wellness

AMBROSE BIERCE “I THINK THAT I THINK, THEREFORE I THINK THAT I AM”

Mindful Musing , ,
AMBROSE BIERCE “I THINK THAT I THINK, THEREFORE I THINK THAT I AM”

Do you know what your next thought will be? If you were in control would your mind criticize and judge you mercilessly like it does? Our minds are meaning making machines. It compares all experience against our unique belief system about who we believe we are. Does it agree or not? It judges everything and then comes up with a new story of self for the moment. This happens autonomously, automatically and subconsciously. We become aware of what our minds have made up and believe we were the ones who consciously thought it. In fact, we are just knowing what our minds have already created and take ownership of it. Our minds have a mind of their own. Free will? I am not so sure!

by Dr. Phil Blustein

WON’T MEDITATION MAKE ME LESS PRODUCTIVE?

Mindful Musing , ,
WON’T MEDITATION MAKE ME LESS PRODUCTIVE?

Meditation will not turn you into a zombie. You will not become dull with no ambition or drive. If anything meditation makes you more focused. We are constantly doing things automatically tremendously influenced by our conditioning from our parents and society. We do things and are not aware that we are doing them. We are captivated by multiple experiences and have no focus. How many times have you driven from point A to B and when you arrived at your destination you said: “Who was driving?” You ate a meal and wondered what it tasted like. Meditation in creating awareness of the present moment with acceptance actually makes you more focused, less reactive and more productive! It is being used by schools, pro sports teams and military units to enhance performance.

WHY IS THE BREATH SUCH A GOOD OBJECT TO USE AS AN ANCHOR FOR MEDITATION?

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The breath is a great object to start to practice meditation. It is an external object that we don’t intentionally create when we are open to its natural movement. It is always present and available. No one breath is the same as another breath. Every inhalation and exhalation comes to an end. We don’t tend to personalize a breath and call it our own. In examining the breath we are able to see the true nature of reality. It is always changing and impermanent. Can we also develop the same self-less awareness of the breath for every other object that comes in to our awareness?

– Phil Blustein

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION?

Mindful Musing , ,
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION?

Mindfulness is mainstream now. It is on the cover of Time magazine and Scientific American. If it is on those journals it must be good. It is reassuring to know that there is scientific evidence to support the value of meditation. Some of the proven benefits of meditation are stress reduction, decreases depression relapses, helps sleep disorders, better coping with cancer, decreases hypertension, helps the irritable bowel syndrome, improves psoriasis, helps cope with pain and promotes loving kindness and compassion.
– Phil Blustein