Mindfulness: It's Not Just for Buddhists Anymore

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."  --Viktor Frankl



There is a rampant preconception that mindfulness is only a spiritual
tool. Due to this belief, many people who would benefit from
mindfulness reject it. Like many others, I do use mindfulness for
spiritual reasons; however, it does not have to be used that way. The
technique itself can benefit the most staunch of atheists. The act of
mindfulness is simply being in the moment with all of ones' senses
focused on where one is. It is a way of grounding oneself and becoming
centered. Benefits for those of us not interested in pursuing a
spiritual path include many things, but three major ones that I can
identify are:

1. Increased self awareness. When locating oneself in the moment, it
makes you more aware of yourself. This awareness is empowering and
like my favorite Viktor Frankl quote above, gives us the power to
change direction.

2. Greater self control. As I alluded to above, when we bring our
awareness to the moment, it helps us act with our authentic selves and
not act mindlessly in habitual ways. For example, when in the moment
and really paying attention to what you are doing, you may be more
likely to choose a piece of fruit for breakfast than a donut. Now, if
you are like me, you may grab the donut anyway sometimes, but
mindfulness will help you enjoy that donut much more fully than just
scarfing it down.  I talk about being more mindful about eating here:
 mindfulness-and-chocolate.html
3. The Several Physiological benefits. There are many benefits to
mindful meditation that research has supported. In fact, UCLA has a
mindfulness department (MARC) where you can read more about it, take
classes about mindfulness, and even have access to free mindfulness
meditations.

I'd love to hear from others who have more ideas on the benefits!

Mindfulness and Chocolate

One way to be mindful is with eating. So many people today, including me, eat while doing other things like watching television, surfing the internet, reading the back of the cereal box. Sometimes, I'll eat and then feel like "what did I just have?" One way to combat this "mindlessness" is to plan to be mindful during a meal. I am on Weight Watchers and also love chocolate. So, I like to make the most out of a small portion of chocolate. Being mindful with chocolate is quite enjoyable. With a piece of chocolate, I'll start by really noticing the rich aroma of the chocolate. Then, I will put a small piece in my mouth, feeling the texture on my tongue, the sweetness, the richness, the deliciousness of the taste. I'll let it melt on my tongue, really feeling it flatten itself smoothly on my tongue. I'll also really pay attention to all the sensations throughout my mouth. This exercise is best done with distractions limited--it should be all about the chocolate. Of course, this can be done with any food and I find that I am much more satisfied when I am more mindful about what I am eating.