Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Mindful Freemium PDF
Mindful Freemium PDF
m
pl
er
Why
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Thinks Mindfulness
Has a Big Future
Finding the
Space to Lead
Strategies from
Leadership Expert
Janice Marturano
Get a special
glimpse of
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Founder of
Mindfulness-Based
Stress Reduction
mindful.org
from the founders
Healthy Mind,
Being Mindful This mindfulness movement is already
emerging in many places and making a real
difference. In hospitals and doctors’ offices,
Healthy Life.
Now is the Time it’s improving patients’ health and deliver- When you subscribe to
ing better care. In classrooms, teachers are Mindful, you will:
using it to foster healthier learning environ- • D
iscover practical, effective tools
Something important is happening Living mindfully is one such idea. Solu- ments. First responders are becoming more for everyday living
in our society today: people are being tions that ask us to change who we are or resilient, and trauma sufferers are using • L
earn about the latest brain science
mindful. More often. In more ways. And become something we’re not have failed it to heal. In business, mindfulness and and the many ways mindfulness is
in more places. In our view, the simple us over and over again. We’re ready for an awareness—and yes, kindness and compas- changing our society
act of being present has the power to approach that recognizes and cultivates the sion—are increasing job performance and • E
njoy better health and relief
change everything—how we approach best of who we are as human beings. satisfaction. In every sphere, leaders find from stress
ourselves, our challenges, our relation- Mindfulness is not only timely. It also that mindfulness practice helps keep their
• I mprove your performance and
ships, and our communities. We believe has the potential to become a transfor- vision alive in the heat of the moment.
capacity at work
being mindful is an idea—actually, a way mative social phenomenon, for these key Our mission at Mindful is to support this
of being—whose time has come. We reasons: movement and all who want to live mind- • Deepen the relationships in your life
are launching Mindful to celebrate and fully. We’ll do so through Mindful magazine • B
e inspired by stories of other
support this growing movement. • Anyone can do it. Mindfulness and its digital edition; with our website and mindful people like you
Mindfulness is not obscure or exotic. practice cultivates universal human applications that deliver mindful content to
It’s familiar to us because it’s what we qualities and does not require anyone mobile devices; and in conferences, collabo-
already do, how we already are. It takes to change their beliefs. Everyone can rations, and conversations where inspiring
many shapes and goes by many names. benefit and it’s easy to learn. ideas can become the building blocks of a
In his basketball days, former senator Bill mindful society.
Bradley called it a sense of where you are, • It’s a way of living. Mindfulness is Mindful will tell the stories and cel-
and for many athletes today it’s being in the more than just a practice. It brings ebrate the heroic efforts of people improv-
zone. For caregivers, it’s attention and em- awareness and caring into everything ing our world by being mindful. We’ll share
pathy. For soldiers and first responders, it’s we do—and it cuts down needless advice, how-to instruction, news, and
situational awareness. For business leaders, stress. Even a little makes our lives information. We’ll connect mindful people,
it might be presence or flow. Artists see it as better. communities, and organizations with each
spontaneity and thinkers as contemplation. other. We’ll help the mindfulness move-
Mindfulness is not a special added • It’s evidence-based. We don’t have to ment deepen and broaden and introduce
thing we do. We already have the capacity take mindfulness on faith. Both sci- this way of living to wide new audiences.
to be present, and it doesn’t require us to ence and experience demonstrate its Like all who are committed to a mindful Click here
change who we are. But we can cultivate positive benefits for our health, happi- life, we want the mindfulness movement to
these innate qualities with simple practices ness, work, and relationships. have a beneficial impact on our society. Subscribe
that are scientifically demonstrated to ben- Welcome to Mindful. Please come as Now
efit ourselves, our loved ones, our friends • It sparks innovation. As we deal with you are. As we do our best to bring you
and neighbors, the people we work with, our world’s increasing complexity and helpful information and stories and create
and the institutions and organizations we uncertainty, mindfulness can lead us to connections, we look forward to hearing
take part in. effective, resilient, low-cost responses from you. We want to know your concerns
When an idea’s time has come, it’s to seemingly intransigent problems. and insights and learn what you’re doing.
Don’t miss the next great
part of the zeitgeist, the spirit of the times. Let’s be mindful together. ● issue of Mindful.
no blueprint,
just love
In 1979, Jon Kabat-Zinn recruited chronically
ill patients not responding well to traditional
treatments to participate in his newly formed eight-
week stress-reduction program. Now, 35 years
later, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
and its offshoots have entered the mainstream of
health care, scientific study, and public policy.
In early 2005, I met Jon Kabat-Zinn at Mindful: Did you ever think the work that started in a The eight weeks of the MBSR curriculum offer a
his home in Massachusetts. I came as modest clinic in a spare room of a hospital in Central “Mindfulness is not a special state you reliable protocol that is used in many studies of the
Massachusetts would become so influential? effects of mindfulness meditation practice. People
a meditation practitioner and journalist achieve through a trick or a technique.
who have taught it a lot have seen that it has an
with a bit of skepticism about MBSR. Jon Kabat-Zinn: In a word, yes. I never thought of It is a way of being.” integrity of its own. If they try to switch things
I was curious whether the attempt to this work as a small thing. I don’t think of myself as around—a little more of this, a little less of that, take
bring secular mindfulness to the broader a big deal, but I always thought of this work as a very this out, put this in—they find it isn’t as effective.
society could be effective. In a lengthy, big deal. It wasn’t just about thinking that medita- Yet it’s only a framework. It’s only as effective
tion had a modest contribution to make to Western as what the teacher brings to it and how he or she
impassioned conversation, I began to be
medicine. MBSR was built on the conviction that the “holds the space,” as we say. It simply will not work
persuaded of its validity and power, and insights, wisdom, and compassion of the meditative if it is scripted or formulaic. If the teacher doesn’t
as a result we started down on a path of traditions were equal in import and magnitude to feel competent in one of the elements, say yoga, it
further investigation that led us to Mindful the great discoveries about human life we’ve made doesn’t work if they bring in an outside expert. They
and mindful.org. in the West. If there’s an instruction manual for have to get the training and embody it themselves.
being human, then Western science and medicine Everything that is taught has to be lived. Life is the
Since then, we’ve met scores of people
have supplied one part of it, and the contemplative curriculum.
who are bringing this approach to mind- traditions have supplied another, the part that has As a teacher, you are trying to convey something
fulness into many different contexts and to do with discovering and cultivating our deep that can’t be conveyed in words. Mindfulness is also
helping all sorts of people. And Jon and interior resources. heartfulness—you need poetry as much as prose.
his many colleagues have just kept on My hope was that by starting a stress-reduction What truly makes mindfulness training work is love.
clinic based on relatively intensive training in mind- If the teacher holding the class is profoundly in love
20,000
going, bringing mindfulness into every
fulness meditation and yoga—and their applications with what they are doing and with the people in the
corner of life. I returned to Jon’s home in everyday living—we could document how these class in a fundamental way, it will work. If they are
recently, on the occasion of the publica- practices might have a profound effect on the health not, it will peter out.
tion of a revised and updated edition of and well-being of individuals. The larger purpose
his groundbreaking book Full Catastro- was to effect a kind of public-health intervention The benefits of mindfulness go far beyond stress reduc-
phe Living, to talk about his work. Fit- that would ultimately move the bell curve of the meditators tion. Why did you call your program that, and are you
entire society. still satisfied with your choice?
tingly, we began with a little bit of silence
and then embarked on a stimulating con- And it grew to the point where we now talk about More than 20,000 people have completed the I wanted it to speak to universal experience. Every-
versation about the present and future of mindfulness-based interventions in all sorts of areas— MBSR program at the UMass Stress Reduction body can relate to stress. It’s a common English
the practice he has devoted his life and depression, childbirth, education, addiction, to name Clinic and countless more in other locations. word and a common experience. The science on
just a few. Source: Center for Mindfulness stress is proving that it was a good choice. We find
heart to.
