea to have a Mindfulness forum here on NMP.
So many people ask what is Mindfulness ? How do I do mindfulness ?
Where can I find Mindfulness related material ?
I have no doubt in my mind that Mindfulness is one of the top treatment methods for Anxiety and depression yet It sadly doesnt get the credit it deserves. I had very good results using it before and I notised I had a blip once I stopped using it, which shows how powerful it is.
If you have any questions on Mindfulness or recommendations please post your thoughts here for us all to share.
Hopefully this will be a place to help us all in our search for inner peace.
take care
yorkylover
12-06-07, 17:36
what is mindfulness????:shrug:
Hi Ellen, I was first introduced to mindfulness by my cognitive behavioural therapist last year. At first I did think "what is he going on about"?
So I looked into it by orderering some Mindfulness C.Ds and books and reading up on it as much as I could.
please take a look at .........
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness
here It explains it very well and yet there is so much more to mindfulness.
There's a few threads floating arround here and there. It is a very useful skill to learn and practise.
I learned about it in my therapy and I've been practising and using it for several months now, it is by far the thing that has helped me most.
I'll try to dig out all my worksheets on it and do a big post at some point.
Jim :hugs:
In short, mindfulness is the focus on what is, rather than a focus of what isn't, what's imaginary and all the irrational made-up thought that plagues your existence. I totally agree with mirry.
eeyorelover
12-06-07, 19:32
My first question would have to be how to slow my thinking enough to be able to do this. It seems like my brain is always running on overdrive.
How then is it possible to 'think about the present moment' without all the other thoughts (what to make for dinner - I should clean the kitchen - all the 'have to's) floating around in my brain?
I don't even know if that makes sense to anyone but me - LOL
xxx
Sandy
Jim, that would be very useful, I look forward to your posts on it :winks: .
Mico, how long have you been doing mindfulness and how did you learn about it ?
sandy, I am just the same , its normal to have all these thoughts however its the endless chatter in our head that gives rise to all the anxiety.
The idea is to concentrate on the moment when you feel your mind is going too fast, a good way of practising this technique is by doing mindfulness meditation , when you breath in all that matters is that moment, that breath (not the next breath), if you get a thought come into your head (which you will) thank it and let it go up into the air ,like a floating baloon then return to your breath, the present moment.
You can buy good C.Ds that practise this, and the more you practise it the better you will get at it. You can then use that practise anywhere in your daily life.
Hope this helps :flowers:
That makes perfect sense Sandy.
It's everyone's biggest problem. Even for those not suffering from anxiety mindfulness has been practiced for thousands of years through Buddhism and related practices. What you describe is what Buddhists refer to as 'monkey mind'. It's completely normal but can also seem a completely impossible obstacle.
Firstly, you can't just push out your thoughts. It doesn't work that way. What you can do instead, is become aware of them. It's not your goal to achieve any particular state because that's just a thought (an image of the future). Instead you observe your current state (thoughts included) and become aware of it. It's not about trying, or doing, but about being.
If that's confused you enough, I'll leave you with something simpler. What you describe, the monkey mind, fades with practice. If you like you can find your own ways of breaking through this. Sometimes things, like meditation, are just too difficult to jump into because there's simply not enough there to focus your attention on when you have all these disruptive thoughts.
Try experimenting with different forms of relaxation. CDs can be very good for things like this, if you pick up some guided visualisation, hypnotherapy, mindfulness aids or something like that. Soft music can be good too if you just lay there and focus on the beat. And focus is an important word because if you find focus on something you can only think of so many things at one time and it pushes the disruptive thoughts out. It's what leads to relaxation.
It's difficult at first, but it does become easier over time as your mind generally slows down in its day to day pace.
Mirry, I've done this stuff on and off for years. More off than on to be honest but I can feel the benefits when I'm on.
eeyorelover
12-06-07, 20:00
Thnx for the info - I'll have to get a CD and try it for awhile:yesyes:
xxx
Sandy
I'll try to explain from my point of view.
For me, mindfulness is a skill in learning how to control your attention. Mindfulness helps us learn to focus on one thing at a time. It teaches you to live in the moment rather than getting caught up either by the past or the future.
The best way I can explain is that our minds are always going along, a bit like a river with an internal dialogue comentating on our thoughts. Often we can be very judgemental about our thoughts. e.g. I feel anxious - There must be something wrong with me / I'm going mad / I've felt like this before, I'm going to panic / etc.
