Mindfulness (MBSR)

Mindfulness is the superpower of being right here, right now, on purpose. Many people live in the Ghost World of the past or the Dream World of the future. When you are mindful, you come back to the Real World of right now. It means noticing the color of the sky and the feeling of your shoes without wishing they were different. It turns ordinary moments into special treasures because you are actually there to see them.

The superpower of being right here right now on purpose. You have never lived a single second in the past. You have never lived a single second in the future. You have only ever lived right now. But the mind lives everywhere except right now. It rehearses. It replays. It worries. It plans. And while it is doing all of that, the only moment that is actually real — this one — passes unwitnessed. Mindfulness is not about relaxation. Mindfulness is about reality. It is the practice of showing up to the only moment that exists. Jon Kabat-Zinn brought this ancient practice into hospitals and proved it reduces cortisol, inflammation, anxiety, and chronic pain. Not because it is magic. Because presence is medicine. The past is a memory. The future is a guess. Right now is the only thing that is actually happening. And most people miss it. Not because they are stupid. Because nobody taught them to look.

MBSR: clinicalized ancient awareness practice, proven to reduce cortisol and systemic inflammation. Non-judgmental observation creates a gap between stimulus and response. The past is a memory. The future is a guess. Right now is the only thing that is actually happening.

SOUND: The ticking of a clock in a quiet room: the sound of the present moment counting itself.

SMELL: A pencil or old paper: the scent of something that has been here the whole time waiting to be noticed.

TASTE: The spicy zing of ginger: the tongue jolted into the present by a flavor that demands attention.

TOUCH: A smooth stone in your pocket: the weight of now held in the palm of your hand.

SIGHT: Five different colors in this room right now: the eyes proving the present is richer than you remembered.

BODY: Air on your skin: the body being touched by the present moment from every direction at once.

Music: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones

Music: Monterey Pop Performance by Ravi Shankar

Part of Meditation & Stillness — MYSTICISM — Education Revelation