1 00:00:00,330 --> 00:00:07,680 Mindfulness, Smith says many people have objections to the idea of mindfulness when they first learn 2 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:12,960 about it, and these objections can prevent a person from engaging in the practice. 3 00:00:13,830 --> 00:00:20,760 Most of these objections seem to come from misunderstandings about what it means to be mindful. 4 00:00:21,450 --> 00:00:26,100 Kuman methods include mindfulness is unscientific. 5 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:32,520 People sometimes object to the concept of mindfulness because they prefer to live in the world of fact 6 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:33,230 and science. 7 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:39,150 If you need solid evidence for the benefits of mindfulness, you're in luck. 8 00:00:39,460 --> 00:00:45,870 A large and growing number of studies have found that mindfulness helps with a wide range of conditions 9 00:00:45,870 --> 00:00:48,180 like anxiety and depression. 10 00:00:48,550 --> 00:00:51,880 It has even been found to change the brain. 11 00:00:52,230 --> 00:00:55,290 Mindfulness practice is supported by solid science. 12 00:00:57,060 --> 00:01:06,930 Mindfulness means spending a lot of time in our heads, and language is an imperfect tool, and it's 13 00:01:06,930 --> 00:01:13,800 easy to misunderstand what mindfulness refers to rather than dwelling in our minds. 14 00:01:14,340 --> 00:01:21,090 Mindfulness is about connecting with our basic experiences and letting go of the stories we're at them. 15 00:01:21,090 --> 00:01:27,720 And to be mindful is to be aware and in a state of obedience to what we discover. 16 00:01:30,620 --> 00:01:36,050 Mindfulness means giving up any effort to affect our world for the better. 17 00:01:36,500 --> 00:01:44,390 The word acceptance can mean we're not going to try to change from something like when we say I've accepted 18 00:01:44,390 --> 00:01:49,250 that I'm not going to play professional sports in the context of mindfulness. 19 00:01:49,550 --> 00:01:53,870 Acceptance means we don't deny that reality is reality. 20 00:01:54,260 --> 00:01:58,070 We're willing to see a situation the way it is. 21 00:01:58,430 --> 00:02:06,260 This kind of acceptance can actually be the catalyst for the change as we when we accept that there 22 00:02:06,260 --> 00:02:10,970 is crushing poverty in our community and decide to take action to change it. 23 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:19,640 Mindfulness is weakness if we assume mindfulness means never taking a stand and we quit fighting and 24 00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:21,790 resistance with strength. 25 00:02:22,130 --> 00:02:25,300 But on the contrary, letting go is difficult. 26 00:02:25,310 --> 00:02:33,440 It takes hard work and determination to let go of our habits of Brazil operating on the past and fearing 27 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:34,220 the future. 28 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:43,670 And mindfulness helps us direct our strength in ways that serve us. 29 00:02:46,870 --> 00:02:54,370 Mindfulness means never having goals, a full focus on the present and practicing acceptance. 30 00:02:54,820 --> 00:02:58,490 How can we set goals or plan for the future? 31 00:02:58,810 --> 00:03:05,020 It might seem paradoxical, but the planning for the future and setting goals are completely compatible 32 00:03:05,020 --> 00:03:06,460 with mindfulness practice. 33 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:13,790 As noted previously, accepting reality can give rise to efforts to change a situation. 34 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:22,330 For example, I might accept that my house is too hot and decide to buy an air conditioner and we cannot 35 00:03:22,330 --> 00:03:29,560 practice presents even while setting goals or making plans, being immersed in the reality of those 36 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:31,600 forward looking activities. 37 00:03:33,340 --> 00:03:35,450 Mindfulness equals meditation. 38 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:43,060 The word mindfulness often remind us in the image of someone sitting cross-legged and meditating, which 39 00:03:43,060 --> 00:03:47,530 makes sense as meditation is a very common mindfulness mindfulness practice. 40 00:03:48,010 --> 00:03:54,000 But meditation is not the only way to practice being mindful. 41 00:03:54,370 --> 00:04:01,660 An infinite number of activities offer opportunities to develop openness to our experience, from relaxing 42 00:04:01,660 --> 00:04:05,000 with friends to running an ultramarathon. 43 00:04:05,350 --> 00:04:12,940 The advantage of formal practice meditation is that it offers a concentrated dose of training the mind 44 00:04:12,940 --> 00:04:15,020 to focus on the now. 45 00:04:15,620 --> 00:04:19,690 We can then bring that training into any moment of our lives. 46 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:27,780 Indeed, I found that practicing meditation leads to more experiences of spontaneous mindfulness presents 47 00:04:28,390 --> 00:04:30,550 in our day to day activities.