The way it was described to me is that the mind has 2 states;
'Emotional mind' - where our emotions take control and it's difficult to think clearly and things can feel overwhelming.
'Rational mind' - Where we are focussed on problem solving but we can feel distant from our emotions and cut off.
The idea of mindfulness is to allow yourself to get your mind somewhere in the centre of those, 'Wise mind', where we can be aware of our emotions and still think rationally about them.
The idea is by doing minfulness excersises we can learn to be more in control of what our attention is focussed on and non-judgemental of our thoughts. Then when we are in a crisis situation where we might easily switch into an emotional mind state we are more able to keep control.
I think the best thing about being mindful is there is no wrong way to do it. It's a constant learning process, the mind always wanders and we often make judgements based on our past experiences. The key is learning to notice those thoughts and being aware of them.
A good exercise to start is just to sit quietly for 2-3 minutes and take an object, perhaps a stone or something that is not familiar or holds any specific memories to you. Just spend a few minutes observing it, looking at the every detail and being aware of what your thoughts do. Not fighting against them, just being aware of where they go and what feelings you experience from them. If your mind wanders, that's ok, just become aware of that and bring your focus back to the object.
Here's the 3 key points for when you are practising from one of my early worksheets:
Observe
Just notice the experience. Notice without getting caught in it. Experience without reacting.
Have a 'Teflon Mind' letting experiences, feelings and thoughts come into your mind and slip right out.
Control your attention, but not what you see. Push away nothing. Cling to nothing.
Be like a guard at the palace gate, alert to every thought, feeling, and action that comes through the gate of your mind.
Step inside yourself and observe. Watch your thoughts coming and going, like clouds in the sky. Notice each feeling, rising and falling, like waves in the ocean. Notice exactly what you are doing.
Describe
Put words on the experience. When a feeling or thought arises, or you do something, acknowledge it. For example, say in your mind "Sadness has just enveloped me" or "Stomach muscles tightening" or "A thought ' I can't do this' has come into my mind"
Put experiences into words. Describe to yourself what is happeneing. Put a name on your feelings. Call a thought just a thought, a feeling just a feeling. Don't get caught in content.
Participate
Enter into your experiences. Let yourself get involved in the moment, letting go of ruminating. Become one with your experience, completely forgetting yourself.
Act intuitively from wise mind. Do just what is needed in each situation - a skillful dancer on the dance floor, one with the music and your partner, neither willful or sitting on your hands.
Hope that helps explain a bit.
The early stages are just learning to be able use your wise mind. As you practise more it gets easier and the idea is to be able to bring mindfulness into any activity you are doing. Be it walking down the street, talking to your friends, going shopping, anything.
I'll try to answer any questions, and I'd appreciate any other people's explanations ideas about it. I'm still learning so there's much more to come for me.
Jim :hugs:
I was writing my epic post when you posted there Mico,
I totally agree with what you said, 'monkey mind' to me is the emotional mind where you are allowing yourself thoughts to be driven by emotion and getting caught up in them.
Practise is definately the key, the more you do the eaier it becomes to observe your thoughts without getting caught up in them.
As you said, even advanced buddhists can't be mindful all the time, everyone gets caught up in the moment at times. Getting closer to being mindful as much as you can helps a great deal with being wise in our day to day lives, especially dealing with anxiety.
Jim :hugs:
I have tried it a bit but not much. It was good but I found it difficult to get myself into that mode.
Howewver, I don't think it has to be an 'all or nothing' tool. I think I can pick up where I left off and if it helps for a couple of days, then it helps.
I set my alarm on my phone for various points of the day to remind me to 'smell the coffee' (metaphorically but also literally speaking) I did this and became aware of my senses. This took me out of whatever thought pattern I was in and gave me a new focus. After I had done this, I found I didn't go back to the same thougts immediately, thus it gave me a bit of respite from the mental chatter.
When I was feeling a bit better, I found my alarm going off an intrusion; I did not 'want' to stop and smell the coffee, but that is ok, because at 'that moment' I did not need to get 'out' of my mental chatter.
So, you see, from my limited knowledge of it, I think it is a tool that can be developed over whatever period of time at whatever pace you want and when and if you want to!!!!