ILLUSTRATIONs BY megumi yoshida (top); stuart mccoy, from the noun project (bottom)
out more every day about the negative effects of
—Barry Boyce We didn’t have a specific blueprint, but I am very stress on the body, on the immune system, on aging,
Editor-in-Chief, Mindful gratified that so many developments have been and so on. Likewise, there is a correspondingly
happening on so many different fronts. It’s really strong interest in how we can develop resiliency in
a matter of planting seeds. You never really know the face of stress, which is a benefit of mindfulness
what will sprout from these seeds and how they practice.
477
will spread. That’s the beauty of it. It’s based on
not-knowing—approaching the world inquisitively, You often say that mindfulness is not about attaining
with a fresh mind. benefits or fixing problems—that it’s about discovering
If we had come in with a plan, with an ideology, there is more right with us than wrong with us. Yet a
with all the answers, I think it would have remained “stress-reduction” program can seem very benefit-ori-
small. Instead, those of us involved in this work mindfulness ented.
have paid close attention to just a few essential studies in 2012
elements. One is that mindfulness is not a special That is an unavoidable paradox. There are tremen-
state you achieve through a trick or a technique. It dous benefits that arise from mindfulness practice,
is a way of being. I have a lot of faith that if people The number of research
500 but it works precisely because we don’t try to attain
just learn how to be in the present through simple publications on mindfulness
benefit. Instead, we befriend ourselves as we are. We
mindfulness meditation, then the practice does the learn how to drop in on ourselves, visit, and hang
“If there’s an instruction manual for work of transformation and healing. We do not need
per year grew from zero in
out in awareness.
1980 to 477 in 2012.
being human, then Western science and to do it for them. People are so creative and intrin- Source: mindfulexperience.org It’s essential when you’re teaching mindfulness
medicine have supplied one part of it, sically intelligent that given a chance, they perceive to remember this and embody it in your own way of
and the contemplative traditions have the truth within their own experience. “When I get being. People come to a mindfulness course because
attached to something, I suffer,” they realize, “and they’re in pain or angry or depressed or afraid. The
supplied another—the part that has to
when I don’t get attached, I don’t.” one thing they want is to get somewhere else, so the
do with discovering and cultivating our teacher needs to continually convey that mindful-
0
deep interior resources.” What else makes MBSR work? ness is not about getting anywhere. The teacher’s
1980 2012 own practice and way of holding him- or herself →
From the February 2014 issue of Mindful • mindful.org mindful.org • From the February 2014 issue of Mindful
health
communicates that, and because people are intelli- One of the Varela researchers whose work I
gent and inherently mindful, they resonate with it. “There are tremendous benefits that admire is Paul Condon of Northeastern Univer-
At that point, it becomes ordinary common sense. sity. His group designed a study to determine
arise from mindfulness practice, but
People often say, “I always figured meditation was what different results might arise from training in
something weird and mystical. If only I had known it works precisely because we don’t try mindfulness meditation and training in meditation
what it really is I would have started years ago.” to attain benefit. Instead, we befriend that emphasizes compassion. In the study, partici-
ourselves as we are. We learn how to pants received eight weeks of either mindfulness or
Your interest is not just working with medically compassion training or no training at all. Afterward,
drop in on ourselves, visit, and hang
defined pain, but with all of life—“the full catastro- the researchers set up a scenario in which a study
phe,” in that colorful phrase you borrowed from Zorba out in awareness.” participant was directed to sit in a waiting room
the Greek. with only three chairs, two of which were occupied.
After a minute, a fourth person entered on crutches
People say, “I came to this program to deal with wincing and sighing, and the two people originally
my pain. I didn’t realize it was about my whole in the room pretended not to notice.
life!” There was a professor I knew from my MIT The study measured how many participants
days who needed a bone-marrow transplant, and projects, funded by the Gates Foundation, is to study would, during a two-minute period, overcome the
he showed up at the clinic in Worcester. He said, the effects of computer games that train children in bystander effect—if others are ignoring something,
“I want to learn how to be in relationship with my attention and pro-social behaviors, such as recog- so should I—and offer their seat to the person on
mind, so that when I’m in isolation in the transplant nizing others’ emotions. crutches. The people trained in mindfulness and the
unit, I can survive it.” After a few MBSR classes, he Many young scientists are now taking up this people trained in compassion were both five times
said, “I feel more comfortable with these people I’ve field, many with the support of the Mind & Life more likely to give up their seat as the people in the
just met than I do with the colleagues in my depart- Institute’s Varela Grants and summer research control group. There was no difference between
ment.” When he asked himself why, he concluded, institute, where contemplative practice is integrated training in mindfulness and training in compassion.
“This is the community of the afflicted, and we into a scientific meeting. Young neuroscientists and This raises some very interesting questions, and
acknowledge the affliction. The faculty is also the behavioral scientists are building their careers in to my mind it underscores the fact that mindfulness
community of the afflicted, but we don’t acknowl- what’s now called contemplative neuroscience. is compassion and vice versa. Certainly, in MBSR,
edge our affliction at all.” Later, he was riding the Ten years ago that may well have been a career- where people bring every kind of pain imaginable,
subway and realized we are all “the community of ending choice. compassion is naturally part of the atmosphere. →
Non-striving the afflicted.” It made him feel extraordinarily free.
