Beginning Meditation: Cultivating Your New Practice

Attempting to learn just about any new skill can be a daunting, challenging endeavor; however, starting a meditation practice is unlike other new activities in that it is a relearning process. It is revisiting a part of oneself that has perhaps been forgotten, but when reawakened becomes quite familiar - meditation is a journey back to one's innermost sanctum! Meditation is a simple but not easy act of shifting from "doing" to "being," a transition away from externalized awareness, back to what is described in the field of counseling psychology (e.g.,in technical terms), as an "internal locus of control." The beautiful thing is one only needs to learn to be receptive and accept this wonderful gift - to just be!

We have all done it many times before, naturally, without even being aware of it. For example any time you have found yourself deeply immersed in an activity such as Journaling, reading a good book or driving, and have lost track of time, space, and surroundings, you were experiencing a glimpse of meditation. You have shifted your awareness toward the inner world and center, away from the outer distractions.

There are definite steps to learn to meditate effectively; some ways better than others, yet, there is no wrong way to meditate (except being distracted!). The key, no matter the style or approach is establishing and maintaining a regular daily practice. Perhaps a good analogy is breathing: most would agree they never needed to learn any special technique to breathe; still, ironically, through practice it is possible to become more adept at both breathing and meditating. The most important thing is to learn to enjoy it, to simply delight in the journey!

Certainly, many varied philosophies and nuanced techniques exist, which may become important especially as one advances in practice; yet from my practice and study of meditation I would like to offer the following basic technique that can form the foundation of a positive practice.

Basic Technique - Seated Meditation

1. Create a comfortable environment free from noise and distractions.

2. Find a comfortable chair that is sturdy, with good back support. Keep the body aligned. It is beneficial to sit straight as many believe it helps align the body's energy centers (chakras). Slouching can be very distracting; however, this is your personal time, so sit how you feel comfortable.

3. Begin to tune inward and let go, move your awareness away from all the external distractions of your day and from your immediate surroundings. Feel your breath as it moves in and out of your nose, listen to it; become one with it.

4. It is useful to find a focal point for your attention as it tends to center the mind. You can repeat a meaningful phrase or prayer, one word e.g. God, Jesus, Buddha, Om, peace, wellness. It can be beneficial to focus on the point between the eyes (the sixth chakra), which is one of the seven energy centers in the body; or loving kindness on the heart chakra (the fourth). Perhaps focus on a candle flame, or point on the wall. Or, if you like you can continue to come back to the breath as an anchoring point when the mind wanders.

Whatever you decide to focus on is OK; just make it meaningful and enjoyable! Experiment with the process, as you progress you will become more accepting of your experiences in meditation, and it may not be necessary to use a focal point; the pure experience of being receptive may be enough. Or continue to use a focal point if you like. You may decide you want to shift back and forth intermittently.

5. What is most important is trust the process and don't strive; when you meditate you are letting go of inner struggle, and letting go of your stress, and distractions.

6. Continue sitting for a time that feels right to you. In the beginning, five to ten minutes may be enough. Two times a day - once in the morning and once in the evening - is optimal. However, even once per day for a short time may be beneficial as long as you practice regularly in a spirited way. As you advance you will find it is easier to sit longer. Your meditations will naturally increase, and sitting for longer periods becomes much easier. Through practice, your mind will naturally come to one pointedness.

References

Bien, T.; Bien, B. (2002). Mindful Recovery: A Spiritual Path To Healing From Addiction. New York, NY: Wiley and Sons.

Kabat Zinn, J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. New York, NY: Random House Publishing.

What is Mindfulness Coaching?

Mindfulness coaching is a solutions oriented approach that teaches people how to cope effectively with stress in daily life. The main technique is mindfulness based stress management, a relaxation method that focuses on present moment awareness. It is very powerful for helping to manage distressing thoughts and difficult emotions.

Mindfulness coaching also has been influenced by, and integrates aspects of other related therapies such as mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR), mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT), acceptance and comitmment therapy (ACT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

Although mindfulness itself is a universal concept and has been used historically in different cultures around the world, mindfulness based stress management particularly blends eastern approaches including meditative practices. Mindfulness coaching is used successfully to help various mental and physical conditions including compulsive and addictive behaviors, attention and mood problems, anger-management, headaches, and pain, as well as other problems.

