Establishing a Daily Mindfulness Practice

Presented by Parneet Pal

Tags: brain, meditation, mindfulness, practice

multiethnic couple meditating together in park
Photo by Monstera

Mindfulness

  • To keep something in mind
    • Breath – quality of breathing
    • Body – check-ins
    • Thoughts – attention to thinking
    • Emotions – attention to feelings/emotions
      • Observe self (body, feelings, etc.) in moments
  • Enhances our capacities to manage stress, triggers and to empathize with others
  • 25 years of research in this area

Brain Networks Strengthened through Mindfulness

  1. Attention
    • Tied to emotional regulation and prosocial networks
  2. Emotional Regulation
    • Greater ability to manage stress response
    • Triggers threshold gets higher
    • Enhances emotional intelligence of self and others (and distinguishing the two)
  3. Prosocial
    • Greater ability to empathize with others
    • Being compassionate
  • Inflammation in cells through its activity on the stress response is reduced

Science of Building New Habits

photo of young woman in a yoga position
Photo by Cliff Booth
  • Simple but not easy
  • Three main areas:
    1. Skill
      • Technique has to be correct
      • Learning from a credible source
    2. Optimizing Physical Environment
      • Surrounding self with things that will help maintenance
        • Reminders, technology, what’s getting in the way of practice, calm, focus
    3. Optimizing Social Environment
      • Surrounding self with people that will help maintenance
        • Support system
  • Notice the practice you are drawn to; you can build on it later
  • Intention: what do you want to practice
  • Motivation: what is your drive to meditate

Motivation – Daniel Kahneman

  • Motivations and the way we behave in the world and make decisions involves 2 aspects of the brain:
    • Fast (unconscious) Brain
      • Accounts for 95% of our behaviour
      • Tied to emotional centers of the brain
      • Habits and routines
      • Motivated by survival (safety, reward, connection, self-identity, values)
    • Slow (conscious) Brain
      • Accounts for 5% of our behaviour
      • Used for paying attention
      • Connections are slower than that of the Fast Brain

Slow Brain, Conscious Intention (e.g., taking care of health)

  • In moments of stress, the Fast Brain does not care about what your doctor has said regarding your health
    • Can be overridden by the intentions and motivation of the Slow Brain
  • Asking “Why” will land you on a emotionally charged reason that brings more meaning to the outcome you’re looking for
    • The “Why” is more likely to build your intention through motivation
      • E.g., Intention: to improve health + Motivation: family, more time to live

Global Cognition Crisis – Adam Gazzaley

crop sad woman with pillow
Photo by Liza Summer
  • With the current state with how we are learning and how we are learning not to pay attention is affecting:
    • Our ability to manage the stress of our lives
    • The ways that we think in everyday situations
    • Our attention (easily distracted, quickly overwhelmed)
    • Our ability to make decisions properly
    • Our ability to empathize and be compassionate
  • Has risen in parallel with our use of technology, which as lead to:
    • Reliance on social image rather than our true inner values
    • Effects on teenagers self-esteem
    • Rising rate of anxiety and depression
    • An epidemic of loneliness
      • Interactions with technology are hurting the quality of relationships
      • Less in person interactions which are important for our capacity to build empathy and compassion
  • Constantly on autopilot, not present, very reactive, poor methods for dealing with emotions
  • To learn more, watch: Cognition Crisis – Dr. Adam Gazzaley
  • Mindfulness is our access to an inner technology that we can tap into no matter where we are and that we can build and get better at
    • Helps with decisions in personal and professional life
    • Benefits the ways we show up in the world and the kinds of businesses we build and how they impact the climate crisis and the planet
  • Mindfulness, Mindful Leadership, Compassionate Leadership
    • You can have a sphere of influence no matter what work you do!
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