In a recent episode of the "Provocative Enlightenment" podcast, the hosts talked with Professor John Bargh about the effects of "priming" an dhow it affects our behavior and actions.
In one example, a group of individuals were asked to complete a questionnaire and their answers were evaluated. They were then returned to the test room after bottles of hand sanitizer had been placed on the tables. A similar questionnaire was administered, and the results were considered much more "conservative" the second tiime around. The inference made was that the hand sanitizer shown elevated the respondents' alertness to danger and thus shifted their perspectives.
The podcats highlights the myriad of stimuli that, unbeknown to us, affects our life, what we think, how we think, what we buy, when we buy, how we vote, etc. It encourages us to become more aware of these stimuli and mindful of how they affect us.
For more information on the podcast please visit http://www.provocativeenlightenment.com and look for the episode titled "Before You Know It."
Showing posts with label awareness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label awareness. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Friday, October 19, 2018
mindful actions
this post is written in all lowercase letters. this is done on purpose and not as an act of laziness. it is an act in mindfulness.
how many times have you performed an action without paying attention to it? did you do it well? did you finish what you started? were you present throughout?
buddhists have a saying: "when you wash dishes, wash dishes." it means, be present in what you are doing. work on not getting lost in thoughts such as "i don't like doing dishes," "i wish i was doing something else," etc. just do the dishes!
btw, i cannot tell you how many times i have had to go back and change capitalized words to just lowercase words; my fingers naturally gravitate to pressing the shift key whenever a capital letter is supposed to be typed. doing this post in lowercase text is forcing me to be mindful of the exercise i am involved in, mindful of the activity, mindful of the muscle memory i have developed over the years, mindful of bad habits i may have acquired.
some bloggers refuse to use capitalization. it is their way to push back against norms, against what is expected. more power to them. i think we need more disruptors in life.
and we can apply this mindfulness exercise to other areas of life. my yoga teacher, juliett, once challenged the class to try brushing their teeth with their non-dominant hand. this, she said, would help us become more mindful of the things we do, of how we do them, and what would happen if we had to change.
can you brush your teeth with your weaker hand? can you write legibly with your non-dominant hand?
are you mindful in other aspects of life, such as eating and breathing? do you chew each bite carefully and enjoy each flavor from your food, or do you rush through the meal just to get to the next task on your list?
do you pay attention to your breath? is it shallow or deep? slow or fast? into the belly or into the chest? do you inhale as much as you exhale?
do you ever pay attention to your heart as it beats in your chest?
are you fully mindful and aware when you walk? when you talk with someone? when you read a book, magazine, or web page? when you listen to a song, a podcast, a news report?
do you go out in nature? do you listen to the birds? do you hear the sound of your steps? do you feel the wind blow?
one of the benefits of contra dancing is that it helps each dancer become more aware of each movement. and when you get to the end of the line, sequences are repeated almost in a mirrored way as you come back. contra dancing is one of the most mindful forms of action i know of. not only do you need to be in the here and now so that you can be on time to the moves, you also gain a pleasurable sense of your body movement and space, and you get to sense the energy of all those you dance with. it is a miracle in mindfulness.
my page is now screaming with little red squiggly lines indicating my words are not properly capitalized. i am smiling at all the "red ink" knowing that the writing and typing was done mindfully that way.
may you always be aware.
how many times have you performed an action without paying attention to it? did you do it well? did you finish what you started? were you present throughout?
buddhists have a saying: "when you wash dishes, wash dishes." it means, be present in what you are doing. work on not getting lost in thoughts such as "i don't like doing dishes," "i wish i was doing something else," etc. just do the dishes!
btw, i cannot tell you how many times i have had to go back and change capitalized words to just lowercase words; my fingers naturally gravitate to pressing the shift key whenever a capital letter is supposed to be typed. doing this post in lowercase text is forcing me to be mindful of the exercise i am involved in, mindful of the activity, mindful of the muscle memory i have developed over the years, mindful of bad habits i may have acquired.
some bloggers refuse to use capitalization. it is their way to push back against norms, against what is expected. more power to them. i think we need more disruptors in life.
and we can apply this mindfulness exercise to other areas of life. my yoga teacher, juliett, once challenged the class to try brushing their teeth with their non-dominant hand. this, she said, would help us become more mindful of the things we do, of how we do them, and what would happen if we had to change.
can you brush your teeth with your weaker hand? can you write legibly with your non-dominant hand?
are you mindful in other aspects of life, such as eating and breathing? do you chew each bite carefully and enjoy each flavor from your food, or do you rush through the meal just to get to the next task on your list?
do you pay attention to your breath? is it shallow or deep? slow or fast? into the belly or into the chest? do you inhale as much as you exhale?