What I also do every day is a guided relaxation/meditation. This is for me an excellent way of getting away from the mental chatter and flowing with what is happening at that present time, ie the visualisation and relaxing of the body and brain.
Happyone
xx
I think like Mico said, it's not about getting yourself into a particular 'mode' or state of mind. It's just simply practising observing your thoughts and where they lead you. Not so much pushing out that mental chatter, just being aware of it. The more you do this without becoming judgemental and caught up in it and your preconceptions of it, the more aware you are of youself.
Jim :hugs:
Happyone , yes I agree you can go at your own speed,, I actually enjoy it so much that I am trying to do it several times a day, as often as I can remember too:wacko: .
Jimbo, you done a fab post , my therapist used to call it "wise mind" and a Teflon mind :yesyes: .
Lindalou64
12-06-07, 23:30
im the same way sandy my mind is on overdrive........how the hell do we learn to slow the mind down is my question :wacko:
Linda xx
A book I often recommend as a starting point to living in the present moment is 'Present moment awareness' by Shannon Duncan!
I think Lis and Happyone both have this book - do you guys!
Piglet :flowers:
A book I often recommend as a starting point to living in the present moment is 'Present moment awareness' by Shannon Duncan!
I think Lis and Happyone both have this book - do you guys!
Piglet :flowers:
Yes I do Piglet, on your recommendation and it's certainly an easy read and a good intrduction to the subject. My CBT lady recommended a book called Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, which although useful is a huge book and I found really heavy going.
Lisa
I have Jon kabat zinn's CD to listen to , its nice to settle down and relax listening to him...hes a very clever man and everything he says makes perfect sence, he deals in stress reduction through mindfulness.
I absolutely love it , he talks such alot of sence.
Which CD do you have mirry? I looked on amazon and there were a few. (and they're quite expensive!!)
Hi all :)
Reading this thread, I am very interested in this.
I shall look into some CD's and books and keep reading this thread.
After all it is worth a try! :yesyes:
What would be the best book and CDs to start with?
Thanks
Laura xxxx:flowers:
The CD that I listen too often is ......
Mindfulness Meditation - cultivating the wisdom of your
body and mind.
by: Jon Kabat Zinn
I'm just checking out some Jon Kabat Zinn lectures on Google Video, which you can find here:
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-7087701367339203398
and here:
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-7128459048009318384&q=Jon+Kabat+Zinn
I hope I'm allowed to post these? But be warned, they can get a little deep.
THANKS FOR THE LINKS ,
WHEN IT PLAYS IT KEEPS CUTTING OUT ?
Really want to hear it :weep:
It's ok for me Mirry. Maybe if you give it a little time to download, or stop any other programs that are running on your computer.
You can download these videos to your computer but I think you need to download the Google Video Player too. If you're still having problems then that might work better, I don't know.
Hi,
yes, I have the present awareness book by shannon duncan. It is a great book. What I like about it is it is a real pick it up and put it down as you choose. You do not have to read it from cover to cover in one sitting.
I have only read a bit of it and that is quite deliberate as I don't want to overcrowd my head with too many ideas and concepts at once, but I am working my way through it slowly at a pace that suits me.
Happyone
xx
Happyone,
I like the idea of setting your phone alarm as sometimes I'm lost and way down the line of 'chattering' thought swithout noticing until its too late and I'm in full blown anxiety.
I'm finding this very interesting guys...thank you.
luv Coni XX
sometimes I'm lost and way down the line of 'chattering' thought swithout noticing until its too late and I'm in full blown anxiety.
Coni, this is absolutely normal in all people, we all get caught up in our thoughts sometimes. The best way to help is to practise, practise, practise, especially when you are not feeling anxious, then when you are it is easier to be mindful.:yesyes:
Jim :hugs:
I have a book called "how to meditate by Paul roland"
WHAT IS MINDFULNESS ?
MINDFULNESS IS ONE OF THE SIMPLEST MEDITATION TECHNIQUES AND POTENTIALLY THE MOST REVEALING BECAUSE IT INVOLVES LETTING GO OF ANY DESIRE TO CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS.
Instead , you observe them with detatchment as they arise spontaneously
together with any emotions, physical sensations , sounds and images that compete for your attention. You attach no importance to them because if you allow yourself to be distracted they will assume a significance that they do not deserve. In effect , you eccept no responsibility for your thoughts , but consider them to be insignificant because they have no intrinsic reality.
