We consider it normal, natural, the way things work, when external (eg the weather, the economy etc) and internal conditions (eg the effect of a heavy meal or a fight with a loved one etc) determine our mood, and to a large extent our behavior. After all, we know ourselves, and "that's who we are" - alluding to our stereotypical responses (conditioned reactions) to these conditions. How many times have we heard ourselves & others predict "It's Monday - I'm going to have a lousy day", or "Oh that movie stars actor X, I'm going to hate it"? This is how most of us live our lives much of the time - on autopilot, reacting predictably to circumstances, with little conscious supervision or corrections. What quality of life does this lead to? Can't we do better? Some people realize that this situation is a dead end, but firmly believe that they're powerless to improve it. If our quality of life was directly controlled by our environment, the cynical motto: "Life is tough, and then you die" would be justified. Those who practice Mindfulness meditation quickly learn that the Mindfulness exercises are designed to progressively free us from the effects of years of conditioning, so we may enjoy freedom of choice. We don't have to be on autopilot; we don't have to react mechanically to external or internal circumstances. No circumstance, not even a Monday or an actor, controls our emotions, prefrontal cortex (judgment), or our motor cortex (movement). Can we concern ourselves first & foremost with monitoring the quality of our own awareness, our level of consciousness, our mood, the tone of our body? • How is life when we feel mentally bright, at ease, peaceful, kind, our body relaxed & radiating warmth? • How is life when we feel mentally dull, on guard, anxious / angry, fearful, our body tight, armored, closed & cold?
EXPERIENCE how your way of being affects your quality of life - your everyperception.
A concise definition of mindfulness is inherently reductionistic, squeezing into a few shabby words the limitless natural capacity for awareness & open-heartedness. Who would spend a lifetime practicing mindfulness meditation if one could "get it" from a definition? So mindfulness is a natural capacity, a method or practice for cultivating this capacity, as well as a way of being in the world. Analogies can be drawn between a person practicing mindfulness & a computer that could intentionally, continuously, upgrade it's own operating system: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/search?q=operating+system Another analogy is how a novice swimmer relates to water compared to an expert swimmer. The novice is afraid of the water & exerts a lot of effort in fighting the water. The expert likes the water, which naturally supports her, and she exerts minimal effort to propel herself forward. The expert open-heartedly engages & collaborates with - instead of fears & fights - the environment. Friction, noise, wasted effort is minimized, while quality of life & efficiency is maximized. Even intelligent, well-educated folks may be unable to distinguish betweenbeing swept away by the torrential river of lifefromsurfing the waves. But when the status quo no longer satisfies, one might investigate mindfulness.
