"Men ought to know that from the brain, and from the brain only, arise our pleasures, joys, laughter and jests, as well as our sorrows, pains, griefs and tears. Through it, in particular, we think, see, hear, and distinguish the ugly from the beautiful, the bad from the good, the pleasant from the unpleasant.“
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Felt ExperienceWhat we pay attention to determines our stress level, our vulnerability to stress, and how we react to stress. Our felt experience depends upon what we attend to-- external stimuli, internal stimuli (including emotions and thoughts), and our interpretation of these stimuli. Mindfulness is a quality of consciousness, characterized by these features: present-oriented consciousness of what is occurring clarity of awareness of one’s inner and outer realms flexibility of awareness and attention empirical stance toward reality (factual, value free, and nonjudgmental) stability of attention |
Elements of Mindfulness Practice a) Breathe the right way, but don’t try to breath the right way. And keep trying.
b) Sit comfortably upright, even if it’s uncomfortable. c) Focus your sight on a single point, but don’t stare. d) Attune your hearing to all internal and external noise without listening to any of it. e) Allow your mind to drift without letting it wander. |