12,000
for a purpose, to get something are not okay right now. “If only I so much?
or somewhere. But in medita- were calmer, or more intelligent,
tion this attitude can be a real or a harder worker, or more this David Black of the Mindfulness Research Guide has
obstacle. That is because med- or more that, if only my heart been gathering information on the number of sci-
itation is different from all other were healthier or my knee were entific and medical papers per year on mindfulness,
human activities. Although it better, then I would be okay. But and the resulting graph is pretty telling. Some- health care
takes a lot of work and energy right now, I am not okay.” thing that was not on the research map at all a few professionals worldwide
of a certain kind, ultimately This attitude undermines decades ago is a prime area of interest now. These
meditation is a non-doing. It the cultivation of mindfulness, studies provide the evidence of effectiveness you
has no goal other than for you which involves simply paying need to be respected and adopted in key institutions The Oasis Institute has offered mindfulness
to be yourself. The irony is that attention to whatever is hap- in health care, education, social policy, and so on. teacher training to more than 12,000 health
740 +
new way of seeing yourself, one you are criticizing yourself, then of the brain and how to improve them is vitally
in which you are trying less and observe the activity of the judg- important to how we can live well, as individuals
being more. This comes from ing mind. Just watch. We are and as a society.
intentionally cultivating the simply allowing anything and The brain science has become very rigorous. A lot
attitude of non-striving. everything that we experience of credit obviously goes to Richie Davidson, in his
For example, if you sit down from moment to moment to be lab at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the MBSR sites
to meditate and you think, “I here, because it already is. Center for Investigating Healthy Minds. Their work
am going to be relaxed, or get is unique in that it focuses on both basic science
enlightened, or control my pain, Excerpt from Full Catastrophe Living
and translational research, which takes place in More than 740 academic medical centers,
or become a better person,” by Jon Kabat-Zinn, copyright © 1990 by real-life settings such as Madison’s public schools. hospitals, clinics, and freestanding programs
then you have introduced an Jon Kabat-Zinn. Used by permission of Research on how the brain can be trained ventures offer MBSR worldwide.
Dell Publishing, an imprint of Random
idea into your mind of where House, a division of Random House LLC. into areas we wouldn’t have dreamed of years ago.
you should be, and along with All rights reserved. For example, one of the center’s really interesting Source: Center for Mindfulness
From the February 2014 issue of Mindful • mindful.org mindful.org • From the February 2014 issue of Mindful
health health
80 +
School, with his colleagues Mick Krasner and Tim When I was in England recently, I spent a whole
“Everything that is taught has to be Quill, have been training primary care physicians day in Parliament and visited with Prime Minister
in mindful communication. This has resulted in Cameron’s advisors at 10 Downing Street. Chris
lived. Life is the curriculum.”
decreases in emotional exhaustion, depersonaliza- Ruane, a Member of Parliament from a very poor
tion of patients, and burnout among doctors. district in North Wales, has been instrumental in
I can’t say enough about how the role of mindful- businesses bringing mindfulness into public schools there, and
ness-based cognitive therapy is spurring interest in he’s encouraging his colleagues to consider other
mindfulness among psychologists and psychothera- ways to bring mindfulness into public policy.
pists, and it has led to some very intriguing research. More than 80 corporations, I also gave the keynote at a daylong conference in
On another front in psychology, David Creswell has small businesses, and London called Mindfulness in Schools. What I saw
What developments outside the laboratory are you been doing work with loneliness in the elderly. All institutions worldwide have there brought me to tears. Here were seven-year-
following? sorts of conventional interventions have been tried made mindfulness-based olds addressing 900 people, and they were com-
to reduce loneliness in the elderly, and they just training available within pletely self-possessed talking about their mindful-
It’s exciting to see how more people in the medical never work. Have them do things in groups, form INC their organizations. ness practice and what it was doing for them. You
world are appreciating the mind-body relationship friendships, roast hot dogs—they’re still lonely. Source: Mindful staff could tell it was unrehearsed. They just sponta-
and fostering participatory medicine, where the He trains them in MBSR, and their loneliness dis neously said what mindfulness meant to them.
patient is not a passive recipient of treatment but appears. What’s that about?
a real partner in healing. It marks a sea change in With all of this interest from so many different quar-
medical education and practice. For example, Dr. And outside of health care? ters, are there enough qualified people to serve the
Ron Epstein of the University of Rochester Medical growing need for mindfulness teachers?
18,000
An area where mindfulness is spreading in a truly
impressive way is education. What could be more The price of success is that more and more people
vital for our future than teachers and students want something. But of course, mindfulness is not
sharing a mindful classroom? There’s the work of a something. As I said in the beginning, it’s a way of
Mindful Schools and Inner Kids, to name just two of being, and you usually discover it through someone
the more prominent groups. There are also federally schoolchildren who embodies it to some degree.
funded test sites in several locations, where teachers Interest in mindfulness generally, and in MBSR
are learning mindfulness along with their students. and other mindfulness-based programs, is spread-
500 +
I’m really impressed by a manual called Mind- Mindful Schools—one of a growing number of ing around the world at a lightning pace. So in
fulness in Public Schools that just came out from the programs presenting mindfulness for students and addition to sowing seeds we need orchards, where
South Burlington Public School District in Vermont. teachers—has presented its in-school program to we are growing things in a more structured and
ILLUSTRATIONs BY albert rojo (top) and Saman Bemel-Benrud (bottom), from the noun project
It’s unprecedented that a whole public school system more than 18,000 students in 53 schools since 2007. planned way. That has not been my emphasis, but
would support mindfulness to the point of develop- Source: Mindful Schools fortunately there are people paying a lot of atten-
MBSR sites in ing a teaching manual modeled on its own program tion to that. At the Center for Mindfulness and in
for students and teachers. professional training programs all over the world,
Another excellent project is the pilot happening under Saki Santorelli’s excellent direction, people
in the Madison, Wisconsin, public schools, led by are learning how to teach mindfulness in a way that
Lisa Flook of the Center for Investigating Healthy allows open discovery. The program certifies that
Minds. I was just reading the impressive results they have been well trained, but of course we can’t
reported in the article in Mind, Brain, and Education. certify that anyone is a good teacher. Each student
They adapted a form of MBSR specifically for teach- will always have to judge that for him- or herself.
42
ers, and among other results, it decreased burnout In the future, there will need to be many different
and increased self-compassion. kinds of mindfulness teachers and guides for many
50
trists at Duke University, Holly Rogers and Marga- many of them, including at the Wisdom 2.0 confer- greatest challenges is how we will work with the
ret Maytan, who present it in a book called Mind- ence every year. Some politicians, economists, and digital revolution and the alternate reality it has
fulness for the Next Generation: Helping Emerging policymakers have started practicing mindfulness created. Many of us are spending more time online
Adults Manage Stress and Lead Healthier Lives. and bringing it into their work. It’s not many now, than offline. We need to navigate this mindfully or
but the ones who are doing it are very passionate it will eat us up. The technology itself is a source of
states When mindfulness reaches into our institutions of about it. Congressman Tim Ryan, whom I met five endless possibilities but also endless distraction.
higher learning, it can have broad societal effects. years ago when he did a mindfulness retreat with We’re now very good at writing code—but how
Where else do you see mindfulness leading to bigger me, has become a strong advocate for mindfulness in good are we at knowing ourselves, loving ourselves,
People can receive MBSR training in more changes? health care, schools, the military, and particularly for and making a good world together with our fellow
than 500 locations in 42 of the 50 United veterans. He believes that programs that develop our human beings? ●
States, with more being added monthly. Many well-known businesses and business leaders innate human capacity to be mindful can make a pro-
Source: Center for Mindfulness have been bringing mindfulness into their work and found difference for a relatively modest investment.