Millman obseved, "you dont have to control your thoughts, you just have to stop letting them control you".
He likens the mind to a barking dog, and says that instead of trying to subdue it we should get on with whatever we are doing and let the dog bark, because thats what dogs do.
To find lasting peace of mind, we first have to accept that we cannot control our thoughts,only our responce to them, and in doing so we make peace with our minds.
Eventually you should come to an understanding of the nature of mind through such meditations and find freedom from its content, for the mind decieves by creating the illusion that we can return to the past or anticipate the future using memory or imagination. But , infact, we exist only in the present. That is the nature of consciousness and the one reality that we can experiance in mindfulness is meditation.
Some people who have difficulty with more conventional forms of meditation
which demand that we master our mental processes find mindfulness easier because it acknowledges that we cannot control our thoughts. Instead we watch them flit across our mental screen like birds in flight whilse we remain focused on fixed point in the horizon.
:flowers:
That's great Mirry, an excelent explanation.
I've been learning mindfulness in DBT (Dialectic Behavioural Therapy), and I got directed to the below site by someone in my group. It covers all the worksheets and handouts we've been given. All our stuff is from the Marsha Linehan book.
http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/html/mindfulness.html
Some might find it useful.
Jim :hugs:
Jim thanks thats an interesting site, I like the garden explanation about thoughts being compared to seeds in the garden.:yesyes:
Has anyone been doing the mindfulness yet ?
If so Id really love to hear your views on it.
Everynight I lay in bed listening to my cd , practising my mindfull breathing.
I don't know about mindfulness so much, but I do a meditation every day. Some of them tell you not to try to stop thinking about a particular subject, but visualise putting it away until another time
'there will be plenty of time to think about it AFTER the meditation'
I find this really helpful as I find I have a 'need' to think about things and rumination became a huge big thing in my life. My mum would tell me to 'stop thinking about it' yeah, as if!
When I first did them, I found it a bit scary as I could feel all sorts of things going on in my body, and realising it was the effects of anx scared me.
Now, I find I welcome them. I actually enjoy the little bit of trembling that I might feel, or tightness of chest, sometimes I have slight pins and needles or a contracting muscular feeling.
I welcome them as I know (95% of the time) I know they are going to leave me and I am going to enjoy the feeling the difference. It's like you can't appreciate the improvement unless there is something to improve.
Sometimes I am just too wired. Earlier today I was, but I listened to it anyway with an acceptance that it wasn't going to relax me. That doesn't always upset me, to me it is acceptance of how I feel at that moment in time and I can maybe do it again later. What it did do, was take me out of my responsibilities for 30 mins, and gave me time away, so it didn't really matter that it wasn't as effective as it at other times.
I think maybe I am going off a bit here as I do a little bit of this and a little bit of that to make me feel better and they all sort of blend in. I don't know where it was, but I used a recipe analogy recently. All these things are an ingredient in the recipe for 'feeling better'
Happyone
xx
Yes I do a recipe of this and that ,lol any meditation is fantastic for winding down when feeling stressed. How long have you been doing it ?
I find mindfulness at bedtimes best for me (only time I get peace,lol).
Hi,
I have been doing the meditations since jan-feb, but I have been doing them daily almost without fail for say, 2 months. I have bought absolutely loads of guided meditations and put them on my i pod, then sold them again on E bay.:yesyes: It is a cheaper way of getting them.
I have found that it often takes one meditation to wind me down and then the other for me to 'let myself go to it.'
The one I did today was a mindfulness body scan, excellent! It was a really really cheap cd, £1!!! followed by a guided relaxation by Glenn Harrold. I sometimes just put my i pod on shuffle and get a little surprise!
The mindfulness body scan I bought on E bay and it is not nearly as professional as the others I have. It was made by someone for an NHS trust somewhere, probably for an anxiety group or something, but it has an amazing air of making you feel like it is somebody actually talking to 'you' because there is no music or anything, almost like you are there! You can hear the clock in the background ticking and faint noises in the distance.
I am booked up for a positive thinking course run by a bhuddist church in August. I think a lot of the Bhuddist philosophy is around the here and now and the simplicity of things isn't it? I am also hoping to get onto one of their meditation courses. The best bit is, they are FREE!!!!!
Happyone
xx
WOW HONEYBEE THATS FANTASTIC DOING THE COURSE !
