Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Name: Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight
Uploaded: 2017-07-17T04:50:47+00:00
Duration: PTM31S46
Channel: Russell Lynch
Description: Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight
Introduction Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight Ancient Wisdom For the Modern World Session 1 The basics of meditation Instructor - Stanley Merrill Welcome to this class. Meditation is a practice that cultivates the mental focus of focus concentration and awareness. It is done in a secluded secure environment Mindfulness is the practice of present moment awareness, non judgmentally. It is being open to the experience of the present moment. Insight – is the understanding of our own behavior. We see the habits that we have and understand our instinctive reactions. As we are better able to understand ourselves we are better able to make more healthy choices in the modern world. Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Foundation for class Meditation and Psychology
Academic Background - Math, Physics and Computer Science Professional Background – Application development consultant Tibetan Buddhism Powerful Techniques for coping with stress Targeted for Tibetan NOT American Culture Personally experienced the power of meditation Wanted to help others MBSR Accessible to Americans – culture – way of life Effective teaching methodologies Guided meditations, focus on key concepts, reasonable expectations Jung Center Depth psychology Understanding of why we do the things that we do I have been studying meditation for about 15 years and seriously meditating for 8 years and the practices have made a profound impact on my life. I was an application development consultant for IBM and a technical team lead on major Web application development projects and was under a lot of stress. Understanding the philosophy and doing the meditation both have helped and are both important. I have woven this class out of a variety of sources and I wanted to share with you what those sources were. Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Brief Introductions Name Experience in Meditation What you wanted from the class Hobbies or interests Profession Any or all of the above! Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Website for handouts http:www.BeingMindful.com
Download PowerPoint Presentations Guided Meditation Play MP3 format. Scripts for each meditation Reading list Quotes and Prayers Must register to access downloads and mp3’s Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Start with the goal in mind!
Personal History Complexes Expectations Thoughts Dramatization Regrets Fears Woe is Me Anxiety Reactivity Negative Actions More Problems Negative Circumstances Awareness Objective Observer Understanding Insight Mindfulness In the moment Equanimity The Goal: Equanimity - Balance, Calmness and Clarity in spite of circumstances. Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Equanimity To a sincere student every day is a fortunate day. Time passes but he never lags behind. Neither glory nor shame will move him ..Zengetsu (zen master) Characteristics Compassionate Calm Open hearted, open minded Centered Balanced Rational – make good decisions Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Analogy An adult watching a child throwing a temper tantrum The child’s perception is his reality. Can observe with great compassion. As adults we can watch the “child within us” go through emotional responses Our perceptions are our reality Can observe ourselves with great compassion With insight we can transcend the emotional roller coaster ride. Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

The path is the Goal The Goal Moment to moment awareness, mindfulness and equanimity. When we experience emotional turmoil Do not suppress your emotions Observe with insight Your experiences in this moment. Watch your breath Enable your body to slow and relax Gain a sense of calm and then you will be able to respond in a rational effective manner Present moment experience can become a habit Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Key Points Fear and Anxiety and Heart Rate
We DO NOT have to have negative emotional and physiological responses to negative circumstances. Second Arrow - Sometimes our responses to negative situations cause greater damage than the circumstances themselves. Physiological damage to our bodies Depression Revenge Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Negative Circumstances
Examples Losing at tennis Bad line call Red Lights Bad Grades Terminal Illness Loss of love ones Ever evolving process - Eventually Small things trigger little or no response. More things are put in proper perspective. Larger Things Quicker recovery time Less likely to react in a self defeating manner Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Maintaining Equanimity
Easy to understand difficult to implement Serenity Prayer G-d grant me the courage to change the things that I can, the serenity to accept the things that I can not change and the wisdom to know the difference. Skills we need to maintain equanimity Meditation – Cultivates the mental discipline to be mindful Mindfulness – Implementation of awareness in daily life Insight Broad and open perspective Objective and realistic Supportive attitudes – letting go - compassion– gratitude - Understanding psychological forces of us and others Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Class Philosophy / Approach
Motivational Know the benefits so that you will want to meditate Practical You will be changing the way you perceive and act Understandable Not esoteric or theoretical How and why meditation accomplishes what it does. Non Sectarian Psychological insights not religious beliefs Meditation as an exercise that impacts our psychology and physiology Set Reasonable Expectations Long slow never ending process Immediate positive changes Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Meditations Taught Diaphragmatic Breathing Easy, quick, use any time during the day Before and after stressful situations Need a quiet secluded place Mantras When you are really stressed and intellectual understanding fails to alter your emotional state! Body Scan When you want a good nights sleep Sitting Meditation Cultivate deep relaxed state of mind Compassion Alters perspectives and attitudes Mindfulness – Equanimity Goal – 24 x 7 being in the moment Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Motivation Why is it important to meditate. Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

