Pay Yourself a Visit, and Sit

Tonight, a sadness came over me. 

From having abandoned myself

for most of this very long day.

Entire chunks of time, lived but not really,

spent away lost in one task after the next.

Many good excuses for working away

still did not add up to much, 

as far as the real truth is concerned.

Something that cannot be named

yearned to be attended to, 

and now that I stop, grief in the heart.

Violence was done in the name of great aims.

A monk comes by my side

and looks at me with great gentleness.

Slow down, dear one, and take the time

to dwell outside of your office.

Unplug the computer, put away the iPhone,

and pay yourself a visit and sit long enough

to notice the steady flow of breath, 

and the whole experience of this time, this place.

Do you ever feel that way, too?

10 Secret Ingredients of MBSR

Last Thursday was our last day of MBSR teacher practicum training with Bob Stahl. To celebrate, Bob took us out to dinner to his favorite vegan restaurant in Mountain View. Ten weeks we had been together, and now we had to part. The mood was bittersweet, and we swore to keep in touch, and reunite soon for more practice sessions in each other's homes. I was most struck by the tales of personal transformation, shared by all around the table, many of them psychotherapists with years of personal work and professional experience under their belt. I had witnessed similar testimonials throughout our weeks, participating in the larger group with the 'regular' folks. And I wondered, what are the ingredients in the MBSR elixir that make it so potent? 

By no means  a complete list,  here are the 10 key ingredients I found as I deconstructed my experience, both as a MBSR group participant, and teacher trainee:

• Mindfulness practice - formal and informal
• Loving kindness, and radical acceptance
• Teacher's modeling of essential qualities of equanimity, unconditional love, effort, and humor
• Group process - normalizing, universality, and support
• Integration of body and mind, including mindful movement practices such as yoga, qigong, and walking
• Mindful inquiry - combining mindfulness with investigation, for liberating insights
• Cognitive behavioral therapy - as in systematic tracking of one's thoughts and behaviors outside of group meetings
• Rituals, as in ringing of bell after each sitting, dimming of lights before sittings, and group sharing
• Imagination - engaging through sharing of poems, metaphors, and role plays
• Participants empowered to take responsibility for their own healing 

So powerful. 

Which brings up another question. Why isn't MBSR use more prevalent? Currently, MBSR is mostly practiced in hospitals, as part of health education. Participants are usually referred by their doctors, as a result of chronic pain, or life threatening illness diagnosis, or difficulties with dealing with stress, or anxiety, or depression. So far, attempts to use MBSR outside of healthcare settings have been scant. Yet, its applications outside of the limited realm of healthcare, are obvious. One area in particular, is the corporate arena. Google, is taking the lead, once more.

Meng Tan has taken upon himself to introduce MBSR to his fellow Googlers, as part of Google's Search Inside Yourself  initiative. I am interested in pursuing that lead, and exploring ways that mindfulness, and MBSR in particular, can be used, by itself, or in combination with other self-actualizing tools*, to foster greater creativity, productivity and happiness in the workplace.

* I am thinking art therapy, and other forms of creative expression :)

A Few Minutes That Could Change the World

Last night, was IMC (Insight Meditation Center) monthly board meeting. As usual, we started with a few minutes of meditation. Taking the time to check in with ourselves, and get centered. Thoughts, emotions, sliding by the way side, until breath made itself felt. When the bell rang, there was only silence, and openness.

I am aware of a few other settings with such practice. Zen Hospice for one, where we start, and end all our shifts with meditation. At Wisdom 2.0, Tami Simon shared how she has made it a part of the Sounds True culture. Other presenters there, including Gopi Kallayil, a Group Marketing Manager at Google talked about running all his work meetings that way as well. I have also heard of schools that have adopted the Mindfulness in Education curriculum.

This got me thinking. Imagine a world where every meeting started like this. In families, in the workplace, in schools, in places of worship, in hospitals, in the courts, at world leaders' summits, in the Senate,  . . . Imagine what would happen.  

The world would be a very different place indeed.