I cant find any courses near me, Ive looked into it but theres nothing :weep: .
Infact theres no support groups or anything, makes me mad :mad: .
I was looking at the body scan cd on amazon the other day, It was cheaper than the others , sound sinteresting, is a male voice or a female voice on it ?
Dont know why but I prefer listening to a male voice :shrug: ,lol.
you dont happen to be in hampshire do you ? (hoping the course is near me):wacko:
Mirry?
judging by your answer, I think that post is for me no??? LOL if not!
I am in Edinburgh hun. I was searching for free counselling when I came across it, so worth a try?
this cd of mine is a female voice, I prefer that lol! If you want to try a meditation cd, I can highly recommend a series called 'meditainment' some of their stuff is a female voice and some a male.
I have just ordered one tonight from E bay, a bit different from my usual. It takes you on a guided visualisation to the 'faerie folk' !! Should be interesting!
I think seriously, the daily meditation has done more for me in the past while than anything else. What it has done is made me be selfish, but understandably so, for 20-30 mins each day. I have decided I need that time and I have taken it. I now look on it as important as taking my medication each day
Happyone
xx
Happyone, you couldnt be further away from me cos Im in the south .
Today whilst walking to work, I came over "so so" dizzy and felt like I may fall but instead of paniking I set to work on my mindfulness.
I labeled what i was feeling "dizzy" and then attemped not to cling to it and to see it for what it is , not judging it and to bring my concentration to the breath. It really helped alot. And when I arrived at work I felt really pleased with myself cos I just let it be and didnt judge it, which meant it didnt make me emotional and upset.
I like the sound of your cds, can you tell me more about it if possible ?
FANTASTIC !
well done Mirry!!
I noticed you said something in another post as well about panic being something that everyone gets. this is so true and if we can recognise that fact when it happens it could help a great deal.
I have found myself saying things like 'this is the way I am today' and not stressing too much about how I am going to be tomorrow, or how I have been.
My meditation cd's, I love them, honestly!
There is a set of them called 'Meditainment' In this series I have
'Stress Relief'
'Rest and Sleep'
'Total Relaxation'
'Self Discovery' they all have 2 3 or 4 guided visualisations, taking you to places such as a tropical island, a park, flying, a river etc.
They don't tell you to forget your worries, but instead to put them to the side and worry about them later.
I have another called 'Relaxation' which was created by an NHS trust. It is not as professionally created as the others, but it has something really good about it. I enjoy the 3rd track, 'Midfulness Body Scan'
Another one which is quite good too, but the womans accent gets on my nerves a bit, but I am becoming used to it (glennharrold used to grate on my nerves but I now find him quite pleasant!) is called 'First Steps Towards Meditation' by maria Lawrence. This is more of an esteem building one I would say.
lastly, my new one....I am in love with it lol!!! I can't remember the name of it just now, it is upstairs and I can't be bothered going to fetch it! takes you on a journey to the faerie folk! I love fantasy and the images it conjures up for me are amazing!
I have been building up my collection and I can't help but want to share them with people as they have done such a lot for me!!
I used to spend so much time worrying about the future and I can't say that I don't now, but I just seem to be so much more calm and able to live with what is happening now.
Happyone
xx
thanks happyone, think I will have to treat myself to that cd, will go check out amazon now , will report back xxx
Hi Mirry,
I am not sure which cd you were planning on treating yourself to. if it is the meditainment ones they are easy to find. The NHS relaxation one is a bit more obscure. I found it on E bay. If you put in a search for
'relaxation cd for stress, depression, anxiety, panic'
the person sells them every now and then. It is only £1.85 on buy it now and 75p p+p. I got mine for a £ but it looks as though he is only selling them on buy it now, now. As I said, it is not as professionally made as the others, but I think it has a basic quality to it that makes it feel good. Particularly track 3, the mindfulness body scan.
good searching!
If you have any good ones, please let me know, cos it is almost my hobby now!!
happyone
xx
i have just started this and feel it is excellent
it is a way of life and i feel it will really benefit if stuck too
i am reading jon kabat-zinns book " full catastrophe living"
brilliant book, highly reccomend it im engrossed
jackie
Thought I'd quickly update that I'm also finding this increasingly useful, the more I practise and learn the more my life is benefiting from mindfulness.
