Comments on: Mindfulness: How to Turn Stress into Serenity http://goodlifezen.com/2009/07/20/mindfulness-how-to-turn-stress-into-serenity/ Practical inspiration. For a happier life Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:09:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: prodeep http://goodlifezen.com/2009/07/20/mindfulness-how-to-turn-stress-into-serenity/#comment-10989 prodeep Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:11:53 +0000 http://goodlifezen.com/?p=2826#comment-10989 hello there, i am prodeep,i am new to this forum, what i have experienced through my mindful meditation was something different ,i treat my mind as a bus stop, buses(thoughts) are coming & going,drivers of this buses are emotions,so what i am doing,just patiently observing the buses & the drivers,I am just waiting for right kind of bus(thought) driven by some sober emotion,at the same time i am allowing free flow of buses,i am quite okay with their presence if i firmly know (i apply eightfold thing of Buddhism) about thought & emotion,i decide to act on that thought,action is taken with 'right effort' mindfulness for me is like being aware of whats happening outside, & its reflection on inside,sums up-i am able to live in present hello there,
i am prodeep,i am new to this forum,
what i have experienced through my mindful meditation was something different ,i treat my mind as a bus stop, buses(thoughts) are coming & going,drivers of this buses are emotions,so what i am doing,just patiently observing the buses & the drivers,I am just waiting for right kind of bus(thought) driven by some sober emotion,at the same time i am allowing free flow of buses,i am quite okay with their presence
if i firmly know (i apply eightfold thing of Buddhism) about thought & emotion,i decide to act on that thought,action is taken with ‘right effort’
mindfulness for me is like being aware of whats happening outside,
& its reflection on inside,sums up-i am able to live in present

]]> By: Puppy Mind | Downward Dog DVM http://goodlifezen.com/2009/07/20/mindfulness-how-to-turn-stress-into-serenity/#comment-8479 Puppy Mind | Downward Dog DVM Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:06:17 +0000 http://goodlifezen.com/?p=2826#comment-8479 [...] brings up thoughts which then leads me to create “mind stories” (a great phrase from Mary Jaksch at Goodlife Zen, by the way!).  Suddenly, I’ve wandered off into a whole other [...] [...] brings up thoughts which then leads me to create “mind stories” (a great phrase from Mary Jaksch at Goodlife Zen, by the way!).  Suddenly, I’ve wandered off into a whole other [...]

]]> By: Mike Reeves-McMillan http://goodlifezen.com/2009/07/20/mindfulness-how-to-turn-stress-into-serenity/#comment-8114 Mike Reeves-McMillan Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:24:11 +0000 http://goodlifezen.com/?p=2826#comment-8114 I sometimes talk about being "associated, but not identified" with a feeling - the difference between standing by the river and being swept along in the river. Aware, but not overwhelmed. This is in contrast to the alternative strategy of dissociation or denial, where you try to deal with the feeling by pushing it away. They just push back. .-= Mike Reeves-McMillan´s last blog ..<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LivingSkillfully/~3/qkD78moO6Ao/" rel="nofollow">How to Be Alert Without Starbucks</a> =-. I sometimes talk about being “associated, but not identified” with a feeling – the difference between standing by the river and being swept along in the river. Aware, but not overwhelmed.

This is in contrast to the alternative strategy of dissociation or denial, where you try to deal with the feeling by pushing it away. They just push back.
.-= Mike Reeves-McMillan´s last blog ..How to Be Alert Without Starbucks =-.

]]> By: Gilbert Ross http://goodlifezen.com/2009/07/20/mindfulness-how-to-turn-stress-into-serenity/#comment-5912 Gilbert Ross Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:56:11 +0000 http://goodlifezen.com/?p=2826#comment-5912 Hi Mary, Brilliant explanation! I think you brought out some very interesting and clear points about Mindfulness. Yes it's true that we live most of our waking life emotionally attached to our past or anxious about the future. This puts us in continuous detachment from our present. I call it living on autopilot :) (and yes it must be around 80% of our time or probably even more) @ James Hegarty I see your point. Mindfulness is counter-intuitive because we are so attached to the idea of control (which is ultimately an illusion) What eastern philosophy has taught us in the west (through Zen Buddhism and mindfulness) is that the dissolution of stress is more about embracing, accepting and letting go rather than struggling to control (which is ultimately our very source of stress). Mindfulness & meditation is a way of getting connected to our being (rather than our doing). I think this is where confusion in our western mind can arise because we habitually assess ourselves by our doing and not our being. Once we can make a distinction between those two notions, the confusion ceases to exist. .-= Gilbert Ross´s last blog ..<a href="http://soulhiker.com/2009/08/10-mistakes-that-hold-you-from-creating-the-life-you-want/" rel="nofollow">10 Mistakes that hold you from Creating the Life you want</a> =-. Hi Mary,

Brilliant explanation! I think you brought out some very interesting and clear points about Mindfulness.

Yes it’s true that we live most of our waking life emotionally attached to our past or anxious about the future. This puts us in continuous detachment from our present. I call it living on autopilot :) (and yes it must be around 80% of our time or probably even more)

@ James Hegarty

I see your point. Mindfulness is counter-intuitive because we are so attached to the idea of control (which is ultimately an illusion) What eastern philosophy has taught us in the west (through Zen Buddhism and mindfulness) is that the dissolution of stress is more about embracing, accepting and letting go rather than struggling to control (which is ultimately our very source of stress).

