Who am I?

15 years of Meditation Practice

BA in Religious Studies

MA in Western Esotericism

Diploma in Mindfulness, Meditation & Relaxation

www.myfreemind.im

What is Mindfulness?

Mindful (Definition)

Attentive or heedful

Keeping aware

Bearing in mind

While thus unmindful of his steps he stumbled - George Bernard Shaw.

Paying attention on purpose- Jon Kabat-Zinn (1944-)

The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention over and over again, is the very root of judgement, character and will [] An education which should improve this faculty would be the education par excellance.- William James (1842-1910)

Mindfulness is to be fully human, fully present, fully here and now.

We spend all our lives stuck in our ideas about how we think things should be that we are constantly missing how things actually are.

Why would we want to see how things actually are? Because they are like it whether we like it or not.

We let go of fixed ideas and rest in the present moment.

What's so interesting about Now?

Origins of Mindfulness

All the worlds cultures are now available to us [] Knowledge is now global. This means that, also for the first time, the sum total of human knowledge is available to us the knowledge, experience, wisdom and reflections of all human civilisations premodern, modern and postmodern are open to study by anyone.- Ken Wilber (1949-)

Vipassana means to see things as they really are (rather than how you think they should be).

It cultivates attention so we can observe our thoughts and compassion so that we can accept them.

Modern Mindfulness is the fusion of ancient practical wisdom & modern science.

Mindfulness & Modern Audiences

Available to anyone

Practice based with simple techniques

No beliefs or lifestyle changes required

Places responsibility for your life in your own hands

Backed up by scientific research

Who Meditates?

Olympic Athletes

Soldiers, CIA and the Military

Google and other Multinational Corporations

Schools and Education programmes

Hospitals

Prisons

Scientists

Politicians

Anyone interested in more skilful ways to relate to their thoughts, feelings and emotions

The Science of Happiness

Neuroscience & Meditation

Neuroplasticity: The Dynamic Brain

The brain changes based on how it is used

If you are stressed on a daily basis you are hardwiring your brain for stress

What we pay attention to is what we feed the brain

How we use our brain on a daily basis effects how we use our minds and how we use our minds (i.e. what we think) effects our brain

So how are we using our minds?

You can't stop you're brain from changing. The only question is: are you getting the changes you want?- Rick Hanson

Mindfulness & Medicine

300-400 scientific papers on Mindfulness are published each year

The evidence shows it to be effective for a wide range of issues

Mindfulness is now recommended by Gp's and the NHS

Almost three quarters of Gp's think it would be beneficial for all patients to learn Mindfulness skills

almost three-quarters of GPs think it would be beneficial for all patients to learn mindfulness meditation skills.

The Benefits of Mindfulness

It produces long-term positive changes in the shape of your brain

reduces chronic pain, anxiety & depression, prevents relapse & improves emotional disposition

Boosts immune system

Reduces effects of skin diseases like psoriasis

Improves relationships

Increases self-awareness

Enhances focus, concentration and performance

Enhances creativity

Combats the ageing of the brain

Improves memory

Helps with sleep

Mindfulness Meditators are happier than non-meditators

Can help you become more compassionate and understanding

Why Meditate?

Why meditate rather than go to the gym?

Meditation is the only activity where we are consciously choosing to do nothing.

It is the only activity where we can observe the mind without using the mind.

As the volume of our thoughts becomes less, our natural stillness of mind begins to take over.

To Think or Not to Think

Thinking is the default setting of the mind

Without thinking, how would we live?

Meditation is not about trying to stop thinking altogether but to discover a new relationship to our thoughts.

Mindfulness of thoughts leads to Mindful thinking

Exercise 1:
The 3 Zones of Awareness

Where do we spend 99% of our time? In the present moment or in the thoughts about the present moment?

Where is your attention?

Attention is you greatest commodity. Where it goes, your life goes.

Can you change the past?

Can you predict the future?

The whole of human suffering can be boiled down to the fact that we spend most of our lives treating ideas about reality to be reality itself.

We live in a constant state of fight or flight, anticipating situations which just don't exist outside of our thoughts about them.

How to Meditate

How to Meditate

Attitude: Relaxed & open, non-judgemental, beginners mind

Posture: Sit up straight & pay attention

Awareness of breath

10 Minute Meditation

How Sweet it Tasted!

There is surely nothing other than than the singular purpose of the present moment. A man's whole life is a succession of moment after moment. If one fully understands the present moment, the will be nothing else to do, and nothing else to pursue.
- Yamamoto Tsunetomo

What's so important about the body?

We spend most of our time living from the neck up.

We relate to ourselves through a veil of ideas, beliefs and concepts rather than our raw moment to moment experience

When we live disconnected from our sensations and emotions we feel disconnected, isolated, unreal

When we feel alive we naturally feel happy & content & at peace with ourselves.

Paying attention to our raw experience can transform the way we relate to ourselves

Compassion & Loving Kindness

In the East, Mind and heart are interchangeable. To practice mindfulness is to practice 'heartfulness'

Without cultivating compassion, self-acceptance, understanding, tolerance and patience we cannot have peace of mind

When we truly understand ourselves we truly understand others

Compassion fatigue in the news

Care and compassion are what matter most. We respond with humanity and kindness to each person's pain.
- NHS Constitution

Healing empathy.
- Prince Charles

We cannot fake compassion, empathy and understanding, but we can grow it.

We remove emotional & mental obstacles not by opposing them but by loving them to death.

Guided Loving Kindness Meditation

Conclusion

We can train our attention to be here and now

Where our attention goes, our life goes

We can reprogramme the brain with happiness rather than fear, insecurity & stress.

We enjoy a more expansive & free life, deeply connected with our raw physical sensations

We discover the natural peace of awareness

We increase our compassion for ourselves and all other beings

We become more resilient to the ups and downs of being human

Mindfulness is a daily practice, not a miracle cure

From practice comes deep insight which then informs our practice further. This is an upward spiral of understanding.