I've been researching a bit recently as I was finding the version in my DBT therapy a bit uninspiring and I was interested to learn about the true Budhist concept of it.
The main concept of mindfulness was originally addapted for westerners by a Vietnamise Budhist monk called Thich Nhat Hanh, there's some info about him here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nhat_Hanh
He has hundreds of books and audio tapes around, I would recomend getting some if you can, he is very inspiring.
I've been listening to:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mindful-Living-Thich-Nhat-Hanh/dp/B00008NV63/ref=sr_1_6/203-0748911-6884738?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1188649096&sr=8-6
I prefer his more spiritual / religous adaptation of it to Marsha Lineham's version that is sanitised of any religous or spiritual meaning but is the model comonly used in psychotherapy at the moment.
Jim :hugs:
Jim , I agree , he is amazing ! when I got his audio tape I found his accent a bit difficult to understand at first :blush: but then I got used to it.
He is so inspiring, I love the way he talks about trees blowing in the wind,
the leaves are our emotions swaying all over the place but the Trunk is us, "SOLID".
I LOVE MINDFULNESS, today my husband took me into the town center on a Saturday :blush: , I had to put my mindfulness into place and it really worked.:yesyes:
Jackie have you finished the book yet ?
I have his audio and he has a lovely voice , very calming.
Just found this posted onto You tube (only yesturday)
please take a look ............
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc
and another that looks at the evidence of mindfulness on health ...
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rSU8ftmmhmw
Interesting stuff Mirry, I saw the first one. I find him slightly hypnotic at times during his guided bit.:wacko:
Interestingly he does touch on the slightly darker side of it towards the end that I've read a bit about recently. Marxism and Nazi Germany, which is taken from the existentialist philosophy related to it.
A good introduction to pure mindfulness and the clinical viewpoint of it.:yesyes:
Jim:hugs:
JIMBO ,glad you like it . I am looking into this as a life long project because its the only treatment that seems to work.
I also enjoyed this video on how to calm the mind .....
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=iCngDPM5Tv8
I just wish more people would take a interest in this because it is so helpful.
yes mirry, finished the book, and went back to it again and again. have all his books now, he himself actually sent me 8 cds to accompany them. hes very inspiring
am interested in the buddist monk you both seem to mention and jon kabat zinn mentions too.
any favorite book of his to start me off?
if you have i would love you to send it to my email address which you will find in my pm section as i struggle to get on the site most of the time
jackie
jackie , i found his cds better than his books , although they are very deep and wouldnt suit everyone , but he talks such alot of sence.
:hugs:
just wondered you two what book you recommend from your buddist guy, i have been through a bad time anxiety there and am still reading up. practice every night and due to do a course in it on march at university based on kabat zinn and your guy
i know you have probably said already about this but just wondered what you recommend book and cd wise
thanks
so glad im not alone in this practice hope we keep up this as i feel it is gonna make a lasting impression above all other things
keep me posted and i will keep you posted soon
thanks guys
jackie
naturetimeout
26-05-15, 22:55
Hi everyone,
For a class project at Stanford, I've built a tool which gives you a simple set of daily instructions to help you get started with your mindfulness practice. It's only for a week, but will hopefully give you a chance to experience the joy it brings and build a deeper practice going forward.
I'd appreciate any feedback you have! Check it out at naturetimeout.com
MyNameIsTerry
29-05-15, 06:35
Hi everyone,
For a class project at Stanford, I've built a tool which gives you a simple set of daily instructions to help you get started with your mindfulness practice. It's only for a week, but will hopefully give you a chance to experience the joy it brings and build a deeper practice going forward.
I'd appreciate any feedback you have! Check it out at naturetimeout.com
You need to post on the media/research board for this otherwise I doubt it's going to get noticed. This thread is ancient anyway and there are more recent ones so I doubt many are going to read this one.
MyNameIsTerry
30-05-16, 06:52
Dear Mindfulness forum,
I have been practicing the meditation technique for a very long time, and because it was so beneficial for me, I decided to create a little, but informative book on it that would explain all the basics of what Mindfulness is. If you are interested, you can get it from Amazon
amazon.com/dp/B01GAAFFI0
Hopefully it can answer some of your questions and benefit you. Thank you.
