Mindfulness can be a foundation for something big.
If you have a mindfulness practice, you know how motivating and energizing it can be.
But as I read through people’s thoughts on the comment boards, I noticed a powerful theme. . .
. . . new beginnings.
Practitioners from around the world were sharing their hopes for the power of mindfulness.
I saw people taking Jack Kornfield’s words and moving forward with them. So many commenters had a goal, a dream, a place they wanted to bring mindfulness practice. I found it truly inspiring.
So I wanted to share just a few of those thoughts here.
“Such a practice in my work life and daily interests could only deepen any sense of harmony and joy. This seems a good time to begin to be more in touch with myself, and to assist in listening to and seeing people round me more appreciatively.”- Alastair Lov, Psychotherapist, Australia
“In my own practice, I hope to continue being patient with myself, and allowing myself to stumble and fail with humility and gentleness. In doing this for myself, I also hope to help my patients do the same: to make room for illness, pain, stress and care for it with ‘loving attention.'”
– Keith Haas, LCSW, Lexington, KY
“Watching this video helped me see that I have not been mindful lately. I’ve let my client schedule take over…again. Thanks for the beautifully delivered reminder. The rest of my day will surely benefit.”
– Diana White, Brainwave Technologist, Boston, MA
“Thanks for sharing this lovely story of mindfulness and connection. It was a reminder to me of how sometimes I think that mindfulness practices get misconstrued as isolating or all about the ‘inner work’ and not about how it opens up to powerful ways of connecting. I am thinking about how to highlight that aspect more in my work with people.”
– Sarah Hughes, Family Therapist, BC, Canada
If you want to hear more about mindfulness, check out our mindfulness courses here.
How will you use the power of mindfulness in your work and life? What mindfulness goals do you want to set for yourself? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
I’ve taken the 8-week Mindfulness course yet have steadily quit doing the reflections. The video reminded me off how accommodating it is and I will begin again today around evening time.
Dear RUTH BUCZYNSKI, I have gone thorugh you website and the article about (A new beginning for mindfulness) is very usefull. Care is an extraordinary passage into figuring out how to be simply the onlooker. There is as yet another progression, nonetheless, and that is getting to be plainly mindful of the reasons for conduct, regardless of whether this life or some other (ordinarily it is some other life circumstance that outings us up today). Tragically, there is not sufficiently about research on this road yet. As usual, science will be ease back to get on what a huge number of individuals–therapists and otherwise–already know and are applying where we can to help our customers.
Very Nice article and Motivating too
I’ve taken the 8-week Mindfulness course but have gradually stopped doing the meditations. The video reminded me off how helpful it is and I will start again tonight.
Thank you for your generosity.
I feel it is a grat way to travel our life with a sense off purpose
Dear Jack and Ruth,
As an experiential scientist reliably facilitating “unity consciousness” in groups internationally for thirty years, I have grown an unshakeable confidence that any interested group and even the whole of humanity can gain access to a commonly-sensed-intelligence by experientially exploring attention – collectively.
Though extraordinarily challenging to achieve, I am sure it is possible to shift the separative mind-set of our species quite rapidly, by widely popularizing easy access to co-consciously shared experiences online and by inducing a shareable conscious intelligence in theater audiences. When awareness is shared collectively, individual attention becomes “indivisible” – as it does in mindfulness meditation. Once aware of its limitless qualities and continuous presence, the delusions of separation dissolve in any group of participants; awakening, re-educating and enlightening our mind-made selves.
I have also focused these last twenty years on how to use “seeing is believing” science to demonstrate our indivisibility on state of the art instrumentation under double-blind conditions, utilizing multiple brain research laboratories located in widely separated geographic locations and have earned the support of eminent scientists and leaders in the consciousness movement.
We all know how important it is to be supported in our lives. Without support, it’s almost impossible to walk a path toward the lives we dream of and know are possible. But it’s hard to find the right kind of support. Thich Nhat Hahn said: “ The next Buddha will be the Sangha.” For global consciousness to emerge from our current level of collective unconsciousness, the extraordinary challenge is to find those who are ready and able to support this worldwide awakening between and among all people.
While individual mindfulness practice supports the awakening of individuals, we also can awaken socially – beyond the inherent insecurities, conflicts and delusions of separateness. Please consider partnering with us by contributing your influence and insights to Applied Conscious Sciences Network.
Sperry Andrews, co-director
Human Connection Institute
I agree with Dr. Gebhardt, and was about to make similar comments before seeing his. Mindfulness is a great gateway into learning to be the observer of ourselves. There is still another step, however, and that is becoming aware of the causes of behavior, whether this life or some other (usually it is some other life situation that trips us up today). Unfortunately, there is not nearly enough research on this avenue yet. As always, science will be slow to pick up on what thousands of individuals–therapists and otherwise–already know and are applying where we can to help our clients.
In the meantime, I also appreciate all you are doing to support us “out here”. It is valued greatly!
As a physician in a general internal medicine practice, I am learning that many of my patients’ physical and psychological problems are generated by both past life traumas and by dysfunctional habits of thought that just about all of us share. I believe approaches like mindfulness meditation have huge potential to begin to address the source of disease at a deeper level than my traditional medical training has allowed. Your approach to this is on the leading edge of a sea change that promises to transform our medical care system.
I think the key to change for the traditional system now in place is good research. More and more research is becoming available that clearly documents the benefits of meditation, but you can also include other potent therapies like acupuncture, hypnosis, EMDR, Qigong, EFT and others. This research already exists, but many therapists are not aware of the exceptional quality of much of the research, nor the remarkable results documented.
I love the sentiment behind what you say in this article: “Mindfulness can be a foundation for something big.” I am impressed by the wide attention your articles are receiving and the eclectic nature of your readers. Many are traditionally credentialed. Many are teachers and writers. You are reaching a powerful, worldwide audience. We will be most effective with a team approach, like you are demonstrating here, to share resources and ideas, and to begin to take these to our local communities. We also need to share the exceptional results we are finding with more of our colleagues.
My own ideas in this direction are only beginning to emerge, but I find what you are doing with NICBM to be very exciting. Great work!
How to train the brain to fill it up with LOVE & PEACE. Violent impulses to the brain shall not be accepted. How to do it?
I think they can be accepted, this shadow side of ourselves, as they carry a message from our individual or collective psyche and the more loving attention they will be given the more will they become nonviolent. Yes, our neurons, too, need a lot TLC. As CNS and skin both develope from ectoderm gentle and focused touch can definately help to fill the brain with more love and peace.
Oh wow, as we used to say:-) I love thinking of the CNS and skin coming from a common origin; that illuminates the power of touch. Thanks for your comment!
Anna~
Ectoderm-gentle is very thoughtful about skin and CNS *touch requirements*. Now how do we get the psychological therapeutic community to realize that trauma comes off the system with collaboration between touch therapists and counselors/psychologists/psychiatrists???
During almost all of my therapy, the focus has been on *narrative and truth finding* instead of compassionate understanding of the shock and trauma and how that affected my world. I hope that if anything can change in this profession it will be that AFFECT is what holds humans in the shock body…the limbic system holds it and must let go of it. We must affirm individuals, NEVER question them. Feelings are not rational stuff.
Then relationship rebuilding can come from good models.