The problem is Stress We are psychologically ripped apart daily by the ever increasing responsibilities in our lives. Parkinson adds tremendous stress to patients and to caregivers Life becomes a juggling act with work, family, job. Any change can throw us off balance. Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

The impacts of stress Fight or flight response triggered constantly Produces adrenaline Scientific studies show that prolonged stress Heart rate and blood pressure increase Impacts our sleep Negative impacts to the immune system Decrease in the ability to concentrate and think clearly Increases aging Clogs arteries Meditation is the “medicine” for stress without side effects. The physiological impact of stress is horrible. The fight or flight response which is critical when a tiger is chasing your is triggered all day long messing up your whole physiological system. The results of stress are dramatic and it needed to be address by the scientific medical community Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Mindfulness and Meditation Exercises
WE are going to do two exercises one in mindfulness and one in meditation Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Strange Object Exercise
Look at these objects with new eyes Look at the object you are handed - Notice the shadows - Roll it over- Feel the skin of the raisin Smell the raisin If you have thoughts about what we are doing just note them and keep your attention on the object Touch it to your lips and sense it Put it in your mouth and feel it with your tongue Notice how your arm moves as you lift the object Roll it around in your mouth Bite into it without swallowing it Notice the taste of it Detect when you have a desire to swallow it Feel the texture of the skin of the raisin and the texture of the pulp Swallow the juice Feel the remaining skin Think of the water that nurtured it Think of the sunshine that made it The people that harvested it Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Questions What was your direct experience? What did you see, smell, taste, feel Were you surprised by anything? Did the exercise inspire you to want to do any things differently? What were the differences between this and your normal eating experience? Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Common Observations Slowing down and paying attention changes the experience Unconscious -- We are often lost in thought, on autopilot most of the time and not really experiencing what is happening When you focus, you notice things you weren’t normally aware of The mind can easily wander Mindfulness can have a calming effect Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Awareness – Fully Conscious you are conscious of what you are doing There is an observer that is you seeing yourself Non Judgmental – No Drama! Equanimity In the present moment Continually Bringing the focus back to this moment Doing one thing at a time Attention Single point of focus Intentionality You choose the point of focus Beginners mind Look at everything with fresh eyes 'Paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non- judgmentally" Awareness- you are not just doing it you are observing yourself Intentionality – you set the point of focus – you can vary it but it is a conscious decision not reaction Non Jugmentally – before you immediately like or dislike label it good or bad try to see the situation clearly – red light example Attention – doing one thing at a time Compassion – we make mistakes others make mistakes – remove the negative emotion Wh Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Mindfulness vs. Meditation
What they have in common Focus, intentionality, awareness, present moment, concentration, discipline Differences Meditation protected environment Controlled posture Mindfulness can be done during every waking moment Mindfulness is the goal, meditation develops the skills needed Being present to each and every moment I have called this a meditation class and I will talk about mindfulness a lot. I want to explain the relationship Much harder keep the focus in the world Helps us engage in our current lives, living it more fully, not escaping but being here to what is present. Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Meditation Postures Regardless of whether you are on a chair or are sitting on a pillow Eyes closed Back Straight Head slightly down Mouth slightly open tongue on roof of mouth Hands on thighs or may use hand mudras Do our first guided meditaiton. Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Postures continued Sitting on a chair Use a pillow between your back and the chair to keep your back straight Feet flat on the floor Sitting on the floor To increase comfort Sit on a pillow Put pillows between your knees and feet Take Yoga Training Preferred method BUT -- Don’t do it if you feel pain Lying Down Good for body scan meditation particularly if you want to lie down. Whatever is comfortable for you! Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Guided Meditation Diaphragmatic Breathing
Close your eyes Tense and release foot – calves – thighs torso Bell – Dedication – May all beings have happiness… Body Position Erect and dignified posture Listen first and the do it Breathing Breath in slowly First from the stomach Second from the rib cage Breath out slowly First from the rib cage Second from the stomach Focus your attention on the bodily sensations - Stomach and rib cages rising - Notice the skin stretching Notice the air coming through your nostrils Now begin with your breathing Quality of awareness open and non judging Constantly be aware of the body sensations of breathing in and breathing out Breath naturally - Your mind will wander but gently bring attention back to your breath Non judgmentally – be kind to yourself – it is a life long process doesn’t expect to be perfect in a day, week, month or year. This is it! You are in this moment. No regrets of the pass or fear of the future. You are here now. Eyes closed – ring bell – Move your toes, fingers, gently stretch out, open your eyes. Bring script Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Diaphragmatic Breathing Opportunities to practice
Take advantage of any seconds and minutes you have! When get up in the morning or going to sleep Before or after each activity Meals Tasks While waiting for anything Red lights Shopping lines During the commercials when we are watching TV Most Powerful and Simple and practical of all the meditations you will learn. For people who do NOT have time for formal meditation practice there are always “gaps” in a busy work day that allow for Diaphragmatic Breathing. Remember stress increases heart rate see if you can slow it down just by breathing slowly. Can you think more clearly when your breathing slows? Do you relax? Changes you physiologically – decreases the flight or fight – adrenaline – feel better after only a few breaths. Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Questions What did you experience? Anyone able to feel the air coming in through the nostrils? How did you feel afterwards? More relaxed? Able to think more clearly? Did your mind wander? Were you aware of wandering while you were wandering? If you can’t control the mind who or what is causing it to wander Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

