MINDFULNESS

[Michael Grove]

IT IS APPARENT that the IDEA that it is POSSIBLE

flows from a state of "mindfulness" - and that

perhaps mindfulness comes naturally to dyslexics.

Never forgetting of course that Albert Einstein was

a right-brained left-handed dyslexic.

 

 

"WITHOUT leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, IS a form of planning" - Gloria Steinem

 

The genius Austria composer Mozart would have his most creative moments when lying awake in the still of the night, warm and relaxed in bed. In a letter to his father he once wrote - "WHEN I AM completely myself, entirely alone or during the night when I cannot sleep, it is on these occasions that my ideas flow best and most abundantly. Whence and how these come I know not and nor can I force them."

 

As Tony Buzan goes on to say in his latest epic - Modern MIND MAPPING for Smarter Thinking - The reason why these creative outpourings occur in such scenarios is that the brain is relaxed and either physically or conceptually in solitude (away from the incessant 'noise' of iPods, [iPhones, iPads and ALL other manner of tablets], Blackberries and so on). This is the environment which then encourages the flowering of creative ideas.

So daydreaming, once seen as a 'no-no' and undesirable especially in the classroom, we are now beginning to see as a behaviour that IS a fundamentally magnificently creative exercise.

 

MINDFULNESS is the art of paying attention to the details of the present moment - without judgement.

 

It is in our quiet moments that our minds settle and we find that we can meditate or relax. This in turn creates a mental "cushion" from which our imagination and thought associations can flow and traverse to eureka moments.

Daydreaming is at the heart of creativity.

 

You have to take time out & think about what you are doing when you create a Mind Map. You have to put yourself in "a frame of mind" to think about what you have learnt or what you want to set down.

 

A simple way to do this is to take a leaf out of Leonardo da Vinci's book and

cultivate your senses - LEARN to see through the eyes of an artist, to hear through

the ears of a musician, to feel with the sense of a lover, to smell with the nose

of a perfumist and taste with the palate of a chef. 

 

 

 

This MINDFULNESS Mind Map provides a matrix of 49 "tunnels" - designed for and by the masses - allowing access to a place conducive to Coexistence, Cooperation and Collaboration - such that the collective all-inclusive first person singular present tense, third person objective - point of view - will then lead to the establishment of a new model & method of wealth creation, mutually beneficial to ALL.

 

 

  

   

 

   [BE]ing mindful, having mindful awareness, is often defined as a way

   of intentionally paying attention to the present moment without

   being swept up by judgments - Daniel Siegel • MINDSIGHT

 

    Practiced in the East and West , in ancient times and in modern societies,

    mindful awareness techniques help people to move towards well-being

    by training the mind to focus on moment-to-moment experience.

    People sometimes hear the word mindfulness and think "religion". But

    the reality is that focussing our attention in this way is a biological process

    that promotes health - a form of brain hygiene - NOT a religion.

    Various religions may encourage this health-promoting practice,

    BUT learning the skill of mindful awareness IS simply a way of

    cultivating what we have defined as the - INTEGRATION of

    CONSCIOUSNESS. 

 

MINDFULNESS is a form of mental activity that trains the mind

to become aware of awareness itself and to pay attention to

one's own attention. 

 

 

 

 

.

[Michael Grove]

Modern Mind Mapping for Smarter Thinking by Tony Buzan

This book brings Mind Mapping into the modern age with a bang. Four decades ago, Tony Buzan invented the game-changing thinking tool, the Mind Map. Now over 250 million people are utilising this infinitely flexible tool and its applications have multiplied to span all areas of education, business and home life.

In this latest collaboration with creator of iMindMap software and author of GRASP The Solution, Chris Griffiths, the inventor of Mind Maps explores and defines their relevance today.

You will learn both the theory and the practise of an infinitely versatile technique from the inventor himself and world experts in the field of innovative thinking.

Discover how to update your thinking by using:

- Powerful, practical applications for Mind Mapping in everyday life
- Different thinking modes to find better solutions
- Simple memory techniques to drastically improve your recall
- Daydreaming processes to generate huge creative leaps

With a collective 60 years of research and experience, Tony Buzan and Chris Griffiths will show you how to take the most powerful thinking tool available and use it to turbo-charge your creativity, productivity and success in the modern age.

[Michael Grove]

NO THING happens in LIVING NATURE that is not in relation to

THE WHOLE as the BALANCED ECO-SYSTEM which Homo Sapiens

must now restore to ensure the survival of LIFE on EARTH.

 

The MINDFULNESS Mind Map provides a matrix of 49 "tunnels" - designed for and by the masses - allowing access to a place conducive to Coexistence, Cooperation and Collaboration - such that the collective all-inclusive first person singular present tense, third person objective - point of view - will then lead to the establishment of a new model & method of wealth creation, mutually beneficial to ALL.