Book Review - "Mindful Recovery: Spiritual Path To Healing From Addiction" by Thomas Bien and Beverly Bien

The authors Thomas and Beverly Bien come from personal backgrounds of addictions; they work as professional therapists, and at the same time practice deep spirituality. And, similar to a growing population of seekers and teachers today, recognize an obvious need in our culture for a synthesis of mindfulness and mental health.

One of the important reasons mindfulness is salient in recovery, according to the Bien's, is because addiction "is at its core a way of avoiding life rather than being aware of it"; that, "for many addicted people, addictive behavior is a way to turn problems off for a while." Yet the abuse of substances ultimately only increases fears and avoidant behavior over the long term. It is only effective as a short term coping strategy. Mindfulness, they urge, is a way of awakening to the beauty of the present moment.

A central theme of "Mindful Recovery" is that mindfulness is the opposite of experiential avoidance, or of denying responsibility, or of ultimately fleeing one's inner self. The Bien's have an approach which they emphasize is, "spiritually oriented." Although the Bien's connect mindfulness with Buddhism in this text they point out that Buddha did not set out with the intention to teach Buddhism as a religion per se; rather as a practice and "path of liberation." It is a way to end one's mental, emotional, and physical suffering; yet the sort of practice espoused by the Buddha does not conflict with and only enhances one's personal religious devotion or higher ideal, whatever path it may be including Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, or any other.

The Buddha's primary teachings are the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths tell us that life is suffering and that there is in fact a way to free or liberate us from that suffering. The way to liberation, Buddha taught approximately two thousand years ago, is the eightfold path, which is:

• Right view
• Right thought
• Right speech
• Right action
• Right livelihood
• Right mindfulness
• Right diligence
• Right concentration

However, the Buddha did not mean "right" in the moral sense, rather in a practical way. He meant whole, or complete, or effective.

Meditation and mindfulness are a practice in being. The addicted person rarely embraces moments. This is because the here and now is uncomfortable for many reasons. But meditation is a practice in embracing the now; it is about practicing whatever one does with whole attentiveness, "If you are doing the dishes in order to be able to go on to something you think will be more satisfying than doing the dishes, not only will you not enjoy doing the dishes, but you will not enjoy whatever it is you go on to do next...you never live, but are always planning to live."

Their approach is Eastern influenced, but mindfulness is universal and has been practiced in all cultures, in all wisdom traditions; and Western psychology has now embraced mindfulness as a therapeutic modality. The stages of change model developed by Prochaska juxtaposes on the Bien's philosophy.

What I find uniquely stimulating about this approach is how the practice of mindfulness as a positive addiction is emphasized. It sounds similar to what William Glasser, the creator of choice theory and reality therapy, espoused in the 1980s. The only way we can overcome compulsive, addictive behaviors is through replacing them with healthy, positive addictions. In this book, an example is provided of a man in recovery from cocaine addiction (Martin), who took up golf with such passion that it replaced his addiction: "Martin's story also points out that while quitting is an essential step, it is not enough. One needs a new focus. While other things can provide it, in our view, the best focus you can have is on living more deeply, more spiritually. In this book we offer mindfulness as just such a a focus - indeed as a way of life." What the Bien's are saying is that mindfulness becomes the positive addiction undergirding all useful habits, or to replace destructive ones.

The Bien's "10 Doorways to Mindfulness" also somewhat parallel the very successful 12step approach. The 10 Doorways are:

• Practicing being present
• Considering as a story that is always fresh
• The use of the journal for story and awakening
• Meditation
• Connecting with the natural world
• Cultivating healthy relationships
• Exploring dreams
• Practicing mindfulness at work
• Learn to hold and embrace difficult emotions to ensure recovery
• Practice, practice, practice

This author highly recommends this book. If one takes the steps outlined here and as the authors say in the tenth and final door, "practice, practice, practice," he or she will at the very least achieve a new perspective on addiction, with new passion and a positive addiction that cannot do oneself or anyone else harm.

