#599 Alive with Potential

     The boundary between wallowing / self-indulgence / complacency / self-acceptance / idealism / spiritual practice / enlightenment tends to be dynamic, moving, evolving. When open to it, we get a felt sense of outgrowing younger needs & ways of being, which loose their appeal as our requirements evolve to become progressively more sophisticated, mature human beings.

     The motivation to keep growing, evolving varies between individuals & within the same person at different phases of life, from nonexistent to urgent priority.

     One can’t successfully evolve too fast (eg "spiritual bypassing") since such “striving” binds us to “ordinary mind”. Rushing to acquire a goal ties us down to the same primitive (brain stem) level of consciousness that cause problems in the first place.
     Nor can we successfully stagnate in complacency – besides the dullness factor, our biological clock is ticking away. 

     Awareness of our mind-heart-body tells us what we need to physically process right now. Awareness of actual awareness tells us that, right now, we are clarity, peace, silence, stillness, joy.

     We have the mysteriously incredible gift of life … can we share our blessings with so many who suffer?

 

Angela Classen   www.angelaclassen.com

#457 Why Practice Mindfulness

     The need for self-regulation takes priority over and necessarily precedes self-exploration & liberation. The critical thing to remember is that adequate self-regulation is NOT "as good as it gets" and that mindfulness practice is an effective, well-trodden path for self-exploration, and beyond.

     "the intention behind traditional Eastern mindfulness practice is transformation, liberation, & compassion for all beings,

     whereas in the Western context, the intention includes more secular motivations such as time-out from daily stress, development of better coping mechanisms, or as a means of self-regulation."

       Thurman SK. Review of 'Neuroscience, consciousness & spirituality.' Mindfulness 2013; 4(3): 286-88.

      "The goal of meditation at its deepest level has been liberation from the egoic self; developing a sense of harmony with the universe; and the ability to increase one's compassion, sensitivity, & service to others. These goals may include, but go beyond, personal self-regulation or self-exploration."

        Shapiro DH. Examining the content and context of meditation; A challenge for psychology in the areas of stress management, psychotherapy, and religion/values. Journal of Humanistic Psychology 1994; 34(4): 101-135.  

clauluna   www.dpreview.com

#384 Health Promotion & Mindfulness

       From my understanding, mindfulness is as central to overall health as an optimal operating system is central to the optimal functioning of a computer. The statements below re health promotion are therefore relevant to mindfulness practice: we are our own life coach and we must believe in ourselves.

      "Health habits are not changed by an act of will. It requires motivational and self-regulatory skills. Self-management operates through a set of psychological subfunctions. People have to learn to monitor their health behavior and the circumstances under which it occurs, and how to use proximal goals to motivate themselves and guide their behavior. They also need to learn how to create incentives for themselves, and to enlist social supports to sustain their efforts. 
      People are producers of their life circumstances not just products of them. By developing self-regulatory functions people can motivate and guide their efforts in personal and social change."

       Bandura A. Swimming against the mainstream: the early years from chilly tributary to transformative mainstream. Behav Res Ther 2004; 42(6): 613-30.

     See also Efficacy Beliefs Regulate Human Functioning: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2013/08/efficacy-beliefs-regulate-human.html

#377 Meeting Basic Psychological Needs Promotes Inherent Growth Tendencies

     "Motivation is having the energy or desire to do an action. The degree to which an individual’s psychological needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness are being met within any performance context will determine if that person is motivated or unmotivated to perform the task(s) at hand. When a performance context facilitates the fulfillment of basic needs, that need fulfillment engenders intrinsic motivation, or autonomous types of extrinsic motivation, toward a task or performance. These self-determined types of motivation, because they involve voluntary & persistent effort toward a task, help to ensure successful outcomes. The successful outcomes lead to renewed need fulfillment, more self-determined motivation, and continued success of outcomes, all of which lead to psychological well-being. If the needs are not met, an individual will not achieve psychological well-being.

     Self-determination theory (SDT) is concerned with human motivation. The theory examines people’s inherent growth tendencies and innate psychological needs, which are posited to be the foundations of self-motivation. Understanding the circumstances that bring about positive motivation is the focal point of the theory. SDT is based on the assumption that humans, with their innate psychological needs, seek challenges in an effort to master their environments. 
     To understand the reasons why people participate in any activity, according to SDT, it is important to distinguish among a variety of types of motivation. The theory proposes that there is a continuum of human self-determination (or choice) regarding the things that we do. Along this linear continuum, various types of motivation can be described. At the far left of the linear continuum is amotivation, which is the lack of an intention to act. At the far right end of the continuum is intrinsic motivation, which refers to doing an activity for the inherent satisfaction of the activity itself. Four types of extrinsic motivation lie between amotivation and intrinsic motivation, which is at the far right side of the continuum.
     The first type of extrinsic motivation is external regulation. This is the least self-determined, or the least autonomous, of the externally regulated behaviors, in which actions are performed to satisfy external demands. The next type of extrinsic motivation is introjected regulation, which involves behaving so as to avoid guilt or to enhance one’s ego. Identified regulation is a self-determined, or autonomous, form of extrinsic motivation in which the person identifies with the personal importance of a behavior. Integrated regulation is the most self-determined form of extrinsic motivation. It operates when behaviors are most congruent with an individual’s values and needs."
       Ballmann JM, Mueller JJ. Using self-determination theory to describe the academic motivation of allied health professional-level college students. J Allied Health 2008; 37(2): 90-6.

