Mindful Boston

---- a blog by Gena Bean in response to MBSR class discussion on Oct 6 2013 ---- Mindfulness is a human capacity for non-judgemental awareness that can be developed and strengthened. Other human capacities include: compassion, unconditional love, wisdom, knowledge,... etc.  These human capacities do not belong to any religion, yet most religions value them. MBSR is a nine-session training program that includes meditation practices that are designed to enhance and strengthen the MBSR student’s innate capacity for mindfulness.   The other human capacities are honored in MBSR class, yet the emphasis in this training program is on developing mindfulness skills specifically.  There is also an intention towards reducing stress. Traditionally, the altruistic human capacities (that include mindfulness) were taught predominantly in religious settings.  People who wanted personal growth and healing traditionally went to religious centers to learn how to enhanc...

Hello- Lately, I've gotten a number of emails from folks who want to know how to become MBSR teachers.  I decided to post my response here for those of you who are interested.   -GB ------------------------------------------------------------------ If you are interested in a career in MBSR, the Center for Mindfulness (CFM) has an info page at http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/oasis/index.aspx   When you go to that page, you will see that the very first requirement is to engage in "beginner's mind" and take the MBSR program as a normal participant. You are welcome to apply for my program in Cambridge MA that starts on Oct 6th if you would like. The application for my program is at http://mindfulboston.com/stress.html#application But, of course, the CFM runs their own MBSR. So if you would prefer to take your first MBSR program there in Worcester MA instead, that would make a lot of sense.  These days, my classes have included a pretty large number of people ...

The couples who have come to my classes together usually do so because they want to learn some skills in stress reduction.  They view MBSR class as a way to learn a skill, like tennis classes can be a way to learn a skill. If the tennis analogy worked, then both partners could learn the skill at the same time and that would be a nice addition to their relationship.  In my experience, this is not a good way to view MBSR training. A better analogy for MBSR class is a kayak trip. It is a journey where you might learn some good skills, but it’s not really book-style-learning.  In a kayak journey, each kayaker is faced with all kinds of water terrain, and needs to figure out a way to handle it.  For some types of water, it’s best to be in an individual kayak so you can make personal choices and be in control of your own boat.   If a couple chooses to paddle down a river in a double kayak instead of taking two individual kayaks, both people might have a ...

We modern Bostonians do work hard to achieve our goals. And then once the goals are achieved, there is a sense of satisfaction about the achievements.  This is a great thing.  Miraculous accomplishments that we have in our lives (such as, for example, working plumbing) would not exist without our abilities to have goals and to achieve goals. It is also clear from media articles, medical reports and our own experiences that there is a side effect to having and achieving so many of the modern goals that we have: stress . During my meetings with MBSR applicants, I have been hearing them say, "I have a goal to reduce my stress."  And I have been hearing the ways in which these folks have been addressing this goal.  Because it works well for achieving their other life goals, they have been approaching stress reduction in the same way that they might approach the goal to fix their own sink.  They read about it. They take classes. They consult with experts. They ...

MBSR class will be starting in two weeks.  Before class starts there are a number of things that the students need to understand about the format and structure of class.  And, there are a number of things I need to understand about where each student is coming from.  So, there needs to be an orientation process before the start date.  In MBSR, there is some leeway about class structure.  Each teacher can decide how they want to run the orientation process for their class.  Some teachers do group meetings or skype calls.  My preferred method is to hang out in a coffee shop for an hour with each student.   There are some drawbacks to this method.  Primarily, if I am going to have 30 students in my class, I will need to budget my time to include about 40 hours of sitting in a coffee shop.  When I reflect upon the concept of 40 hours in a coffee shop, I do laugh out loud at myself for this decision.   But, we all weigh our o...