Rewiring Your Emotions anger, and then targets this brain activity
with mental exercises designed to alter
it. The result is a healthier “emotional
depression, who may be shattered by
every disappointment) have fewer or
weaker signals between the PFC and the
“Meditation gives you the
wherewithal to pause,
style,” as Davidson calls it. amygdalae, due to either low activity in
This mission is still in its infancy, the PFC or poor connections between it observe how easily
Think you’re destined Google changes the brain. Playing The promise of tapping neuroplasti- but there are hints that it works. Much and the amygdalae.
computer games changes the brain. Con- city to relieve suffering is genuine. From of Davidson’s research has focused Neurally inspired therapy to increase
the mind can exaggerate
to respond the same
way emotionally to
versing in a compassionate way changes physical therapy that changes part of the on determining the patterns of brain emotional resilience, then, strength- the severity of a setback,
the brain. brain so it can do the job of another part activity that characterize facets of our ens the left PFC so it sends stronger,
the same old triggers? If you half expect this ever-lengthen- of the brain that has been devastated by emotional style, such as how well we longer-lasting inhibitory signals to the and resist getting drawn
Not necessarily, say ing list to eventually include, oh, making a stroke, to mindfulness-based therapy maintain positive feelings. (Full disclo- amygdalae. One way to do this, Davidson
scientists who study matzoh-ball soup changes the brain, you that quiets the circuit responsible for sure: I cowrote Davidson’s 2012 book, says, is mindfulness meditation, in which into the abyss.”
are not alone. It is true that lots of solid obsessive-compulsive disorder, tech- The Emotional Life of Your Brain.) People you observe your thoughts and feelings
neuroplasticity. With
scientific studies show that the adult niques using the principle of neuroplas- who are a little familiar with brain struc- with the objectivity of a disinterested, Richard Davidson
a little mind training, brain can change in response to what we ticity are already in use by physicians ture might assume that these patterns nonjudgmental witness. This form of
you can chart new do and the lives we lead. But they are in and therapists. But how far can neuro- occur within the brain’s limbic system, mental training gives you “the where-
pathways. danger of being crowded out, at least in plasticity go? an evolutionarily ancient region that withal to pause, observe how easily the
the public’s understanding, by far less Perhaps as far as an emotional reset— includes the amygdalae, the two almond- mind can exaggerate the severity of a set-
rigorous claims. (The jury is still out on harnessing neuroplasticity to change shaped structures that are responsible back, note that it as an interesting mental
By Sharon Begley Google, games, and conversation, but how you respond emotionally to the ups for feelings of anxiety and fear. process, and resist getting drawn into
we’re pretty sure soup-making won’t and downs of life. Neurobiologist Rich- If these patterns were lodged in this the abyss,” he told me. As a result, you in the nucleus accumbens. You might,
make the short list.) ard Davidson of the University of Wis- ancient brain region, where our power- create stronger connections between the for instance, put yourself in a situation
It’s a shame to see something as scien- consin, an expert on the emotional brain, ful survival instincts emerge from, we PFC and the amygdalae, and thus fewer where an immediate reward beckons—
Sharon Begley is the senior tifically significant as neuroplasticity— calls it “neurally inspired behavioral would be out of luck. Think of trying to persistent feelings of anger, sadness, and forbidden food usually works, though
health and science correspondent
the ability of the adult brain to change therapy.” He is talking about a kind of simply will yourself to be happy or sad, the like after an emotional downer. anything fun when you’re supposed to
at Reuters, author of Train Your
Mind, Change Your Brain, and
its structure or function in an enduring therapy that identifies the brain activity or any other emotion, with the brute Another way to strengthen the cir- be working would also be effective—
coauthor with Richard Davidson of way—overpopularized to the point that it underlying an emotional trait you wish to force of a survivalist. Not so easily done. cuitry that supports emotional resilience and resist its siren call.
The Emotional Life of Your Brain. could start losing its real meaning. change, such as a tendency to dwell in I don’t know about you, but if I’m feeling is through cognitive reappraisal training, What are the limits of neuroplasticity?
miserable and someone tells me to just in which you challenge the accuracy of The honest answer is, we don’t know. But
cheer up on the spot, I want to slug them. catastrophizing thoughts (“I am days when neuroscientists in the past scoffed
Fortunately, the brain’s emotional behind in my work; I’m going to get at the power of the brain to change in
circuits are actually connected to its fired”). This “directly engages the pre- meaningful ways, such as to remap the
thinking circuits, which are much more frontal cortex,” Davidson says, “resulting cortex in order to restore mobility after
accessible to our conscious volition. That in increased prefrontal inhibition of the a stroke, they were often proved wrong.
has been one of Davidson’s most import- amygdalae.” One new study even shows that the brain
ant discoveries: the “cognitive brain” is Davidson has also discovered that in is plastic enough to change in response
also the “emotional brain.” As a result, people whose default mode is a positive to cognitive demands that are as new
activity in certain cognitive regions frame of mind and a sense of well-being, to evolution as the industrial soot that
sends signals to the emotion-generating there is high activity in the left PFC as caused moths to evolve gray wing scales.
regions. So while you can’t just order well as in the nucleus accumbens. This Earlier this year, scientists at Stanford
yourself to have a particular feeling, you is a structure deep within the brain that pinpointed the anatomical coordinates
can sort of sneak up on your emotions via is associated with pleasure and a sense of a brain region, a mere one-fifth of an
your thoughts. of reward and motivation. In contrast, in inch across, that handles the sight of
This is easier to understand with people with a consistently negative out- numerals. Yes, the brain has specialized
examples. Davidson discovered that look, the nucleus accumbens is quiet and is real estate to process the likes of 5 and
people who are resilient—able to regain found to have few connections to the PFC. 24. Since “no one is born with the innate
their emotional balance after a setback As with much of the brain’s emotional ability to recognize numerals,” says Stan-
rather than wallowing in anxiety, apparatus, the nucleus accumbens is not ford neuroscientist Josef Parvizi, “it’s a
anger, depression, or another negative reachable through conscious thought dramatic demonstration of our brain cir-
emotion—have strong connections directly; you can’t will it into greater cuitry’s capacity to change” in response
between the left prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity. However, Davidson believes to education and culture.
and the amygdalae. The left PFC sends you can exploit its connections to the If regular exposure to the 2+2s on
inhibitory signals to the amygdalae, PFC, which is accessible to conscious flash cards, signs for 99¢ specials in store
basically telling them to quiet down. As targeting. The great strength of the windows, and the other digits in our
a result, the negative feelings generated PFC is planning, imagining the future, world is sufficient to cause the brain to
by the amygdalae peter out, and you’re and exercising self-control. By putting develop specialized circuitry, surely we
not mired in unhappiness or resentment. yourself in situations that demand fore- are only in Act 1, Scene 1, of understand-
In contrast, people with little emotional thought, he says, you can strengthen the ing the power of neuroplasticity and how
resilience (including those with PFC and thus its ability to goose activity to exploit it. ●
LIFE,
LIBERTY
& THE
PURSUIT
of
Mindfulness
Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio
believes it’s time for Americans to find
quiet—for their own well-being and
for the good of the country.
