Looking At Mindfulness
Christophe Andre
“Living in mindfulness means paying regular, calm attention to the present moment. This attitude can radically alter our relationship to the world, ease our suffering and enhance our joys.” –Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk
- Becoming aware:
- Experience the present moment.
- Become aware of your breathing w/o trying to change it.
- Check in on whatever is going on in your body w/o trying to change it.
- Stop, close your eyes, & listen. Savor silences.
- Be aware of the chatter of the mind & its power to draw us in. Observe them.
- Be present w/ your emotions w/o trying to change them.
- Practice returns of the attention to the present moment.
- Leave behind words, thoughts, goals, & actions. Just be.
- Living with the eyes of the mind being wide open: A philosophy of everyday life
- See ordinary things
- See the invisible
- See what is important
- Act & don’t act
- Sharpen your mind
- Understand & accept what is
- Passing through the storms: The present moment as a refuge
- Escape your mental prisons
- Let go
- Stay present to the world
- Move forward, even when you hurt
- Accept mystery
- See happiness gently emerge
- Opening & awakening: The greatest of journeys
- Work
- Contemplate
- Love
- Experience the expansion & dissolution of the self
Art as Therapy
Alain de Botton & John Armstrong
The Seven Functions of Art
- Remembering
- Hope
- Sorrow
- Rebalancing
- Self-Understanding
- Growth
- Appreciation
5 Steps to Mindfulness
Thich Nhat Hanh
Their mind is caught in their worries, their fears, their anger, and their regrets, and they are not mindful of being there. That state of being is called forgetfulness—you are there but you are not there. You are caught in the past or in the future. You are not there in the present moment, living your life deeply.
The opposite of forgetfulness is mindfulness. Mindfulness is when you are truly there, mind and body together. You breathe in and out mindfully, you bring your mind back to your body, and you are there. When your mind is there with your body, you are established in the present moment.
During the time you are practicing mindfulness, you stop talking—not only the talking outside, but the talking inside. Real silence is the cessation of talking—of both the mouth and of the mind. This is not the kind of silence that oppresses us. It is a very elegant kind of silence, a very powerful kind of silence. It is the silence that heals and nourishes us.
- Mindful Breathing
- Concentration (breathe & stay w/ it)
- Awareness of Your Body
- Releasing Tension
- Walking Meditation