What is awareness? There is a doer and an observer Observer is a an objective perspective Gives the time for insight before reaction - Diffuses anger When you are questioning your own anger it is different than being driven by it. Non Judgmental Intentionality Not reacting out of instinct and behavior patterns Conscious Aware of the consequences of what you say and do It is a discipline that takes time to develop and meditation cultivates it. By this definition most people are unaware for most of their lives. Awareness Observer – another consciousness guiding us – clearer view - We are really talking to ourselves not being instinctive and reactive The emotions don’t carry us away – we can observe what we are doing Intentionality - We know what we are doing and why we are doing it Focus – avoiding being caught by thoughts of in the past or future We can bring ourselves back to the moment We are meditating so that we can live our lives consciously with awareness which is mindfully Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Guided Meditations Options
HAPS CD’s Guided meditation for each week. Jon Kabat-Zinn Guided Mindfulness Meditation by Jon Kabat-Zinn (Audio CD - Sep 1, 2005) – Audiobook - $20 on Amazon Option Download scripts Modify to your values Develop your own guided meditation Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Homework Guidelines They are designed to help you Find balance Challenge and stretch yourself Don’t stress yourself and hate the practice. Choose what you can do and do it This develops self discipline. Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Homework 10 minute guided diaphragmatic breathing meditation Before going to sleep, After waking up Extra Credit Slowly build up this week from 10 minutes to 40 minutes MBSR program at UMASS Medical school starts out with 40 minutes once a day. Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Homework (contd) Become aware of the times that you become have emotional suffering. You may feel agitated, frustrated, annoyed, inadequate etc. Evaluate what is happening and answer these questions to yourself: Are my thoughts exaggerating the impact of the situation? Are the thoughts that I have helpful in solving the problem or are thoughts only perpetuating the emotional suffering. Are the actions that I want to take self enhancing or self defeating? Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Extra Credit During the day, between activities or when you are waiting try to take several diaphragmatic breaths as many times as you can Take one activity each day and do it mindfully Be aware of what you are doing Observe if your mind wanders Observe what emotions arise if any Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