By Christina Bellantoni
Photographs by Mark Mahaney
It’s 95 degrees, I have sweat in my eyes, and I’m teachers, doctors, nurses, and veterans to contact
squinting at four women in brightly colored Spandex him about how they’re applying mindfulness prac-
tops and cropped pants. tice in their lives; and the policy ideas in the book
That’s when I spot the guy who suggested I try may well be catching on in the halls of the Capitol.
this yoga class. And that’s what Ryan is counting on this year, as
The congressman has flipped his dog. he steps up his efforts to translate mindfulness into
He’s turned his downward dog almost inside legislation.
out—back bent, belly up. During the time I spent with Ryan, in his home
The moment offers one answer to the central state of Ohio and in Washington, I witnessed a poli-
question of this story: How does Representative tician who—unlike many others I’ve interviewed—
Tim Ryan truly live his mindfulness practice? hasn’t adopted a cause because it does well with
As I stick with downward dog, he looks like he focus groups. He’s adopted it because he believes it
could hang out upside down all day, and the more will help our country. And from what I’ve seen, this
I get to know him, it’s clear his steadiness is not guy isn’t faking it.
limited to the yoga mat.
Ryan, 39, is not one of those bomb-throwing
members of Congress, the type who generates Our journey began on a drizzly Friday, as I
sensational headlines on Hardball. No, he’s not that drove with Ryan 319 miles from his Capitol Hill office
Ryan, the one who was on the Republican presi- to Niles, Ohio. He sat in the front seat in shorts and
dential ticket. He’s the Democrat. The one who has flip-flops with his shirt sleeves rolled up; looking like
quietly continued winning races in his Ohio district. he could have been on his way to a football game, not
The one with “that mindfulness thing,” as one of his coming from a congressional office. His aide, Merv
fellow members put it. Jones, son of the late Representative Stephanie Tubbs
Ryan’s book, A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Jones of Ohio, was behind the wheel of the SUV.
Practice Can Help Us Reduce Stress, Improve Perfor- Ryan describes his almost-daily meditation prac-
mance, and Recapture the American Spirit, reads a bit tice as “classical”: he sits on a cushion and follows
like what presidential candidates publish two years his breath, usually giving himself 40 to 45 minutes
before they start to show up at the Iowa State Fair, before a church-bell timer sounds on his phone.
full of broad statements like this one from the close: He meditates at home in front of the fireplace or
“It’s helping us all recapture the spirit of what in the House gym.
it means to be an American. Join us.” He says mindfulness practice gives him a feeling
But it’s also pretty simple—taking a mindfulness of calm that allows him to manage his day, especial-
approach to your life can make it better. And it can ly necessary in an increasingly bitter Washington.
make America better. Children can be smarter and “If something arouses some anger, I try to see it, and A Mindful Nation stadium where he played one football game “before His father left his mother when Ryan was eight,
better prepared for the world. Soldiers and firefight- then let it go. As the days get hectic, I make myself hasn’t generated I cashed it in.” and the family became even more close-knit. As a
the same buzz as the
ers can become more resilient. The book hasn’t stop, take a breath, and pay attention to that breath,” As a teenager Ryan dreamed of being a pro quar- boy, Ryan found their Catholic church to be a calm-
typical Washington
generated the same buzz as the typical Washington Ryan says. political tell-all, but
terback, but a blown knee forced him to, as he puts ing place. He smiles when he talks about his grand-
political tell-all, but it’s done what Ryan wanted: Among the practices Ryan highlights in his book it’s done what Ryan it, “reconstruct my life.” He’d already been exposed parents’ peaceful home where he could always find
it’s garnered him dozens of appearances across are waiting in the morning until you’re fully out wanted: it’s inspired to politics, working in then Representative James them saying the rosary. They were early role models
the country to talk about mindfulness; it’s inspired of bed and stirring before looking at your email, teachers, doctors, Traficant’s district office and in his office on the for mindfulness. “I always think about my grand-
nurses, and veterans
instead of reading it the moment you wake. And Hill. He got a law degree but never practiced, and parents. They worked hard, but it wasn’t every-
to contact him about
no television before bed: “I sleep better.” how they’re applying
he was, as he describes it now, “just floating around thing,” he says. “They spent time in the garden,
Back to that question if he’s for real. I decide to mindfulness practice thinking about what I ought to be doing.” they celebrated birthdays, they went out dancing
Ryan says mindfulness tally how often he looks at his device. 1:10 p.m. is the
first glance, and he pops off a quick text message. He
in their lives. Ryan considered coaching but kept coming back
to politics and a desire to offer leadership. He ran for
to big bands, they hosted parties and dinners.”
We stopped at the church’s souped-up Italian
practice gives him a turns his eyes to the screen about once an hour, and
at more frequent intervals as we get closer to home,
the state senate at age 26, and when Traficant land-
ed in jail, he ran for his old boss’s seat in Congress.
festival, which seemed more like a county fair. We
walked only a few feet before someone called out
perhaps because we’re arranging to meet his family His surprise victory in the primary made him the for “Timmy.” Everywhere we go he has roots. He
feeling of calm that at a festival. youngest Democrat in Congress the following year. ushered me into the beer tent his grandfather used
In all, Ryan looked at his iPhone only 13 times Pat Lowry, Ryan’s district press secretary and to run. I didn’t get to meet his mom; her shift at the
allows him to manage during our more than 7 hours together. Meanwhile,
I was going through BlackBerry withdrawal, and
longtime friend, isn’t surprised at how his political
career has played out. Lowry tells me that in 1991
dried-baloney stand wasn’t until the following day.
We all ordered the Italian sausage Ryan says is
his day, especially Merv didn’t look like he was doing much better.
As we pulled into Youngstown, Ohio, Ryan sat in
Ryan was named player of the year, and the next day
“the coaches in the paper didn’t talk about his abili-
the festival tradition. Eating like this matters politi-
cally—northeastern Ohio’s Italian and Portuguese
necessary in an the front seat of the SUV, animated. He pointed out
new developments along the main drag, boasting
ties, they talked about his leadership.”
Now, he’s a hometown hero.
roots are a distinctive part of the local culture.
Ryan taps into that easily; his family embodies his
From the June 2013 issue of Mindful • mindful.org mindful.org • From the June 2013 issue of Mindful
leadership
family about a new hot yoga studio with Tuesday also invited his colleagues to join him for a half-
and Thursday classes provoked high fives. Every hour “quiet time” before the first vote each week,
member of the family, and loosely defined extended in a room near the House chamber in the Capitol.
family, seemed attentive, in the moment, enjoying “Members can use that time in whatever way they
each other. like—a specific religious contemplation, mindful-
As Ryan’s three nieces and two nephews ran ness, or just silent reflection,” he says.
around, he would scoop one of them up and play the I ask Ryan if he worries that his push for mind-
role of doting uncle. It was obvious they adored him. fulness could make his colleagues take him less
As Nicky and Dommy mounted the trapeze swings, seriously. “I probably should worry,” he admits,
Ryan appeared laser-focused on their performances. but adds that he has the backing of “the Marines,
“Go for it, Dom!” he cheered. science, Google, and Phil Jackson—the coach who
Carrie Ryan beamed when I told her that during won the most NBA championships.” The congress-
our drive, her brother-in-law had sung her praises as man senses an “openness now that wasn’t there five
a mindful person. The congressman had called her years ago, because everybody feels overwhelming
“super present,” noting that she doesn’t use email stress in their lives and they don’t know what
outside of work. He told me “she’s a great mom.” to do about it.”