     For more details about SDT, search for Ryan RM on: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/

Galatia N   www.dpreview.com

 

#343 Challenges to Accept & Transcend when starting Meditation Practice

     Nothing worthwhile is ever simply handed to us, we have to EARN it: commitment in time, effort & energy. When we're sufficiently interested in meditating, we prioritize it, and we start.
     I myself READ about it for 30 YEARS before I actually sat down & began meditating - so I know all about inertia. But the profound benefits of meditation arise ONLY THROUGH PRACTICING meditation.

     “Meditation is not for the faint-hearted, nor for those who routinely avoid the whispered longings of their own hearts.” Jon Kabat-Zinn
 
Initial Challenges we learn to Accept & Transcend in Meditation Practice:
     "Difficulty Maintaining Cognitive Focus, Mind wandering, thinking too much. e.g., “Getting past a wandering mind,” “Doubting my ability to stay focused and clear my mind.” 
     Physical Issues Pain, feeling tired, difficulty sitting still. e. g., “How can I explore different body positions in hope of being generally more comfortable,” “It’s hard not to fall asleep. It makes me tired,” “Lack of willingness to sit still.” 
     General Difficulties During Meditation e.g., “Just hard to do,” “Will meditation ever be easy?” 
     Finding Time to Meditate Outside of Class e.g., “Making time for my formal practice,” “That I don’t have enough time to do it frequently.” 
     Finding Motivation to Meditate Outside of Class e.g., “When am I ever going to feel the urge to sit and meditate by myself?” “I’ve wondered how to find the self-motivation to meditate on my own.” 
     Does Meditation Really Work? Questions about whether meditation is beneficial, expectancy violations for experi- ence during meditation compared to misconceptions about what mindfulness is. e.g., “Is it really that beneficial?” “Whether nor not it works,” “Why doesn’t it instantly transform me?” “It doesn’t always make me happy.” 
     Am I doing it Right? Questions about one’s own ability to do meditation. e.g., “That I’m doing it right,” “That I’m just not getting it,” “Not getting it.” 
     Other e.g., “Why my path is what it is,” “Is skiing and climbing meditation?”"

     Sears SR, Kraus S, Carlough K, Treat E. Perceived benefits and doubts of participants in a weekly meditation study. Mindfulness (NY), 2011, 10.1007/s12671-011-0055-4.  

 

SERGE333   www.dpreview.com

#65 Embracing the "Full Catastrophe"

     Zorba the Greek led a tumultuous messy life, and loved all of it - the "full catastrophe" - passionately. Most of us tend to pick and choose, so are not really engaged with our lives - and suffer as a consequence. A famous Zen master gave one advice: "Only have no preferences."

     "We tend to approach pleasurable opportunities to promote well-being and survival, and conversely avoid or withdraw from painful experiences as protection from harm. This biological approach-avoid dichotomy underlies all motivational tendencies, forms the basis of emotion and promotes adaptation.

     We're biologically and culturally programmed to seek pleasure and avoid discomfort."

     But life includes not only pleasure, but also pain, as well as uncomfortable periods of growth that take "place beyond one’s comfort zone - in liminality - a state of in-between-ness & ambiguity.
     Avoidance of liminality is the basic obstacle to engagement. Mindfulness practice cultivates acceptance of, and the ability to work within liminality, and should therefore improve engagement."
     Lovas J, Gold E, Neish N, Whitehorn D, Holexa D. Cultivating Engagement through Mindfulness Practice. Poster Presentation, American Dental Education Association annual meeting, March 19, 2012, Orlando, FL.
 
     “‘Our overall psychological difficulties are roughly equivalent to the suffering that we’re either unwilling or unable to consciously face.’ A healthy person has access to his dark side without being overwhelmed by it; he is not afraid to face vulnerabilities and is quick to admit mistakes. The opposite tends to be true for the troubled soul.”
     Glickman M. “Beyond the breath. Extraordinary mindfulness through whole-body Vipassana meditation.” Journey Editions, Boston, 2002.

Photo: Rick Turner   http://www.naturephotographers.net/enter.html

#2 Getting started

     Reflecting on what motivates you to train in mindfulness is worthwhile.
     Mindfulness requires time, and initially, an investment of energy just to see if it will be as valuable as you first thought.
     Many today start practicing mindfulness because of its well-documented effectiveness in "self-regulation" ie managing stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, etc. The initial intention is often to get rid of a problem.
 
Common MISCONCEPTIONS about mindfulness:
     It is NOT about escaping reality, zoning out, or even having reduced levels of alertness / consciousness / engagement. Mindfulness involves sustained, continuous, equanimous awareness.
     It’s NEITHER a hypnotic trance, NOR hypervigilance. Mindfulness is more like the calm, stable quality of awareness a dentist experiences while receiving dental care. She has calm, clear, detailed awareness throughout the procedure, without anxiety or drowsiness.
      Mindfulness training – and self-care in general – are NOT self-centered, selfish acts, quite the opposite. Our personal well-being “… is essential for the health of society ... growing evidence suggests ... that performance is intimately tied to emotional well-being, sense of community, sense of meaning and purpose, emotional regulation, self-reflection, and so forth.” Hart 2009