Postmodernism and "Beginner's Mind"

I guess that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Being increasingly immersed in postmodern thought particularly since that is what has taken over the counseling field and much of progressive academia since the 1990s, during one of my regular meditations I recently stumbled upon a realization (the famous "aha" insight!) -- that all the hot new perspectives into constructivist thought and hermaneutics are really just new twists on old themes.

Ancient Taoist and Zen masters wrote about something called, "beginner's mind," or translated, the Japanese word shosin. In contemporary counseling the revolution taking place is finally catching onto their ancient message. Until around the 1990's a therapist was considered expert, authority, and guide until diverse voices challenged that position, including feminist thought, multiculturalism, person-centered thought, and an emerging preventive and wellness paradigm in healthcare. These challenges were based upon (supposedly) new ideas from social constructivism that said the traditional Western notions of "truth" were rigid, egocentric, and frankly, arrogant. It said the outdated model was erroneously based upon an "absolute truth" which was simply a false construct agreed upon by dominant social groups.

Social constructivism says, alternatively, that no social group has a monopoly on truth; that each individual has access to his or her own individual shard of truth, in essence what helps make up our unique individuality. Ahh! Didn't the ancient Zen and yogic masters already know this? They taught that the more one developed wisdom or enlightenment, that the less one actually knew in a certain sense. An old Zen saying grew from this: "If you meet a Buddha in the road, kill him!" The Zen masters taught that the teacher was facilitator, and meditation practice was a powerful tool to develop one's inner knowing and inner voice; that, mindfulness meditation was a powerful tool for constructing the self. So, the student could learn from a teacher or master, but the real master was within. Isn't postmodern thinking and social constructivism in counseling merely another name for "beginner's mind"?

The way one practices beginner's mind is to empty oneself of all thoughts (if only that were possible!). This means empty of all preconceived judgments, labels, concepts, techniques, and methods. It is a main purpose of meditation - there is still nothing better than quiet stillness to wipe the miror clean; to free the mind, and to bring space and clarity.

Mindfulness: The First Step Is Deep

In developing a mindfulness practice, I am convinced that the 1st step is the most significant. The 1st step in mindfulness (after making the choice to practice, of course) is internalization or self-awareness. We take a giant leap by learning to tune into the messages the body provides, moment by moment. Frankly, it is a meditative art in itself. It is about learning to manage one's own energy, and manage what mindfulness teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn calls, "the full catastrophe" of modern living.

For example, if you are sitting at your desk juggling emails and simultaneously finishing a weekly report; your work tempo is hectic but you are feeling pretty good about staying on pace. Well, suddenly the phone rings, it is a well-meaning friend who wants to gab away precipitously without considering your time. You fail to set a good boundary, and suddenly you have gone from being, "in a groove" to being swamped trying to do 3 or 4 things at once! It is the final straw - subtly, ever so slightly, the jaw begins tightening, and a faint,throbbing, pulsing feeling awakens in the temple area. The problem though, at this beginning stage of the mind-body stress response, is that many people would not awaken and take notice.

This is where a significant difference exists between one who practices mindfulness and one who does not. At this moment, the body's wisdom shouts: "Red flag! Red flag! Heed; stop; and, take action." If one intervenes, and activates the parasympathetic nervous system e.g., the relaxation response, she has the opportunity to avert a forest fire (such as for example a potentially severe migraine). Of course additional biopsychosocial factors come into play concerning migraines, such as allergies, genetics, environment, among others; all things being equal, however, learning to relax will help minimize fallout from the stress response.

In this brief article, I have outlined merely one possible example but our body is providing signals constantly during the day, directed by the subconscious mind. The more we practice mindfulness, the more it becomes natural to "tune in" to the subtle wisdom the body provides, to be proactive with our health and wellness, and to avert more serious problems.

Mindfulness and Detachment: Creating Mental Space

In sharing and teaching mindfulness practice, I find the need to explain that although daily seated meditation is the heart of practice, I like to urge that "life is meditation; and, mindfulness is far more than sitting" - yet, for some reason people have difficulty grasping the concept! I am not sure why since it is rather simple: the peace and mental space gained in meditation can permeate every aspect of one's daily life. I find this a great goal; and truly, the practice of meditation has the capacity to enrich life in so many ways beyond sitting. One of the foremost qualities meditation helps cultivate is detachment. Detachment overlaps the quality of non-striving, which is one of the eight attitudes of mindfulness according to Jon Kabat-Zinn, the originator of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Truly, detachment - in our stress-filled, needs-based culture - may in fact be the most important spiritual quality of all to master.