Before hitting the dance floor with the kids, Al Now that his colleagues know what he’s up to,
Ryan shared his impression of his younger brother. Ryan can move beyond the occasional mention of
“He’s always seeing the good in people, and he’s mindfulness in committee hearings. He plans to
able to stay centered with an understanding of what take advantage of open floor time available to mem-
you can control and what you can’t. It’s just how bers and enjoyed by C-SPAN viewers to get into the
he’s built.” science of mindfulness and explain in detail the leg-
islation he’s crafting. That could be a bill supporting
mindfulness teacher training or carving out space
The central tenet of Ryan’s philosophy may be for stress reduction in health care, military, and
gaining some traction these days, but in Washing- veterans’ programs. The legislation will be written
ton, a city many Americans think of as toxic, and in consultation with experts in each field.
with partisan rancor and discord at historic highs, Ryan is deeply concerned that he sees so many
it’s a surprising message to hear from a politician. veterans “ending up in the obit sections of the news-
In January, Ryan sent out a “Dear Colleague” mes- papers in my state, having committed suicide.” He
sage announcing weekly all-are-welcome medita- thinks it’s a supreme tragedy when people so highly
tion meetings from 9:30 to 10 a.m. each Wednesday trained, whom so many people look up to, take their
the House is in session. About 30 staffers attended own lives. He’s conceptualizing a sort of veterans
the inaugural session in the Rayburn House Office corps that would help returning service members Ryan regroups in his Republicans—who tell him they’ve read his book Months later, we’re talking about guns in the
Building. “It’s a nice little technique for people in a by teaching them yoga and meditation. It would be office on Capitol Hill, and agree with its ideas. So I won’t name names. wake of a new tragedy—the mass shooting in New-
checking C-SPAN
high-stress environment to learn. There’s no belief led by veterans in individual communities, allow- But let’s just say the politicians starting to see his town, Connecticut. Ryan believes the nation has an
to see how much time
structure you need to sign on to,” and everyone ing those who want to participate to avoid having to is left before he needs
point of view, and even engaging in deep breathing, opportunity to take a fresh look at mental health.
A shelf in Ryan’s
office offers a
can benefit from “having a quiet space for 10 to 15 work through the department of Veterans Affairs. to go to the House are plentiful. They know stress when they see it, “The experts tell us we need to prevent mental
snapshot of what minutes during a hectic week,” Ryan told the Capitol Many veterans won’t go to the VA for fear of being floor to vote. and they’ve had enough. illness by intervening as early as possible,” he says.
inspires him. Hill newspaper and website, Roll Call. Ryan has diagnosed with post-traumatic stress. They don’t Ryan sees his own role as cultivating interest in “Part of the prevention we could maybe agree on is
want the stigma. mindfulness practice over time. When Republicans social and emotional learning programs and a little
Of course, in Washington these days it is hard to tell him they do yoga, he listens and invites them bit of mindfulness practice in the schools.”
pass any piece of legislation, no matter how badly it to join him. Or he suggests they drop by the weekly Ryan’s Appropriations Subcommittee on Educa-
is needed, and Ryan admits he’s frustrated. But he meditation session in Rayburn. tion has directed nearly $1 million to schools in his
notes that the president or first lady could accom- With the support of his congressional colleague district for a study to evaluate the effectiveness of
plish a lot even without legislation. Jared Polis (D-CO), the Mediator’s Foundation, mindfulness and social and emotional learning,
“The mindfulness agenda cuts through a lot which encourages leaders to work for a “peaceful, known to educators as SEL.
of the current political divides. Because it is based just, and sustainable world,” sent every member on He has been told that when mindfulness is taught
on self-care, preventing illness, and increasing your Capitol Hill a copy of A Mindful Nation. Ryan wishes in an educational setting, behaviors such as pushing
overall well-being, it saves health-care dollars and he could have convinced the Republicans who have on the playground are less frequent and fewer kids
promotes individual responsibility,” Ryan says. read it to write a blurb for the paperback edition are sent to the principal’s office. Instead, they sit in
He also believes it can be a key element in job that’s just come out. the “peace corner” when they act up. His aim? Stan-
retraining. “Mindfulness increases a worker’s I ask if he tries to pitch his mindfulness agenda dardizing the practice so it’s part of the fundamen-
resiliency and creativity in the face of challenges, when he senses a lawmaker who is open to the tals of being a teacher. He argues, too, that schools
her ability to change what she’s doing if she has idea. Not right away, Ryan says. “I want them to can use meditation as a recruiting tool because the
to respond to economic realities. We need that in understand mindfulness on a very personal level statistics prove its effectiveness.
today’s economy.” and experience it themselves, then they will under- This brings us to a discussion of how Ryan
Ryan doesn’t want to out other members of Con- stand why I am pushing legislation and why it’s ended up practicing mindfulness. “I was always
gress who have been joining him for meditation in important.” interested in trying to figure out how to discipline my
the House gym or his colleagues—Democrats and mind, calm my mind down, and be in a peaceful →
From the June 2013 issue of Mindful • mindful.org mindful.org • From the June 2013 issue of Mindful
leadership
leadership
Children in America deserve every How many teen suicides will be prevented our own stress, it may make home life
opportunity to fully develop their because fewer children will feel isolated noticeably calmer and more harmonious.
talents—and I know that’s what their and alone? We are a compassionate coun- Growing up, I remember two phrases
parents want, because they talk to me try. We are a smart country. Methods to being drilled into my head from my mom,
about it all the time. For the future of cultivate mindfulness need to be reflected the nuns, and the other teachers: Pay At-
our country, it’s essential that we teach in our curriculum. tention! and Be Nice! Well, the most frus-
the whole child. A young child who can Mindfulness can have great benefits trating part of hearing that was that no
regulate his emotions is a child who will for our children, but it can also help us one ever showed us how to pay attention!
do better in school. Why not teach all of be better parents. If you bring a touch of It’s not something you do automatically.
our children simple, tremendously pow- mindfulness to parenting, you may notice It needs to be taught and practiced. It
erful techniques to help increase their you’re less inclined to immediately react reminds me of watching young children
capacity to learn and regulate their own negatively to something your child has try to play baseball for the first time. Even
emotions. We don’t need more gadgets done. If your stress level is decreased a if they can hit the ball, they immediately
or fly-by-night programs in our school bit, you may be less likely to cause an run for third base. Until someone shows
systems. If we teach children to follow emotionally charged situation to spin out them how to get to first base, they can’t
their breath—and return to it when they of control. If you can slow down a bit, you play the game. So it is with paying atten-
get distracted—we are teaching them may find yourself appreciating the free- tion. We have an obligation to do all we
how to concentrate. Over time they spiritedness and curious nature of your can for our children. Let’s make our kids
will increase their ability to mobilize child more often. If you’re paying closer aware of the deep inner resources and re-
their attention. attention and listening more deeply, you silience they possess. Let’s develop their
For a very small investment, we can may notice your kids being more willing capacity to think and to care about each
prevent incredible future costs and heart- to open up to you. You may find yourself other and to know themselves better.