 

 

[Michael Grove]

Art of Mindful Living 

Mindfulness IS the energy of being aware and awake to the present

moment. It is the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every

moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present and at

one with those around you and with what you are doing. We bring our

body and mind into harmony while we wash the dishes, drive the car or

take our morning shower.

[Michael Grove]

But we are not without hope. The problems that confront our planet and our humanity – environmental tension, social and family dysfunction, economic instability, and political unrest – give us an opportunity to pause, recognize, re-examine the sources of our suffering, and find a path that can lead us towards a brighter future and to an even brighter present.

This is the basic formula that the Buddha used during his own lifetime to guide his fellow beings to tend to their suffering. This basic formula can help guide us now, to our own salvation. The three distinctively Buddhist virtues of mindfulness, concentration, and insight can lead us to this salvation. Applied appropriately and skillfully, they can help us discover a global ethic and a mindful way of living that can guide the development of our society towards a more sane and healthy direction.

.

[Michael Grove]

We must find ways to apply the Buddhist teachings – namely, the practice of mindfulness, the teachings on suffering and well-being, the wisdom of inter-being and non-discrimination, the Five Mindfulness Trainings (5 Precepts-see attached), and the teachings on the Four Nutriments – so that our society can become more mindful in its production and consumption; so that companies and individuals can produce less toxic waste that harms our collective minds and the environment, and can consume less and in a way that nourishes our body and heart. We as individuals and as nations should apply the Buddhist teachings of moderation, of knowing that we already have enough.

 

IN the intimacy of our homes, fathers and sons apply the teachings so they can have more time and be more present for one another (rather than for their computer screens), and can restore communication by learning to listen deeply and speak more lovingly.

 

IN the sterile classrooms and cold halls of our institutions, teachers and students can learn ways to support one another as in the warm atmosphere of the family, to be less stressful, to relax and handle their feelings and emotions, and to apply themselves in a direction that is meaningful and wholesome – graduating young people not just for the work-force of a capitalistic machine, but for a kinder and freer generation who cooperate more than compete.

 

IN power oriented offices of companies and governmental workplaces, colleagues and fellow workers can serve more mindfully, building brotherhood and sisterhood, nourishing their compassion and generosity, and guiding our society in the direction of true happiness and reconciliation.

 

IN our modern times, as we look for models of development in the ten directions, freedom to develop is highly prized and sought after, but at what price to our young ones and our fragile environment and at what cost to our individual and collective body and consciousness.

 

It is never too late to pause and reflect and to find practices that can bring responsibility and ethical behaviors back into our society, our governments, into our families, and our lives.

[Michael Grove]

5 Tips For Incorporating Mindfulness

Into A Tech-Centric World

[Michael Grove]

This practical book has given tens of thousands of clinicians and

students a comprehensive introduction to mindfulness and its

clinical applications. Leading practitioners in the field present 

clear-cut procedures for implementing mindfulness techniques

and teaching them to patients experiencing depression, anxiety,

chronic pain, and other problems. Also addressed are ways that

mindfulness practices can increase acceptance and empathy in the

therapeutic relationship. The book describes the philosophical

underpinnings of mindfulness and reviews the growing body of

treatment studies and neuroscientific research. User-friendly features

include illustrative case examples and practice exercises.

[Michael Grove]

It's no secret that mindfulness meditation - a practice that encourages

focusing attention on the present moment - can ease emotional stress.  

And evidence is mounting that mindfulness may also have key

benefits for your physical health - from lowering blood pressure

to helping curb addiction.

But A NEW STUDY conducted by researchers working in Wisconsin,

Spain, and France shows that mindfulness can even affect your genes.

Specifically, the study shows that mindfulness can limit the 

"expression" of genes associated with inflammation.

[Michael Grove]

There are certainly worthy dimensions to mindfulness practice. Tuning out mental rumination does help reduce stress, as well as chronic anxiety and many other maladies. Becoming more aware of automatic reactions can make people calmer and potentially kinder. Most of the promoters of mindfulness are nice, and having personally met many of them, including the leaders of the movement, I have no doubt that their hearts are in the right place. But that isn’t the issue here. The problem is the product they’re selling, and how it’s been packaged. Mindfulness is nothing more than basic concentration training.

Although derived from Buddhism, it’s been stripped of the teachings on ethics that accompanied it, as well as the liberating aim of dissolving attachment to a false sense of self while enacting compassion for all other beings.

What remains is a tool of self-discipline, disguised as self-help. Instead of setting practitioners free, it helps them adjust to the very conditions that caused their problems. A truly revolutionary movement would seek to overturn this dysfunctional system, but mindfulness only serves to reinforce its destructive logic. The neoliberal order has imposed itself by stealth in the past few decades, widening inequality in pursuit of corporate wealth. People are expected to adapt to what this model demands of them. Stress has been pathologised and privatised, and the burden of managing it outsourced to individuals. Hence the pedlars of mindfulness step in to save the day.

                                                          Ronald Purser - The Guardian