By Riitta H Rutanen Whaley, MS, MSPH
You have probably heard mindfulness described in multiple ways, depending on the context. In Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), we refer to it as an inherent ability to be aware of the present moment in a kind, open, accepting, and non-judgmental way. Mindfulness is a way of being that we already possess but can be fostered to a greater degree. The intention to live our lives more mindfully is enhanced by the cultivation of the following attitudes that, over time, contribute to mental stability and resiliency:
Mindfulness can help a person learn to discover and observe his or her reactions to life’s stressors and choose how to respond.
This refers to cultivating impartial witness qualities in ourselves. Instead of mechanically reacting or labeling a situation, person, or object, we suspend judgment and listen, look, and feel with open curiosity before proceeding.
In its deepest form, it is a type of wisdom that understands things unfold in their own way and time. It also reminds us that there is no need for constant activity or being slaves to our minds, but that there is much to learn from resting on the ground of awareness.
Reminds us that what we know often gets in our way. It also reminds us about what has been termed “the boundary-making mind.” Attending to phenomena within and without ourselves with a beginner’s mind takes us on an experiential path toward a discovered truth. It allows us to learn that no moment is like the one before and puts us in contact with our uniqueness, impermanence, etc., in that we also emerge differently from each passing moment.
It asks us to consider that we might be better off if we planned and worried less. Instead, it challenges us to cultivate trust in ourselves, our feelings, and inherent wisdom (like intuitive insights). In this way, it helps us diminish fear and doubt and cultivate love and compassion. Trust takes courage, but it can help us take full responsibility for our lives.
Challenges us to be ourselves and consider that we already have a place in the scheme of things. We don’t have to get to some goal to be “good” or fix things in a particular way, but rather to consider a different relationship to ourselves, focusing on being. And to think that out of being, healing and insights might arise from our speech and actions.
Allows us to arrive at a different relationship and vision of ourselves and our circumstances, seeing clearly how things are. An accepting attitude encourages us to turn towards, acknowledge, and feel pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral in our lives and to uncover the clouding that arises from constant doing, judging, and fear-based engagement.
Rephrases the concept of non-attachment. We often find ourselves disappointed in life, whether or not we get what we want. This refers to the underlying discontent we live with when we live by entertaining expectations and goals. By practicing letting things be as they are in their arising, lingering, and falling away, we grow in our contact with the rhythm and nature of life, as well as the impermanence, equanimity, and peacefulness.
Learn about our upcoming Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program. Offered at Duke since 1998, our program challenges participants to practice present-moment awareness, deep relaxation, and gentle movement. Through these techniques, a person learns to discover and observe his or her reactions to life’s stressors and to choose how to respond. With practice, one can apply these skills to everyday situations and connect more fully with oneself, loved ones, and the life one is living. Save 10% on all our programs when you register by the early registration date.
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