Throughout history, the various wisdom traditions have embraced the notion of detachment. In Buddhism, the concept of Nibbana (many Westerners know it as Nirvana), literally means "no burn." In the Christian tradition, Jesus, in the Gospel of John referred to the quality of detachment by urging us to, "be in the world, but not of the world." In the Hindu faith, throughout virtually the whole Bhagavad Gita (part of the sacred Mahabarata associated with the ancient Vedic scriptures), a thread of detachment is ubiquitous throughout the work. For example, chapter sixteen in the Bhagavad Gita, the central topic is the three gunas: rajas, tamas, and sattva. The quality of sattva is goodness, purity, energy, and detachment; the quality of rajas represents lust and passion; and tamas, inactivity and sloth. By cultivating sattva, one becomes free from anger, jealousy, and selfishness, and develops wisdom and clarity of mind.

So, what does it truly mean to be in the world but not of the world? It means developing a center, a place of inner wisdom; it means having the ability to not allow worldly occurances distract us from what we know is true, from our core values and life purpose. We can be involved in activities with others but not so influenced that we have lost our own center.

For example, people often ask me if I drink beer or alcohol; I usually tell them I may have a few beers but don't really "drink" per se. Yet still,I do like to go out sometimes and have fun (though not often enough!!). The key is I am able to maintain a sense of detachment when I do go to a restaurant or a bar, and not necessarily get drunk or even have one beer. Still, my intention is to have a blast! In doing this, I am living detached, staying centered, and remaining true to my personal value of sobriety. This is merely one example of so many ways we can remain detached.

The reason meditation helps is because it is a practice in returning to our sacred center. The more we return to this sacred center, we automatically find less and less need to strive for validation, acknowledgment, and direction from others.

Does Mindfulness Actually Increase Stereotyping in the Workplace?

I found the following quite fascinating. Many who study and practice mindfulness are of course inspired by the wondrous lifestyle changes they experience through regular mindfulness practices; which I would add, often includes the development of cultural awareness. On the flip side, listening to a recent radio broadcast about the pros and cons of diversity training in the workplace on Talk of The Nation (National Public Radio) I found comments made by Elizabeth Levy Paluck, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Princeton University, extremely interesting and cause for further inquiry.

Paluck put forth that becoming more mindful and conscious of diversity actually may increase stereotyping in the workplace! According to Paluck, "One topic that's been brought up is that when training and education may activate bias rather than reduce it, and so this is something that psychologists study quite a bit. So when you make these explicit and conscious attempts to regulate your thoughts - and that's not necessarily what all the diversity training does, but we do know that this can sometimes exaggerate stereotyping and raise issues that might otherwise not come up in the workplace. And oftentimes, women and minorities are, you know justifiably upset when this happens."

In light of this, should we thus make attempts to become less mindful? If we know that our attempts to become less judgmental, less biased, and more humane and more civil only serve to make the workplace situation worse, should we therefore curtail attempts to educate workers about diversity? Should we discourage workers to practice enlightened thinking around issues of diversity? My own inclination is to say absolutely "no"; yet based on the above, an important question is raised: is it even possible to consciously increase our emotional intelligence quotient (EQ)? Or, are we merely opening a new can of worms - in the form of increased judgments and critical thoughts - when we attempt to do so?

What Paluk identifies is a fascinating occurance: when we practice conscious thinking, we also paradoxically somehow send off more harmful vibes - the exact opposite of positive EQ.

What she describes may actually make some sense. We all know iritating people who seem to do and say all the right things, yet underneath, (their sometimes facades) seem full of moralistic judgments and toxic thinking. I would like to believe, though, it may only be a temporary phenomenon. That over time any person's diligent, authentic efforts to shape EQ and character eventually pay off for the best, and, ultimately can serve to contribute to a more compassionate and socially conscious workplace.

Audio link to broadcast
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=124495770&m=124495767