MAINSTREAM MINDFULNESS
MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness has become a culturally saturated concept in the past few years and yet its meaning is still somewhat vague to many. We are all told “ live a mindful life” and that will result to us being stress free and happy, but is it really helping? Mindfulness is not a new concept in fact it can be traced as far back as the fifth century BC, when it appeared in the 37 Factors of Enlightenment, in Buddha’s teachings. I’ve immersed myself in the research since the beginning of summer and trying to practice it daily with the great hopes of managing my stress/anxiety during these uncertain times.
I’m not going to get into the history or the controversy of the pro and con theories behind being mindful here although I am a big fan of this article for those interested “ The Mindfulness Conspiracy”. I am simply sharing some of the concepts I found most interesting. So let’s get to it, how to get started?
The best way to get started with “ mindfulness” is to understand what it means for you and then decide where and how you feel you should apply it in your life. Each person has different needs, therefore how you choose to practice it is equally unique. Do not confuse it with meditation although meditative exercises are definitely used in its cultivation. Ask yourself if applying mindfulness will benefit your relationships, your stress levels, your work productivity, or all of the above? These are all questions to consider when deciding what goals and expectations to have. For me personally a successful mindfulness implementation can be something really simple, like spending less time on my phone, which has made a huge difference on how I spend my time, organize my day, and even how I feel. While technology has provided us with so many innumerable benefits, its complexity has also created a toxic addiction changing our lives and future. If you watched “The Social Dilemma” on Netflix, you’d agree Its long-term impact on our mental health needs to be monitored more closely.
Lets take a closer look
Mindfulness is the art of being present and living the “now”. As I mentioned previously the concept has become so mainstream, with celebrities endorsing it regularly on social media and gurus coaching CEO’s and giving Ted Talks making it accessible for us all. Anyone can embrace this practice just by paying attention to their body, their food intake, exercise and fitness levels, and ( very important) one’s breath. Simply put, its about having an awareness. Some people criticize the concept for creating a selfish society, encouraging us to be even more self absorbed. I on the other hand argue that practicing mindfulness, increases one’s awareness to our human connections, and our role in our community as well as the world. When we look inward, we relate to the world better. We become more considerate human beings ( hopefully) and take responsibility for our communication and our life choices with more consideration.
This year has been so stressful for reasons we are all well aware of, but even before 2020 humanity was, in my opinion, moving in the wrong direction. That’s why I believe one of the only positive things that has resulted from the pandemic is a change in the way we view our world and our own impact. Perhaps now we are more in tuned with connection more than ever. The problem is many have turned to their phones for that kind of connection, when in fact we should focus on direct contact, with the people we interact with daily, our colleagues, our family, and friends. Mindfulness helps you question who are the people in your life that bring out the best and worst in you. Once again I use a very simple example, but realizing that a kind gesture can result to making someone’s day can drastically improve your happiness levels. So simple, right? Yeah I didn’t have to get into the spiritual side of things, but you can if you want to. That’s the beauty. The term which I find hilarious, “McMindfulness” was coined by Miles Neale, a Buddhist teacher and psychotherapist, who described “a feeding frenzy of spiritual practices that provide immediate nutrition but no long-term sustenance”. Right now there is a huge conversation going on in the wellness world, regarding “ decolonizing the mind” particularly with Indigenous people as the traditions of Asian wisdom which have been subject to colonization since the 18th century. “Such an individualistic spirituality is clearly linked with the neoliberal agenda of privatization, especially when masked by the ambiguous language used in mindfulness”.
Mindfulness at work
I’ve experienced work burn out several times in my career and I find that mindfulness offers an innovative approach targeting physical and emotional exhaustion. The synergy of body-mind practice helped me become aware of controlling situations better to prevent unnecessary stress. I will admit this is a daily challenge, and especially in start up culture in 2020. This meditation helped me get through some of those tough times. :) Just having some fun here.
For some truly enlightening information I highly recommend:
How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality by Ronald Purser, published by Repeater Book
WIRED article from 2017 “ Is Mindfulness Meditation BS” by Robert Wright
People who are more natural meditators than me can get it via daily practice as guided by a local teacher, or by an online teacher, or even by a good meditation app, like Headspace or 10% Happier. Or, if you don’t want to invest even that much time, try this: Next time you’re feeling sad, sit down, close your eyes, and study the sadness. Accept its presence and just observe it. For example, you may notice that, though you’re not close to actually crying, the feeling of sadness does have a strong presence right around the parts of your eyes that would become active if you did start crying. This careful observation of sadness, combined with a kind of acceptance of it, can make it way less unpleasant. And, more to the point, less a part of your self.
My conclusion is that the information is there. Be pro active in finding the right tools that can make mindfulness work for you. There are plenty of apps, websites, books, articles, retreats, blogs, etc the main question is deciding which one is going to work best for you.
Cover Visual by the absolutely amazing artist Emma Allegretti