do you ever pay attention to your heart as it beats in your chest?
are you fully mindful and aware when you walk? when you talk with someone? when you read a book, magazine, or web page? when you listen to a song, a podcast, a news report?
do you go out in nature? do you listen to the birds? do you hear the sound of your steps? do you feel the wind blow?
one of the benefits of contra dancing is that it helps each dancer become more aware of each movement. and when you get to the end of the line, sequences are repeated almost in a mirrored way as you come back. contra dancing is one of the most mindful forms of action i know of. not only do you need to be in the here and now so that you can be on time to the moves, you also gain a pleasurable sense of your body movement and space, and you get to sense the energy of all those you dance with. it is a miracle in mindfulness.
my page is now screaming with little red squiggly lines indicating my words are not properly capitalized. i am smiling at all the "red ink" knowing that the writing and typing was done mindfully that way.
may you always be aware.
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
An Addicted Mind, An Aware Mind
A few weeks ago I went on a car camping trip. In preparation for the trip I looked at storage bins I could use for the trip and for future adventures. I was fortunate to have a variety of storage bins already and, after some cleaning, I had very adequate containers for this particular trip and, also, for future outings.
However, ever since then, my mind has been fixated on storage bins. Every time I go into a store I seem to gravitate to the storage bin isle and I spend a few minutes looking at the different bins to see if they would do what I want to do.
And then yesterday I became keenly aware of this obsession my mind is stuck in. I call it "The Addicted Mind." Consciously I know I have more than enough bins for any camping trip I may go to. Consciously I know I do not need to look for more storage bins. Consciously I know I do not need better or bigger bins. Consciously I know I do not need to buy any bins. And yet my mind drifts to the storage bins and wants to look at them anyway.
Becoming aware of this obsession re-opened for me the concept of "The Aware Mind." The Aware Mind is the part of us that is conscious and knows there is an unconscious part that is doing strange things, like obsessing over storage bins. Eckhart Tolle mentions both of these parts of us in all of his teachings. Other teachers throughout history, from Buddha to Jesus and beyond, have highlighted the importance of the aware mind.
My aware mind has caught my unconscious mind doing its thing many times. Examples include mindless thinking, wanting food immediately after having a full meal, wanting unhealthy food although I know it is unhelpful to my goals, wanting to buy more new running shoes even though I have six or eight brand new running shoes in the closet.
What is the best way to strengthen our Aware Mind? Meditation is the one tool that will help make our Aware Mind more capable of discerning when our unconscious mind is becoming an issue, when it is obsessing on something, when it is going to get us in trouble.
Meditation is simple. Take one deep, slow breath, and pay attention on how it feels for air to move in and out of your lungs; then, gently focus on your mind. Which mind is stronger at that point? The moment you do that, you have shifted control from your unconscious mind to your aware mind. In doing so, you are gaining control over your mind and over your life. It reminds me of the ancient story of the two wolves:
Which wolf (mind) are you feeding?
However, ever since then, my mind has been fixated on storage bins. Every time I go into a store I seem to gravitate to the storage bin isle and I spend a few minutes looking at the different bins to see if they would do what I want to do.
And then yesterday I became keenly aware of this obsession my mind is stuck in. I call it "The Addicted Mind." Consciously I know I have more than enough bins for any camping trip I may go to. Consciously I know I do not need to look for more storage bins. Consciously I know I do not need better or bigger bins. Consciously I know I do not need to buy any bins. And yet my mind drifts to the storage bins and wants to look at them anyway.
Becoming aware of this obsession re-opened for me the concept of "The Aware Mind." The Aware Mind is the part of us that is conscious and knows there is an unconscious part that is doing strange things, like obsessing over storage bins. Eckhart Tolle mentions both of these parts of us in all of his teachings. Other teachers throughout history, from Buddha to Jesus and beyond, have highlighted the importance of the aware mind.
My aware mind has caught my unconscious mind doing its thing many times. Examples include mindless thinking, wanting food immediately after having a full meal, wanting unhealthy food although I know it is unhelpful to my goals, wanting to buy more new running shoes even though I have six or eight brand new running shoes in the closet.
What is the best way to strengthen our Aware Mind? Meditation is the one tool that will help make our Aware Mind more capable of discerning when our unconscious mind is becoming an issue, when it is obsessing on something, when it is going to get us in trouble.
Meditation is simple. Take one deep, slow breath, and pay attention on how it feels for air to move in and out of your lungs; then, gently focus on your mind. Which mind is stronger at that point? The moment you do that, you have shifted control from your unconscious mind to your aware mind. In doing so, you are gaining control over your mind and over your life. It reminds me of the ancient story of the two wolves:
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
Which wolf (mind) are you feeding?
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