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Introduction to Mindfulness. Intro to Neurobiology 2016-2017. 7Habits and MIndfulness. How do you think the 7 Habits of Highly Successful Teens relate to mindfulness? Why do you think it is important to learn about the 7 Habits and mindfulness?. What is mindfulness?.
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Introduction to Mindfulness Intro to Neurobiology 2016-2017
7Habits and MIndfulness • How do you think the 7 Habits of Highly Successful Teens relate to mindfulness? • Why do you think it is important to learn about the 7 Habits and mindfulness?
What is mindfulness? • Two different meanings: • 1. The quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. • Ex: Please be mindful of the wet floor sign(aka-look out!) • 2. A mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. • Ex: Being in an uncomfortable situation and instead of reacting, you choose to breath and remain calm. You were mindfully breathing while moving through an uncomfortable situation.
Mind vs. Brain • Mind: Where we experience our thoughts (consciousness) • Brain: an organ of soft nervous tissue contained in the skull of vertebrates, functioning as the coordinating center of sensation and intellectual and nervous activity. • Brain= hardware and Mind=software • Brain is the vessel in which electronic impulses that create thought are contained. • Your body (brain) is not in control of your mind, but the other way around- IT REALLY IS MIND OVER MATTER!
Dualism and Materialism • There are two main theories surrounding the difference between the mind and brain: • Dualism-mind and brain are two separate things (mind is non-physical) • Materialism-consciousness is a function of the brain
Mindsight • Mindsight is the ability to truly “see” or know the mind. • There are 3 fundamental skills to mindsight: • 1. Insight= the ability to see your own inner metnal life (who you are now, who you were and who you want to be!). • 2. Empathy=the ability to sense the inner mental life of another person (to see from their perspective and to walk in their mental shoes). • 3. Integration=the ability to link different parts of something into a whole-it allows us to see how things are connected. • Having mindsight helps us to see the mind of others and to be empathetic, compassionate and kind, which are qualities to all healthy relationships.
Sifting and Observing • Four minute mindfulness practice • One minute dedicated to each of the following: • SIFTing • S: Sensing • I: Images • F: Feelings • T: Thoughts -Reflect in your log
Empathy • The ability to understand and share feelings of another • Empathy and relationships • The exchange between air molecules and energy sent • Relationships are the sharing of energy and information flow • Mindsight allows us to see past the physical things people do and into their minds to try to help us better understand where they are coming from.
Relational Communication • 3 Elements: • The ability to sense what is going on between you and another person • Insight-being in touch with what’s going on inside of yourself • The ability to see what’s going on between another person (empathy) • When someone really “hears” what you are saying, they are making an inner map of who you are and of your mind and not just your behavior. • This feeling of being “heard” is one of the most important aspects of a close and supportive relationship.
Empathy Workout #1: Learning to Listen • Ask someone “How are you, today?” If they answer with a generic, “fine” or something similar, ask them, “no, really-how are you today?” You taking the time to REALLY stop and ask them shows them that you are interested in hearing the answer and that you want to listen. • Why do people value being listened to?
Empathy Workout # 2: Shape Shifting • A. Complete the following for your partner on a piece of paper (you will NOT share these with your partner): • Judge their personality based on how they look (basically, judge the book by the cover) • Judge their emotions-not just the ones visible on the outside-try to really stop for a minute and think about what they might be feeling on the inside. • Judge their home life-what do you think it’s like? • Judge their social life-what do you think it’s like both in and out of school? • B. Now your partner will tell you about each of the above and you will do the same. Practice REALLY listening to what they say. • C. Last, compare what you wrote to what they told you. How did these compare? Why is shape shifting important in life?
Empathy Workout #3: Metta-Tation • Loving-Kindness Meditation • We will sit in two minute increments. • Minute 1: Settle in to your practice with several clearing breaths • Minutes 2-3: Take care of the caregiver (YOU) by telling yourself loving things-whenever a nasty voice pops up to tell you otherwise, don’t judge it, just move on to a positive and caring thought about yourself. • Minutes 3-4: Send someone (a close friend or family member) kind thoughts. • Minutes 5-6: Send your worst enemy kind thoughts. Remember, when your mind wanders, bring your attention back to kind thoughts towards this person. • Reflect in your log