Please, please, please, please buy my ebook!!!
http://yoursmiles.org/msmile/compgame/m0376.gif (http://yoursmiles.org/m-compgame.php?page=4)http://yoursmiles.org/msmile/compgame/m0377.gif (http://yoursmiles.org/m-compgame.php?page=4)http://yoursmiles.org/msmile/compgame/m0378.gif (http://yoursmiles.org/m-compgame.php?page=4)
Hey, a few days ago a friend of mine published a great book about mindfulness exercises for $0.99
We want to give the book for free as an amazon gift to the first 20 interested
If you want your free copy or want to help my friend buying it just send me a message asking for it!
I think that this book could be very useful for the topic of the page, especially the breathing exercise.
mezzaninedoor
07-03-18, 10:05
this looks like spam
Beyond McMindfulness
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3519289
Bhikkhu Bodhi, an outspoken western Buddhist monk, has warned: “absent a sharp social critique, Buddhist practices could easily be used to justify and stabilize the status quo, becoming a reinforcement of consumer capitalism.”
Is the government pushing Mindfulness as part of their mind control agenda? Several Buddhists have warned that this corrupt version of Mindfulness being promoted by governments and corporations such as Google and Apple is dangerous. Corporations are offering employees Mindfulness courses to make them more "productive" at work and take fewer days off. In other words, the managers would like to screw the workers as much as they want, then tell them to go sit in a corner and meditate rather than kick up a fuss. NHS is also heavily promoting Mindfulness in order to deal with the mental health crisis on the cheap.
MyNameIsTerry
08-03-18, 02:31
Beyond McMindfulness
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3519289
Bhikkhu Bodhi, an outspoken western Buddhist monk, has warned: “absent a sharp social critique, Buddhist practices could easily be used to justify and stabilize the status quo, becoming a reinforcement of consumer capitalism.”
Is the government pushing Mindfulness as part of their mind control agenda? Several Buddhists have warned that this corrupt version of Mindfulness being promoted by governments and corporations such as Google and Apple is dangerous. Corporations are offering employees Mindfulness courses to make them more "productive" at work and take fewer days off. In other words, the managers would like to screw the workers as much as they want, then tell them to go sit in a corner and meditate rather than kick up a fuss. NHS is also heavily promoting Mindfulness in order to deal with the mental health crisis on the cheap.
Hollow,
That's more about the latest business craze of Mindfulness. I think on here we are more interested in it's application in mental health.
They may have valid points in their fields but they are far from their application in the medical world and these guys aren't even from a field able to comment on medical matters.
There is a dissociation between one’s own personal transformation and the kind of social and organizational transformation that takes into account the causes and conditions of suffering in the broader environment. Such a colonization of mindfulness also has an instrumentalizing effect, reorienting the practice to the needs of the market, rather than to a critical reflection on the causes of our collective sufferin
^ That's not the Mindfulness I have learnt through several different teachings nor what Kabat-Zinn brought to the west. But it's inevitable that such things are latched onto and expanding to other markets. If some businesses are making it about performance rather than what it is truly intended for, then that's up to them. There often feels like there is a bit of brainwashing scaremongering going in in articles like this. Like the argument we will all become so passive and lose our individuality.
Business will latch onto some other new craze (the world has been moving onto positivity again since) so it will probably lurch again. It's the latest way to squeeze employers for more, pretend the phrase "corporate responsibility" has any credibility and look cool & fluffy to consumers. Whatever happened to the powering of energy back into the grid by the prisoners, working standing up, etc?
Management and their "new bright shiny things". "ooh, lets get some disabled people on the books as it will look good" rather than it being about helping the vulnerable in society.
I might be cynical, but that's how the multinational I worked in for years operated as I saw once I started climbing the pole a bit.
An interesting discussion on the possible perversion of it by the corporations. CEO's have been using it for a while, as have MP's, athlete, etc (seen it in the bodybuilding world with a slant on the mind-muscle connection and feeling the bar, which they already did but it adds to it).
From a NHS perspective, I would like to see them push it more! It greatly helped me when CBT wasn't touching the sides. And it has had NICE approval for recurrent depression for years and found to be as effective as certain antidepressants. So, I'm all for it from a health perspective as it can only help us with mental health problems. You do need approval if you have more complicated mental health issues as meditation can be triggering e.g. schizophrenia, but sometimes this is because of other forms of meditation that look more inward or some individuals in the news articles were attending more extreme sessions at retreats.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.