History Meditation was not taken seriously Naval Gazing – Dropping out
Anyone who can not read the foil Cartoon was taken from a picture of my parents visiting me. When I started meditation it wasn’t taken seriously. Only for people who couldn’t make it in the “real” world. Naval gazing Dropping out of society Your father and I want you to know that we are behind you 100% should you decide to go back to being a dope addict. Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Meditation is a science!
Magazine articles, TV Specials all are agreeing about the scientific validity of meditation for health and well being Meditation - New age mumbo jumbo? Not for millions of Americans who meditate for health and well being Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Scientific approach to stress reduction
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction MBSR University of Massachusetts Medical School Jon Kabat-Zinn Program started 27 years ago Based on ancient meditation techniques Modified for Americans - Non Sectarian Physicians referred patients When modern medicine failed The pain and stress from the physical ailments Significant and measured results Improved sleep, calmness, clarity and physiological changes and sense of well being MBSR is the foundation used for this class One of the pioneers in making it a science is Jon Kabat-Zinn Jon Kabat-Zinn had a strong background in Zen meditation but realized that it was inaccessible to Americans. He also realized that he needed scientific measurements to prove that it helped. He developed an effective program with a combination of: 8 classes for 2.5 hours Guided meditation tapes to be used on a daily basis Exercises and Interactive discussions to allow students to discover through experience what meditation was rather than being told. Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Scientific approach to depression
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy Depression is an epidemic Cognitive Therapy – standard treatment Questioning our own thoughts. Are the valid? Are they helpful? Segal, Williams, Teasdale leaders in Cognitive Theory Needed a group treatment approaches Rumination key indicator of recurring depression Merged MBSR approach with Cognitive Therapy Scientifically shown to be helpful in decreasing the reoccurrence of depression MBSR was designed to deal with physical ailments Depression is a psychological ailment and when the leading experts in dealing with depression through Cognitive therapy studied MBSR they discovered that the approach would be an excellent way to deal with depression in a group setting. Modified MBSR to have some cognitive therapy component. Rumination is repeating the worst thoughts over and over again and triggering fight or flight Psyhchological problems also cause stress and very recently psychologists Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

The trend Merging Psychology and Meditation
Psychologists using Meditation techniques Segal et al Mindfulness Based Cognitive Theory Psychologists using breathing techniques to calm patients Meditation experts using Psychological frameworks Cheri Huber – Living Compassion Namkai Norbu – describing socialization process Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Competing Forces Within
Conditioned Self Instinctual Reactive Ego Center Wounded Observer / Wise old man Non Judgmental Spiritual Perspective – broader view of life Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Conditioned Self - Symptoms
Judgmental of self and others Condemning Over Simplifying complex issues Black and white world Hatred and Anger Blames self and others Self righteous Gets tired and bored Meditation will make you much more aware of this part of yourself! Learning to own and accept this aspect without judgment is the hardest task! Condemning this part of your self is training yourself in condemnation Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Observer / wise old man Non Judgmental Does not condemn, blame, demonize or diminish self or others Compassionate Forgiving Thoughtful Patient Calm Full of Insight Strategic decisions Internal gyroscope Voice of Conscious Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Why Postures are important an experiment
Slouched in chair, fist clenched, scowl on face, all muscles tightened Posture 2 Back straight, feet on floor, gyan mudra, relax head, chest, feet, legs Just sitting up straight can increase your ability to focus and change your state of mind Maintaining that posture takes discipline and awareness Mind body connection Breathing slowly changes attitude Attitude can change your postures What is the difference you feel in these two postures. Notice at home if you sit up straight whether it impacts your ability to concentrate. Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

Sitting Meditation Postures
Hand posture - Gyan Mudra Fingers of thumb and index finger touch Receptive to external energy Wholeness of a circle Circle of life Imparts happiness, the intellect develops, memory is sharpened. I will first describe the postures and options and then guide your through one I personally find that the hand posture or mudra really does change my ability to focus and feel grounded You choose what you want to do For class I want everyone to do this on a chair but if you are physically capable of doing the seated posture please do it at home. Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight

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