I noticed quite a while back that the early books by Eckhart Tolle, a German studying advanced subjects in an English university, were about being fully aware of one's life, second by second - which is the property of mindfulness - but Tolle didn't mention or advocate meditation practice. I began regular meditation in 1995, inspired by the audio "The Higher Self" by Deepak Chopra. I used the lowest recommendation using the least time made by Herbert Benson in his 1972 book "The Relaxation Response." Benson thought that 10 to 20 minutes once or twice a day of concentration would be enough to train the body into achieving deeper relaxation more often during normal living.
Tolle was well-respected and effective but he focused on experiencing the exact present. I felt that I could and did realize that a minute ago is time that passed and a minute hence is not here yet. Ronald D. Siegel speaks of 'taking refuge' in the present and it does feel as though I am doing just that. When I feel the present as present and try to stay focused on that, I am resting between the past of a minute ago, a year ago, a decade ago and the future of this afternoon, tomorrow, next month and next year.
But I didn't understand any deep connection between being conscious of NOW and being aware of what my mind is up to. That is changing as Prof. Siegel notes the mind of humans is built to review yesterday and focus on the needs of later today and tomorrow. Just as the mind is built to think and does so more or less continuously, it is built to plan. Reviewing calendar and event obligations and desires, noting the sale on shoes that only runs a few more days, planning out what is for dinner - that stuff is what the mind loves.
But the more I watch my mind, the more I see that when I am not making comparative judgements about myself and others, I am focused on the next hour, the next day, and that marvelous moment when I will ______________. That is not a shame or wrong but I am seeing that I can spend more time appreciating and also just feeling what I actually have right now.
The working definition of mindfulness that my colleagues and I find most helpful is awareness of present experience with acceptance. This sounds pretty simple, so you may be thinking, "Hey, I'm already aware and accepting of my present experience." We often think this until we take a careful look at our normal mental states, most of which turn out to be anything but mindful. In fact, researchers find that they can most reliably measure our level of mindfulness by asking us to examine our moments of everyday mindlessness.
Siegel, Ronald D. (2009-11-09). The Mindfulness Solution: Everyday Practices for Everyday Problems (p. 27). Guilford Publications. Kindle Edition.
Siegel said that when he was little, he really wanted to learn to ride a two-wheel bike. Why didn't he wake up this morning basking in the satisfaction of being able to ride one now?
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