I am aware that I have not blogged in a while.  So, I'll start off slow with a quote.  The following is from one of my yoga teachers, Ken Nelson .  He is writing his newsletter from Belize where it makes sense to reflect on who the Maya were and how the "Maya Prophecy" can be viewed with sanity and wholeness. What is the Maya Prophecy? More than 5,000 years ago, Mayan astronomers calculated a cycle that began on the summer solstice of 3114 BC and will end on the winter solstice of 2012. Theories abound as to what the cycle means. Doomsayers call it the end of the world. What does the Mayan calendar mean? The director of the Belize Institute of Archeology, James Awe, says that the end of this cycle in 2012 is like the end of one year and the beginning of another, only on a very long scale. He says it's not the end days, but a time for reflection, for considering future direction. Making meaning of experience As transformational teachers our craft is practi...

At this time of budget cuts, layoffs and other manifestations of economic crisis, it is not uncommon to react with feelings of fear, horror, etc. As a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher, I am not able to change these outside stressors for you.  I can't do anything about your bills.  I can't find you a new job. If you have health concerns, I can't cure your body.  I am deeply sorry. What I can do is help you with an "inside job."  I can assist you in addressing your own feelings of fear and horror.  I can show you strategies for transforming knee-jerk emotional reactions into measured responses . In mindfulness, we work towards creating sane responses that give us more control over our inner experience of happiness regardless of the outside circumstances, even when circumstances are dire.  In MBSR class, we work on our inner perceptions of reality. We work on seeing a feeling of horror as a feeling instead of perceiving the feeling as a reality...

During our MBSR class #6 last week, I handed out a sheet on logistics for the All Day Retreat.  At the end of the page I wrote a section on possible intentions for the All Day which included some blanks to fill in.  It looked like this: Possible intentions: A full and deep experience of the MBSR practices. Immersion into your own direct experiences without outside distractions. Respite.   _______________________     _______________________     _______________________   In reply, one student said, "I plan to have a Saturday."  We all laughed. This was a funny joke because class discussion has included the concepts of non-judgment, content-neutral acceptance, and unconditional kind regard (aka unconditional love).  For a couple of weeks now, as part of saying goodbye at the end of class, we have been telling each other "have a week" instead of "have a good week." "I plan to have a Saturday" is not only a funny joke, it is actu...

Think about a toolbox. In any toolbox, a screwdriver is great. A screwdriver is even essential.  A tool box could be considered incomplete if it doesn't include a screwdriver.  But a screwdriver is not enough in order to consider your tool box complete.  A screwdriver alone couldn't handle all of your handyperson needs.  Here we are in week number 5 of the fall MBSR series.  And the theme that I'm seeing arise for the students is that mindfulness by itself is not fulfilling all their needs.  Mindfulness is an essential part of the "toolbox" of life, but it cannot address everything.  During this week's classes, we discussed some of the other tools that are essential: compassion, humor, kindness, self-care, established coping mechanisms, therapy, therapeutic drugs,  friendships, social networks, family and chosen family, and more... I asked the class, "How many people here signed up for this program because they wanted to fix a specific thing ...

At one point I had the intention to blog each week.  I did succeed in accomplishing a weekly post during the 8 weeks of the Fall 2010 MBSR.  And then I really just felt done with that intention...   Now I blog when I can.   And I've asked some fellow practitioners if they are interested in helping out here and there.  A good friend who goes by MindfulRookie submitted this blog post.   Many thanks to MindfulRookie for being my first guest blogger! -GB Out of Practice The dentist said to make sure to brush every tooth individually. That should be no problem for a practitioner of mindfulness, I thought but was I a practitioner? It had been-- phew-- a while since I took the time to sit and meditate. As I brushed my teeth I started to daydream about beginning my practice again. I remembered how good I felt when I practiced every day. I had so much more energy. I started thinking about all the things I could do with my extra energy. I w...

