Introduction to Mindfulness Intro to Neurobiology 2016-2017

7Habits and MIndfulness How do you think the 7 Habits of Highly Successful Teens relate to mindfulness? Why do you think it is important to learn about the 7 Habits and mindfulness?

What is mindfulness? Two different meanings: 1. The quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. Ex: Please be mindful of the wet floor sign (aka-look out!) 2. A mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Ex: Being in an uncomfortable situation and instead of reacting, you choose to breath and remain calm. You were mindfully breathing while moving through an uncomfortable situation.

Mind vs. Brain Mind: Where we experience our thoughts (consciousness) Brain: an organ of soft nervous tissue contained in the skull of vertebrates, functioning as the coordinating center of sensation and intellectual and nervous activity. Brain= hardware and Mind=software Brain is the vessel in which electronic impulses that create thought are contained. Your body (brain) is not in control of your mind, but the other way around- IT REALLY IS MIND OVER MATTER!

Dualism and Materialism There are two main theories surrounding the difference between the mind and brain: Dualism-mind and brain are two separate things (mind is non-physical) Materialism-consciousness is a function of the brain

Mindsight Mindsight is the ability to truly “see” or know the mind. There are 3 fundamental skills to mindsight: 1. Insight= the ability to see your own inner metnal life (who you are now, who you were and who you want to be!). 2. Empathy=the ability to sense the inner mental life of another person (to see from their perspective and to walk in their mental shoes). 3. Integration=the ability to link different parts of something into a whole-it allows us to see how things are connected. Having mindsight helps us to see the mind of others and to be empathetic, compassionate and kind, which are qualities to all healthy relationships.

Sifting and Observing Four minute mindfulness practice One minute dedicated to each of the following: SIFTing S: Sensing I: Images F: Feelings T: Thoughts -Reflect in your log

Empathy The ability to understand and share feelings of another Empathy and relationships The exchange between air molecules and energy sent Relationships are the sharing of energy and information flow Mindsight allows us to see past the physical things people do and into their minds to try to help us better understand where they are coming from.

Relational Communication 3 Elements: The ability to sense what is going on between you and another person Insight-being in touch with what’s going on inside of yourself The ability to see what’s going on between another person (empathy) When someone really “hears” what you are saying, they are making an inner map of who you are and of your mind and not just your behavior. This feeling of being “heard” is one of the most important aspects of a close and supportive relationship.

Empathy Workout #1: Learning to Listen Ask someone “How are you, today?” If they answer with a generic, “fine” or something similar, ask them, “no, really-how are you today?” You taking the time to REALLY stop and ask them shows them that you are interested in hearing the answer and that you want to listen. Why do people value being listened to?

Empathy Workout # 2: Shape Shifting A. Complete the following for your partner on a piece of paper (you will NOT share these with your partner): Judge their personality based on how they look (basically, judge the book by the cover) Judge their emotions-not just the ones visible on the outside-try to really stop for a minute and think about what they might be feeling on the inside. Judge their home life-what do you think it’s like? Judge their social life-what do you think it’s like both in and out of school? B. Now your partner will tell you about each of the above and you will do the same. Practice REALLY listening to what they say. C. Last, compare what you wrote to what they told you. How did these compare? Why is shape shifting important in life?

Empathy Workout #3: Metta-Tation Loving-Kindness Meditation We will sit in two minute increments. Minute 1: Settle in to your practice with several clearing breaths Minutes 2-3: Take care of the caregiver (YOU) by telling yourself loving things-whenever a nasty voice pops up to tell you otherwise, don’t judge it, just move on to a positive and caring thought about yourself. Minutes 3-4: Send someone (a close friend or family member) kind thoughts. Minutes 5-6: Send your worst enemy kind thoughts. Remember, when your mind wanders, bring your attention back to kind thoughts towards this person. Reflect in your log