aches in our communities. How much being more affectionate to them, and this
Adapted from A Mindful Nation: How a Simple
will we save in preventing substance may make them more affectionate toward Children from place,” he says, referring to his earlier days as an he says, laughing. “The bombardment of negative
Practice Can Help Us Reduce Stress, Increase
abuse? How much depression will be you. Practicing mindfulness for a few Performance, and Recapture the American
the kindergarten athlete. “My mind was very active and it was hard thoughts toward the end was almost overwhelm-
class gather round.
prevented because these kids will be able weeks won’t turn someone into a perfect Spirit. © 2012 by Tim Ryan. Published by for me to focus. I would stay out and shoot baskets ing: ‘I’m stupid, I hurt, look at that big hill, why did
Ryan’s Appropria-
to discuss their problems with each other? parent. But if we slow down and reduce Hay House. Available at hayhouse.com
tions Subcommittee
in the driveway. I’d shoot a million times, just me I do this?’ But you have to keep going back to your
on Education has and a ball and a hoop.” Sometimes it was a football breath. You can think about how hot it is or you
directed nearly through a tire in the front yard. can hydrate and keep going.”
$1 million to schools In spite of his commitment to discipline and repu- Ryan staffers say he’s encouraged them to be more
in his district to eval-
tation for leadership, “I still felt a nagging inability mindful, too. One says the congressman convinced
uate the effectiveness
of a program that
to really be present,” says Ryan. It wasn’t until a five- him to stop using his iPhone as an alarm. And three
combines mindful- day silent retreat after the 2008 presidential election, or four often come to the weekly mindfulness sessions
ness and social and with Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of Mindfulness- in Rayburn. Former Representative John Sullivan of
emotional learning. Based Stress Reduction, that he found a way to Oklahoma, a Republican, isn’t shy about how Ryan
decrease stress and stay in the moment more often. has influenced him for the better. They were co-
“After that intense election campaign, I was burned chairmen of the Addiction Caucus (Ryan took over
out, so I signed up for this retreat, turned in my two the helm at former Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s request,
BlackBerrys at the door, and sat quietly and walked with the agreement he could push mindfulness)
attentively. It’s when I discovered how effective and frequently met in the House gym to meditate.
this method could be. If it worked for me, I thought, “Tim convinced me to try it and it was nothing like
it ought to work for others. I also began to realize I thought it would be. I really liked it,” says Sullivan.
that it’s another version of the same old thing I had It even helped him cope with the surprise of losing
always been drawn to: discipline. But now it was his seat to a Tea Party activist in a 2012 primary.
discipline not just of the body but also of the mind.” Sullivan predicts Ryan will use A Mindful Nation
Ryan mentions running the Cleveland marathon, to demonstrate the benefits across government.
“Stop Bullying”
where he raised $5,000 to help returning troops “He’s the person who can bring new light to this,”
artwork made by
students at Jefferson
learn mindfulness to aid their transition to everyday he says. “A guy like him who is charismatic, he’s
Elementary School life. Under sunny skies, the temperature hit the mid- going to be able to take this book to a level that can
in Warren, Ohio. 80s in 80% humidity. “Talk about mindfulness,” show so many benefits.” →
From the June 2013 issue of Mindful • mindful.org mindful.org • From the June 2013 issue of Mindful
leadership
ng t he
find i
space
to le a d
It’s easy to get caught up in a swirl of thoughts
and worries. But what we really need as leaders
is continual attention to detail and to the needs
of others while still appreciating the big picture.
Janice Marturano, former vice president
at General Mills, shows us how it’s possible
to find the space to lead.
From the February 2014 issue of Mindful • mindful.org mindful.org • From the February 2014 issue of Mindful
leadership
Yet time and again, they feel as though their capa- What Exactly Is
bilities and their leadership training are inadequate.
They tell me that even as they execute well and meet
a Mindful Leader?
the quarterly goals, they simply do not feel they are
living their best lives—at work or at home. They feel A mindful leader embodies leadership presence by
something is missing. But what? cultivating focus, clarity, creativity, and compassion
The most frequent answer is: in the service of others.
Leadership presence is a tangible quality. It
Space requires full and complete nonjudgmental attention
in the present moment. Those around a mindful
We often simply do not have the space, the leader see and feel that presence.
breathing room, necessary to be clear and focused, A friend of mine decided to attend a local rally to
and to listen deeply to ourselves and to others. How see if he could get an important healthcare question
can we expect to generate the connections with our answered by presidential candidate Bill Clinton.
colleagues and communities that we need when Of course, when he arrived, he faced a teeming,
we are so busy that all we can really do is check off screaming crowd, but he maneuvered his way to the
boxes, squeeze in a perfunctory hello to our cowork- police barricade and waited. Clinton soon arrived
ers, and get through the day’s meetings and calls? and began walking along the barricade shaking
Can we realistically expect leadership excellence hands. As my friend stretched out his hand and
when we spend whole days on autopilot—looking Clinton took it, he yelled out his question. In that
at our watches and wondering where the day went, moment, the candidate stopped, faced him, and
looking at the calendar and wondering how it could responded to the question. Later my friend told me,
be spring when just yesterday it was Thanksgiving? “In those few moments when we spoke together, it
Whether our leadership affects millions, hun- seemed as though Clinton had nothing else on his
dreds, or a handful, we can no longer afford to be mind. It was as if there was no other person there.”
on autopilot in our lives, with our families, or in He felt heard and respected. That’s leadership
our organizations. We can no longer afford to miss presence: you give your full attention to what you’re
the connections with those we work with, those we doing, and others know it.
love, and those we serve. We can no longer make Leadership presence is powerful. In your own
decisions with distracted minds, reacting instead life, you can probably recall times when you expe-
of responding or initiating. We can no longer lose rienced leadership presence, either in yourself or
touch with what motivated us to lead in the first someone else. It might have been in a one-on-one
place. We need mindful leadership to lead with conversation, or it might have been in an audience
excellence. filled with people. Presence can be felt even from
So far we have been exploring the need to be far away.
present for leadership roles in the workplace. There You can undoubtedly recall the much more
is an equally, or perhaps more, important need to be common experiences when you feel only partially
present for your leadership roles in your personal in the room, or you feel the person you’re speaking
life. Excellence involves making conscious choices with is not really there. Like all of us, even when
about not just how you work but how you live your you have every intention to be focused, your mind
life and how you connect with your family, friends, becomes easily distracted—thinking about the past
and community. We need mindful leadership to live or the future, and only partially in the present if at
with excellence. all. In those moments, you are not embodying the
innate capacity everyone possesses to be present.
Why is that? What do we know about being present?