Mindfulness & meditation is a way of getting connected to our being (rather than our doing). I think this is where confusion in our western mind can arise because we habitually assess ourselves by our doing and not our being. Once we can make a distinction between those two notions, the confusion ceases to exist.
.-= Gilbert Ross´s last blog ..10 Mistakes that hold you from Creating the Life you want =-.

]]> By: Chad Prigmore http://goodlifezen.com/2009/07/20/mindfulness-how-to-turn-stress-into-serenity/#comment-5834 Chad Prigmore Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:06:18 +0000 http://goodlifezen.com/?p=2826#comment-5834 Do fewer things mindfully and well, in the time it takes to do them - and more gets done without stress. .-= Chad Prigmore´s last blog ..<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheEffectiveSpirit/~3/hT_v_LygrsY/polycarp.html" rel="nofollow">Polycarp</a> =-. Do fewer things mindfully and well, in the time it takes to do them – and more gets done without stress.
.-= Chad Prigmore´s last blog ..Polycarp =-.

]]> By: Twitted by MathildaB http://goodlifezen.com/2009/07/20/mindfulness-how-to-turn-stress-into-serenity/#comment-5812 Twitted by MathildaB Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:29:42 +0000 http://goodlifezen.com/?p=2826#comment-5812 [...] This post was Twitted by MathildaB [...] [...] This post was Twitted by MathildaB [...]

]]> By: Dr. Jennifer Howard http://goodlifezen.com/2009/07/20/mindfulness-how-to-turn-stress-into-serenity/#comment-5811 Dr. Jennifer Howard Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:44:38 +0000 http://goodlifezen.com/?p=2826#comment-5811 A lovely blog indeed. I love Jon Kabat-Zinn and I love this quote, “mindfulness means bringing full, soft attention to the task at hand.” Life in modern times has become so rushed and stressful for everyone that if we don’t learn how to be mindful with a clear mind and an open heart, life is going to be that much harder. Yes, it is simple and yes it is not easy. I love that Mary. Knowing our mind is engulfed in the past and the future it certainly helps to find ways to bring ourselves back to the moment. I also think of Rick Fields’ book “Chop Wood, Carry Water”. This viewpoint of mindfulness actually deepens and deepens. This deepening opens us to what some would say is the essence of enlightenment. Mindfulness is a skill of the mind that allows us to embody wholeness. Dr. Jennifer Howard .-= Dr. Jennifer Howard´s last blog ..<a href="http://www.drjenniferhoward.com/Blog.asp?id=26?rsskey=Yyy" rel="nofollow">On Michael Jackson’s Memorial</a> =-. A lovely blog indeed. I love Jon Kabat-Zinn and I love this quote, “mindfulness means bringing full, soft attention to the task at hand.” Life in modern times has become so rushed and stressful for everyone that if we don’t learn how to be mindful with a clear mind and an open heart, life is going to be that much harder. Yes, it is simple and yes it is not easy. I love that Mary. Knowing our mind is engulfed in the past and the future it certainly helps to find ways to bring ourselves back to the moment. I also think of Rick Fields’ book “Chop Wood, Carry Water”. This viewpoint of mindfulness actually deepens and deepens. This deepening opens us to what some would say is the essence of enlightenment. Mindfulness is a skill of the mind that allows us to embody wholeness.

Dr. Jennifer Howard
.-= Dr. Jennifer Howard´s last blog ..On Michael Jackson’s Memorial =-.

]]> By: PluginID Turns One! Baie Dankie http://goodlifezen.com/2009/07/20/mindfulness-how-to-turn-stress-into-serenity/#comment-5810 PluginID Turns One! Baie Dankie Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:26:48 +0000 http://goodlifezen.com/?p=2826#comment-5810 [...] are so many people I want to thank that I’ve resorted to linking to their latest blog posts in this [...] [...] are so many people I want to thank that I’ve resorted to linking to their latest blog posts in this [...]

]]> By: Mary Jaksch http://goodlifezen.com/2009/07/20/mindfulness-how-to-turn-stress-into-serenity/#comment-5809 Mary Jaksch Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:28:23 +0000 http://goodlifezen.com/?p=2826#comment-5809 Hi Zencontrol.net! Mindfulness is for human beings. It's actually our natural state of mind! So it's not something we need to 'achieve'. We just need to return to our natural state of serenity over and over - even if it's just for a fleeting moment. Hi Zencontrol.net!
Mindfulness is for human beings. It’s actually our natural state of mind! So it’s not something we need to ‘achieve’.
We just need to return to our natural state of serenity over and over – even if it’s just for a fleeting moment.

]]> By: Mary Jaksch http://goodlifezen.com/2009/07/20/mindfulness-how-to-turn-stress-into-serenity/#comment-5808 Mary Jaksch Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:25:03 +0000 http://goodlifezen.com/?p=2826#comment-5808 Hi Jim, thanks for explaining about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. That's very interesting! Hi Jim, thanks for explaining about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. That’s very interesting!

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