For my city apartment, the "back yard" consists mainly of the space between the fire escape and the chain link fence. A while ago, I put up a hammock there. One end of the hammock is attached to the fire escape. The other end of the hammock is attached to the post of the chain link fence. I hang out there on a regular basis, sitting on the hammock maybe with a cup of coffee. For some days, I have one minute. Other days I have time for a nap. Some days, I bring my headphones and listen to the MBSR body scan. I can lie down and look at the sky, I can sit up and look around me. My family has come to call this my Hammy Time, shortened from Hammock Time, so named because there was a rap song in the 80's called "Hammer Time" by MC Hammer.  The theme is that this is time that's all about me. In between the buildings, trees, and fences, sunshine does fall on my hammock.  And the timing of direct sun, and the sun's intensity shifts with the seasons. Right now i...

Today's MindfulBoston Blog is dedicated to a couple of yogis out there who have asked me the following question: What's the difference between a Yoga Nidra practice and an MBSR Body Scan? If you don't know what Yoga Nidra is, then you haven't been spending much time in a Kripalu Yoga Sudio.  Yoga Nidra is a meditation that is sometimes done at the end of an asana practice as part of shavasana time.   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - As an MBSR teacher I lead a lot of body scans and as a yoga teacher I lead regular Yoga Nidra workshops. I do see that there are a few surface similarities between the two practices that might lead to confusing them. From my direct experiences of teaching each practice, I am of the opinion that the two are distinct and that each has a different purpose.  I have studied at Kripalu with Yoganand Michael Carroll and have taken a specific Yoga Nidra Teacher Training workshop at Kripalu with Tarika Diana Damelio. From ...

When meeting a ski instructor, a non-skier could say, "I would try skiing, but gravity makes me fall down."  Then everyone would laugh, because it's a witty joke.  Yes, gravity makes new unskilled skiers fall down on the side of the mountain...  BUT skiing itself would be impossible without gravity.  If fact, successfully skiing down a mountain to the bottom could be considered simply falling down the mountain with skill. There seems to be a misunderstanding that meditation is different than that.  As I go out and about in the world, I sometimes mention that I am a meditation teacher. On a regular basis, folks say to me, "I would try meditation, but I can't keep my mind still."  From my point of view, this should be a witty joke and everyone should laugh.  In my experience, the racing mind is actually essential for many of the forms of meditation, including Mindfulness Meditation, which is what I teach.  Yes, in beginners' skiing class it doe...

I'm considering doing a retreat with Bernie Glassman. He wrote the book Instructions to the Cook, which uses cooking as an analogy for his Zen teaching.  This inspires me to blog about a mindfulness-cooking analogy.  - - - - - - - - - - - - - There are some stews that don't quite taste right until you add salt.  And then, when you add just a teaspoon of salt to a big pot of stew, it becomes delicious.  You could give a child two different cups of the stew to compare, one cup without the salt, and one cup with the salt. The child might not be able to articulate why one stew tastes better, but she'll eat all of the stew she likes and leave the stew that she doesn't like.  Lemon juice can work in a similar way for lentil soup, or for some salads. There can be a type of  brightness to the flavor of a summer salad with a little lemon juice.  Without the lemon, there can be a dullness.  Excellent chefs are trained in combining small amounts of just th...

Writing about mindfulness is interesting. Reading blogs about mindfulness is interesting. Researching the effects of mindfulness is interesting.  Finding out how other people are using mindfulness for healing is interesting. Seeing how educators are bringing mindfulness into classrooms is interesting. But what about actually being mindful?  During mindfulness practice itself there are endless expanses of boredom. Sure, there's lots of great stuff too.  There are plenty of perks to doing your mindfulness practice.  But it is very rarely as interesting as other activities.  For example, this very second.  Take a moment to notice.  As far as - interesting - goes, is it more interesting to be on your computer right now reading blogs and surfing the net...  or would it be more interesting to go sit in a dark corner alone and notice the rhythm of your breath?      ??? The truth is that mindfulness practice is pretty boring com...