As a beginning, you might recall a moment when
you experienced full awareness in a situation. When
there seemed to be nothing else but whatever you
Leadership presence is were noticing. This might have been a momentous
moment like the birth of your child. In that moment,
not only critical for us as time seemed to stand still, and nothing else existed
but the warmth of that miraculous being softly
individuals but also has a sleeping in your arms. You were not distracted by
the to-do list or the noises in the hall. Your full
ripple effect on those around attention—mind, body, and heart—was completely
absorbed in that moment.
us: the community we live in, Or it might have been an ordinary moment, the
kind often overlooked and not particularly cele-
and potentially the world. brated. You may have lingered to notice a sunset. →
Meditate Right Perhaps you recall that it stopped you dead in your
tracks and held you in its beauty, all of you, for what
The work of developing though, continuous partial attention can also be
exhausting and inefficient. Neuroscience is now
seemed like forever but in clock time might have
leadership presence through showing us that the mind’s capacity for multitasking
Where You Are been just a couple of seconds. In those seconds, you
became aware of the shades of pink and orange,
mindfulness begins by
is extremely limited. We’re really built for doing one
thing at a time.
the intricate play of light and shadow, your body’s The hallways of offices used to be places for
Leadership by Janice
building can also give you a taste of the disconnec-
We can no longer make
Marturano. Copyright
tion that results from multitasking. You’ll notice ©2014 by Janice
people texting and checking email as they walk, Marturano. January, 2014,
decisions with distracted barely avoiding walking into walls and each other.
by Bloomsbury Press.
Reprinted with permission.
It has even become acceptable to do this while
minds, reacting instead of walking—and supposedly having a conversation—
with someone else. Once upon a time, this would
responding or initiating. have been considered rude. Putting manners aside,
When we think about meditating If on a cushion on the floor, Situate your upper arms
(with a capital M), we can get hung cross your legs comfortably parallel to your upper body.
up on thinking about our thoughts: in front of you. (If you already Then let your hands drop
we’re going to do something about do some kind of seated yoga onto the tops of your legs. With Time: 1 to 3 minutes
what’s happening in our heads. It’s posture, go ahead.) If on a your upper arms at your sides,
as if these bodies we have are just chair, it’s good if the bottoms of your hands will land in the right Two-thirds of Americans say they need
inconvenient sacks for our brains to your feet are touching the floor. spot. Too far forward will make help for stress. But stress itself is not the
lug around. you hunch. Too far back will problem. It’s how we relate to stress.
Having it all remain in your head, make you stiff. You’re tuning The stress response is critical to our
though, lacks a feeling of good old gravity. 3 the strings of your body—not survival. It can save our lives or enable a
That approach can make it seem like float- too tight and not too loose. firefighter to carry a 300-pound man down
ing—as though we don’t have to walk. We Straighten—but don’t stiffen— 20 flights of stairs. Of course, most of us
can just waft. your upper body. The spine don’t encounter a life-or-death threat all
But meditation begins and ends in the has natural curvature. Let it be 5 that often. We usually experience stress re-
body. It involves taking the time to pay there. Your head and shoulders actions in response to thoughts, emotions,
S T O P
attention to where we are and what’s going can comfortably rest on top of Drop your chin a little and let or physical sensations. If we’re actively
on, and that starts with being aware of our your vertebrae. your gaze fall gently down- worried about whether we can put food on
body. That very act can be calming, since ward. You may let your eyelids the table or get the perfect exam score, Stop what you’re Take a few deep Observe your Proceed with
our body has internal rhythms that help it lower. If you feel the need, you presto: the stress reaction activates. And if doing; put things breaths. If you’d experience just something that will
relax if we give it a chance. may lower them completely, the bodily systems involved in stress don’t down for a minute. like to extend this, as it is—including support you in the
Here’s a posture practice that can be but it’s not necessary to close slow down and normalize, the effects can you can take a thoughts, feelings, moment: talk to
used as the beginning stage of a period of your eyes when meditating. be severe. Over time, we can succumb to, minute to breathe and emotions. You a friend, rub your
meditation practice or simply as some- You can simply let what among other things, high blood pressure, normally and can reflect about shoulders, have a
thing to do for a minute, maybe to stabilize appears before your eyes be muscle tension, anxiety, insomnia, gastro- naturally and follow what is on your cup of tea.
yourself and find a moment of relaxation there without focusing on it. digestive complaints, and a suppressed your breath coming mind and also no-
before going back into the fray. If you have immune system. in and out of your tice that thoughts Treat this whole ex-
injuries or other physical difficulties, you Creating space in the day to stop, come nose. You can even are not facts, and ercise as an experi-
can modify this to suit your situation. 6 down from the worried mind, and get back say to yourself “in” they are not per- ment: Get curious
into the present moment has been shown as you’re breath- manent. Notice any about where there
Be there for a few moments. to be enormously helpful in mitigating the ing in and “out” as emotions present are opportunities
1 relax. Now get up and go negative effects of our stress response. you’re breathing and how they’re in the day for you to
about your day. And if the next When we drop into the present, we’re more out if that helps being expressed in just STOP—waking
Take your seat. Whatever thing on the agenda is doing likely to gain perspective and see that we with concentration. the body. Research up in the morning,
you’re sitting on—a chair, a some mindfulness practice by have the power to regulate our response to shows that just taking a shower,
meditation cushion, a park paying attention to your breath pressure. naming your emo- before eating a
bench—find a spot that gives or the sensations in your body, Here’s a short practice you can weave tions can turn the meal, at a stop light,
you a stable, solid seat, not you’ve started off on the right into your day to step into that space be- For more on volume down on before sitting down
perching or hanging back. foot—and hands and arms and tween stimulus and response. mindfulness the fear circuit in at work and check-
everything else. ● practice, go to the brain and have ing email.
mindful.org/ a calming effect. You can even use
—Barry Boyce Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D., is a clinical inpractice. To Then notice your your smartphone’s
For more on psychologist and the author of The Now Effect submit questions body. Are you message indicator
and coauthor of A Mindfulness-Based Stress
mindfulness about techniques, standing or sitting? as a reminder to
Reduction Workbook.
practice go to the workplace, How is your pos- STOP, cultivating
mindful.org/ or relationships ture? Any aches more mindfulness
inpractice. To and home life, or pains? with technology.
submit questions email inpractice@ What would it
about techniques, mindful.org be like in the days,
the workplace, weeks, and months
or relationships ahead if you started
and homelife, stopping more often?
email inpractice@
mindful.org —Elisha Goldstein
IS MINDFULNESS How a Mother Stopped Teens Doctor Not Listening? When you subscribe to
GOOD FOR BUSINESS? From Hurting Themselves 5 ways to change that
Mindful, you will:
• Discover practical, effective
tools for everyday living
• Learn about the latest brain science
and the many ways mindfulness is
changing our society
Healthy Mind • Enjoy better health and relief
Healthy Life from stress
How Working with • Improve your performance
Your Mind Is the and capacity at work
Key to Well-Being
• Deepen the relationships in
The Science your life
of Changing • Be inspired by stories of other
Your Brain mindful people like you
Welcome to
Mindful
Your Guide to
Click here
Subscribe
APRIL 2013 Less Stress &
mindful.org More Joy
NOW
SAVE up to 52%
Don’t miss the next
great issue of Mindful.
Our six-part series on Getting Started
Digital edition available here
begins in the April 2014 issue