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Mindfulness

WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?

Often, we live a somewhat distracted life, resulting in a lack of consciousness of powerful life experiences. Mindfulness is a way of being, a life-long practice of observing. We begin by allowing our compassionate nature as human beings to emerge in moment-to-moment life experiences. Tapping into our innate mindful nature through an evolving mindfulness practice can be a humbling experience. Looking deeply at oneself may be challenging, but also insightful and uplifting.

 

Practicing mindfulness is a way of taking control of our lives more fully, learning to relate directly to situations that arise. By consciously working with challenges and responsibilities, purposefully confronting stress, pain, and illness, we can find greater balance in life. Enhancing our innate ability for increased awareness by opening our hearts during a formal meditation practice - to just observing without judgment - allows us to become more attentive to who we really are, thus opening up to experiencing life more fully.

“Mindfulness provides a simple but powerful route for getting ourselves unstuck, back {in} touch with our own wisdom and vitality” and it sheds …  “new light on core dimensions of our true nature as human beings.” (Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD)

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Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

WHAT AND WHY?

The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Clinic was started in 1979 by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, at the University of Massachusetts Medical School with chronic pain patients who had nowhere to turn. It quickly expanded to the private sector as a strong coping mechanism for every day stress. The main focus of MBSR is to learn to use our innate resources and abilities to balance life and to respond more effectively to stress, pain, and illness, working with a formal “insightful” meditation practice intermixed with gentle Yoga. Informal practices add even more value to one’s day, uniquely enhancing health and wellbeing.

Mindfulness is not something that you have to “get”, but rather a deep internal resource to nurture while learning, growing, and/or healing. People practice mindfulness for many reasons:

  • Stress — job, family or financial

  • Chronic pain and illness

  • Anxiety and panic

  • GI distress

  • Sleep disturbances

  • Fatigue

  • High blood pressure

  • Headaches

Everyone can benefit from practicing mindfulness because an ongoing MBSR practice allows one to:

  • Explore mind-body relationship and connect to feelings

  • Develop a sense of who we are, beyond fears & self-judgment

  • Diminish stress & experience greater calm

  • Realize inner resources that can change everyday life

  • Awaken innate capacity for wisdom and insight

  • Expand worldview, broadening perspective, based on seeing things just as they are

  • Deepen courage, connection, clarity and compassion

  • Find genuine happiness in moment to moment balanced living

“Meditation can be thought of as the art of awakening. Through the mastery of this art we can learn new ways to approach our difficulties and bring wisdom and joy alive in our life.  Through developing meditation’s tools and practices we can awaken the best of our spiritual, human capacities. The key to this art is the steadiness of our attention.  When the fullness of our attention is cultivated together with a grateful and tender heart, our spiritual life will naturally grow.”
(Jack Kornfield, PhD)

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