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In an episode titled “Definitions of Mindfulness” on “The Mindsprings Podcast,” Alisatair Aplleton touches on the misconceptions that surround mindfulness as well as where mindfulness stems from. He begins with the notion that it is a misunderstanding that mindful meditation is about isolation, when really it is about making connections. The goal is to connect to all that is around us. Appleton states that “Beingfulness” is actually a better term than mindfulness. He explains that when practicing mindfulness, “We are really opening up to the full extent of our being.”  He goes on to the historical background of mindfulness. He points out that mindfulness finds its roots in traditions practiced hundreds to thousands of years before Christ in India. These traditions lead into Buddhist and Hindu beliefs.

While listening to this podcast, I learned that meditation stemmed not only from one part of Buddhism or Hinduism but many parts. One tradition seen in meditation is Bhavana which centers itself around visualization. Another tradition that meditation is based upon is Samadhi, which is focusing our existence to one point. Sati is the Buddhist practice that is the center of where mindfulness comes from. It is about the quality of awareness. Appleton mentions that the path of mindfulness does not prefer good things to bad things, but accepts all. We think that we must hide negative things but Appleton counters this by saying that “The great spirit of mindfulness is really that we say yes to everything! We say yes to feeling really crappy, we say to feeling ecstatic, we say yes to blue, we say yes to yellow.” This was a new idea to me that I really stood out when listening to Appleton speak. Through learning about the misconceptions about mindfulness, Appleton’s podcast episode added to my knowledge of what mindfulness is as well as the historical background of mindfulness.

Appleton, A. (2017, August 28). Definitions of Mindfulness [Audio blog post].

Anna Lindberg hosts a podcast called “Therapy for Real Life.” In her episode titled “What is Mindfulness?” Lindberg breaks down what mindfulness is in her own words and how it can benefit your life. She states that mindfulness is a core skill in self-care. She uses Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn’s definition of mindfulness which is “paying attention on purpose to the present moment without judgment.” She recommends practicing mindfulness through the five senses. If we are fully paying attention to one of our senses in the moment we are practicing mindfulness. Being aware of the tastes, smells, and feeling around us is actively practicing mindfulness. Lindberg says that by doing this we build our attention span. She ends her episode with a meditation body scan where encourage the listener to pay attention to all their different body parts and the sensations they feel.

Through her episode I learned that the easiest way to practice mindfulness is to pay attention to your five senses. In her podcast she also touches more on Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn’s research on pain management. One thing I learned, as she explains, is that in his study he had patients experience their pain with mindfulness. Patients with back pain were actively putting their thoughts on the pain and accepting it for what it is instead of distracting themselves. Anna Lindberg’s podcast furthered my knowledge on what mindfulness is and how it can be used to reach its benefits.

Lindberg, A. (2019, February 13). What is Mindfulness? [Audio blog post]. Retrieved from https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zW5ZVZfPaGGEwiifj9Fvo

In this video Ewa Jacobsson interviews Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the creator of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. In his interview he delivers a message on his thoughts on Mindfulness. Kabat-Zinn states that research shows that through mindfulness we can actually physically change our brain. He says that “the brain is an organ that changes in relationship to experience.”  He goes through why mindfulness is beneficial and states that there is no right way to introduce mindfulness into our lives but that once we have found what fits for us we should continue to practice it to see its benefits.

A memorable statement made by Kabat-Zinn that was very relevant to me was that “in this moment this is my life and it’s not waiting for the weekend to have my life or waiting when I finish some big project but every moment is my life then even in very stressful situations you can move into the actuality of the situation and find ways to move with it and regulate your own reactivity to it” Hearing this made me realize that, in doing this very project, I was thinking in this way. In my own thoughts I was saying, “just one more week with this content research collection and I’m free!” Instead I should be totally focused on what is in front of me rather than clouding my thoughts with the future. I am less productive when thinking of what will be and will attain that moment faster if I am present in what I am doing. One last thing that I learned from Dr. Kabat-Zinn is that “we call our species Homo sapiens sapiens in Latin, but the species that knows and knows that it knows or the species that is aware and is aware that it is aware.” He contradicts this by saying that he is not convinced that we as species are fully aware due to all of the ecological and human crises we have created. In watching this video I have added to my list of benefits that mindfulness can bring to a person.

Jacobsson, E. (2010, May 04). Retrieved July 14, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU7vKitN4Ro

In this Tedx Talk, Dr. Shauna Shapiro speaks about her journey with mindfulness through neuroscience research and notable knowledge from experienced monks. She starts by saying that when practicing mindfulness, her mind would often wander. In her time in Thailand, she was confiding in an English Monk and he mentioned that what she was practicing was not mindfulness but judgement, impatience, and frustration. He then stated that “what you practice grows stronger.” She supported this statement by providing evidence based on neuroplasticity. Dr. Shapiro informs her audience that “repeated experiences shape our brain.” So, when practicing mindfulness, if we are clouding our brains with distractions such as judgmental thinking, the practice of judging will grow stronger in our brains. We can physically see this in what Dr. Shapiro introduces as “cortical thickening.” In cortical thickening, new neurons grow in response to repeated practice. After leaving Thailand she studied mindfulness and its effects on students, veterans, patients with insomnia, and patients with breast cancer. Through research she found that mindfulness works by decreasing stress, strengthening immune functioning, and decreasing cortisol.

Something that struck me when listening to Dr. Shapiro’s presentation is that when feeling shame, the areas of the brain that deal with growth and learning physically shut down. Mindfulness practice involves being non-judgmental and kind to not only others but ourselves as well. Which draws me to my next bit of new-found knowledge. In all my research collection on this topic, I had never heard Dr. Shapiro’s definition of mindfulness. She describes it as “intentionally paying attention with kindness.” I had heard of paying attention non-judgmentally but the notion of doing it with kindness was new to me, and I found it resonating with me. In her talk, my definition of mindfulness expanded as well as my understanding of its benefits.

Shapiro, S. (2017, March 10). Retrieved July 14, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeblJdB2-Vo