There is a lot of hope in this season of early spring.  I hear people mentioning the pretty flowers and the returning sunlight. There is also the Christian and pagan concept of returning from the dead at this time, around the Easter holiday.  There is a celebration at the springtime affirmation of life. And, there is also an aspect to this blossoming that is not usually talked about in polite circles.  With mindfulness of the full spectrum of experience, I am also aware of the pain of springtime.  The winter is associated with forms of hibernation, and even forms of death. So there can be negativity about the winter.  And yet, there are aspects of hibernation that are comforting.  Primarily, I am thinking of the withdrawal from the stressful aspects of life. Deadening one's feelings can be a way of handling stress.  The liquor industry, for example, is based on the human tendency to "check-out" and deaden sensations.  The spring means re-engag...

 I logged onto FaceBook , and found this conversation on one of my friend's pages: JP  Thursday at 8:15pm Survived the stresses of public speaking without needing alcohol, but I will cop to a medicinal cupcake. Nom nom. G  Thursday at 9:27pm Medicinal cupcake? JP  Thursday at 9:34pm  Self-medicating. :-P ML  Thursday at 10:00pm Ask your baker about Confection (TM). Side effects may include frosting on the nose. If this occurs for more than 4 hours, please consult a napkin. JP Thursday at 10:29pm  Confection (TM) used in moderation can be part of a healthy diet. If you find that you're overly reliant on Confection (TM), please consult a physician and look into alternative stress relief techniques such as Mindful Boston (TM). ML  Thursday at 10:50pm  Adult dosage: one or two Confections (TM) may be taken with milk or coffee. Do not exceed a maximum of four in a twenty-four hour period. Overdose may result in bulging midsect...

Mindful Bostonians, are you hiding in your house?  I do recommend going out into the snow.  Yes, the novelty has worn off.  And no, it's not going to be all that much different from the last foot of snow that dumped on us. But go out into the snow.  Feel the cold yet again, but for this time.  In December I did a four day silent meditation retreat.  Four days of sitting can be grueling. (The way that four heavy winter storms can be grueling.) It was a Zen retreat, and the tradition is that one person gets up and recites some Buddhist wisdom periodically.  In the afternoon of the 3rd day, her voice echoed in the meditation hall, " DO NOT SQUANDER YOUR LIFE. " I can still hear the echo of those words now. This is it.  This is what we've got.  Right now it's snow.  It's record breaking amounts of snow burying us, and our cars, and our plans, and our travels.  Don't miss it.  This is your life.  Be present with the s...

I looked up from this screen to see snowflakes the size of small birds falling from the sky.  No one of a mindful ilk could resist.  I jumped up and ran out the door. There are movies these days with cheesy CGI versions of locusts or other swarms.  I looked up into a sky filled in real-life with a kazillion 3-inch diameter snowballs.  The entire sky.  Filled.  Surreal, and real. I tried catching the snowballs.  They were very thin and lightly constructed.  Caught with my coat-sleeve, they burst into snow powder.  Caught with my hand, they delicately melted away.  I went inside to pull on my snowsuit and boots, then went out the back to my hammock, dumped the bed of snow off the hammock, and laid down looking up into the sky.  Immediately ice drops stung my eyes and choked me making me shift position. Once I shifted to a semi-upright pose for the sake of my breathing, I stayed still in the cold and watched the snow balls shif...

I’ve run across some folks who have gotten the impression from magazine articles that   Mindfulness practice is a cure for suffering.   They have an impression that there is a choice we can make between living a life like Disneyland and living a life of despair.   But that choice is not available to us.   Jon Kabat-Zinn named his book on Mindfulness Full Catastrophe Living.   To me, that succinctly describes life as a combination of both Disneyland and despair mixed up like scrambled eggs.   There is no way to separate them.   You either eat the scrabbled eggs with all the ingredients, or you don’t.   Human life is a full catastrophe.   It includes ecstasy, victories, and fun games.   It also includes despair, defeat, and boredom.   We can’t pick and choose one set of ingredients over the others.   We either live it all, or we shut down and don’t experience any of it.   Most of us separate from living the full exper...