A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook

Over the course of our lives we’ve been labeled or labeled ourselves as a glass half full or empty kind of person. But what if the glass was already broken? That’s the lesson that Ajahn Chah gives to a group of students including Psychiatrist Mark Epstein, author of Thoughts Without A Thinker.

Ajahn Chah was a highly respected Buddhist Teacher, maybe well known to some as Jack Kornfield’s teacher. What was he talking about when he said the glass is already broken and how does that relate to our lives?

He says:

“You see this goblet? For me, this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on a shelf and the wind knocks it over or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, ‘Of course.’ But when I understand that this glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious.”

On the surface he was making the statement that if he considers the glass to be already broken then he can open up his mind to be more present with it and appreciate the time he has with the glass. At the same time, if it breaks, he’s not so attached because he understands the natural course of it is to break so he’s not as attached.

We can take a lesson for our lives. The question isn’t, is your glass half full or half empty? The question is, are you able to see the glass as already broken? In other words, do you comprehend that our time here is short and eventually will pass? Are you able to see that the label of half full or half empty that you may be so identified with is just a story in the mind that is also already broken and will eventually pass away?

If you understand this you may just find yourself at times lying in a field beyond half full or half empty where your cup is completely empty ready to receive the wonders of life that are all around.

Worth pondering…

As always, please share your thoughts, stories and questions below. Your interaction provides a living wisdom for us all to benefit from.

Reposted from Elisha Goldstein’s Mindfulness Blog on Psychcentral.com

The musical Rent that came out in a New York City Workshop in 1994 reminded us to question how we measure our years on this planet. The cast sings that there are 525,600 minutes in a year that some people measure in sunsets, cups of coffee, laughter, or tears of joy. The song brings focus to the concept that we can bring awareness to the moments of our lives and how very precious they truly are.

Joni Mitchell sings the song Big Yellow Taxi where the lyrics say:

Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got till it’s gone
They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot

While this song is talking about the loss of natural environmental beauty to an uprising of concrete jungle, the theme of not knowing what we have until it’s gone is a common experience.

The reason I went into the field of Mindfulness and Psychotherapy is because I saw a need to help myself and others realize what we have before it’s gone.

We don’t realize the precious moments in our lives that are passing by us all the time as we’re searching for something better.

Is there a way to get reconnected with the sacred moments of daily life?

Can this moment that you’re reading this be considered a space in time where you might reflect on the day behind you and maybe see where those moments were?

Is there something in this moment right now, how you’re feeling, someone who is nearby you, a rare space of quiet with your coffee or tea, that can considered precious?

Simply reflecting upon this can prime your mind be more aware of these moments when they are spontaneously happening.

This is a wonderful practice, especially if you are struggling with difficulties in life such as stress, anxiety, depression, or addiction.

Note: If the mind says, “been there done that” or “what’s the point, this is of no use,” see if you can be aware that these are just automatic negative thoughts that are likely a result of your mood and at the end of the day, just close you off to possibility.

Try this out as an experiment and see how it goes.

As always, please share your thoughts, stories and questions below. Your interaction creates a living wisdom for us all to benefit form.

Reposted from Elisha Goldstein’s Mindfulness Blog on Psychcentral.com

The reason so many of us are drawn to the idea of getting unstuck is because feeling stuck in life is such a common experience. Maybe we continually get distracted at work as projects mount or get hooked into the same arguments in our relationships, or just can’t seem to get back on the treadmill. Feeling stuck is part of the human experience. So how do we get unstuck?

In order to get unstuck we need to understand that there are perceptions, judgments and opinions that occur so quickly beneath our awareness that we get stuck before we even notice any thoughts arise. Your mind judges exercise as “bad” before the conscious excuse comes up. Your partner was “wrong” milliseconds after he opened his mouth.

So we can follow the stories of our minds about why we can’t exercise or why your partner is a jerk or how the projects can wait, but those stories are secondary to the first thing we have the option to notice and that’s the actual feeling of being stuck. The physical feeling is a fact that we can bring our attention to an interrupt the downward cycle as it’s occurring to get unstuck.

Easier said than done.

In her recent book Taking the Leap, Pema Chodron teaches us about a Tibetan word called Shenpa. She says Shenpa can be thought of as getting “hooked”-What it feels like to be stuck.

She says, “Somebody says a harsh word and something in you tightens: instantly you’re hooked. That tightness quickly spirals into blaming the person or denigrating yourself. The chain reaction of speaking and acting or obsessing happens fast.”

It happens so fast that at times we’re not aware of it until we’re deeply stuck. However, here is the critical point. In that moment we know we’re stuck, we’re present and now we are sitting in a space where we can choose a different response.

There’s the famous saying, If you can name it, you can tame it.

Here are 4 steps to get unstuck:

1. Name the stuckness – In other words, simply say to yourself, this is the feeling of being stuck
2. Find the physical sensation – Take a brief scan of your body and become aware of where you notice the greatest sensation. Get a sense of how large it is, it’s shape, does it have a color? Get curious about it. Getting curious helps us break outside of the box.
3. See choices – Ask yourself the question, is there another way I can see the situation I’m in? What choices do I have here? See if you can do this without judgment, more as a brainstorm.
4. Take action – Put one foot in front of the other and begin engaging in one of those choices.

Even if the choice doesn’t stick at first, know that this practice in itself is training your mind to get unstuck from the cycles it gets caught in. When you notice yourself wandering into past habitual ways of being, know that is expected and just gently guide yourself back.

As always, please share your thoughts, stories and questions below. Your interaction creates a living wisdom for us all to benefit from.

Reposted from Elisha Goldstein’s Mindfulness Blog on Psychcentral.com

Lately I’ve been wondering how all the digital gadgets that we’ve become so attached to affect our levels of stress. In other words, the eyes are taking in more light and stimulation than ever and perhaps the brain is over activated leaving us feeling anxious much of the time and in order to avoid our anxiety we turn back to the gadgets. Could this be true and if so could it be a self reinforcing vicious cycle?

I’ll out myself now and say I am pro technology and among colleagues have been known to be that guy that has always tried to find the synergy between mindfulness, psychotherapy and technology.

However, I’ve noticed myself grabbing to check my phone while walking short distances from one place to the next to check any messages that may be there. When I don’t grab my phone I recognize a bit of anxiety running through my body. That really made me think, the more interaction I have with the multitude of digital devices out there, the more my mind and body want it.

I’m not pointing to an addiction here, but simply a natural cause and effect that likely has a psychological underpinning, but could very well have a biological one as well.

This of course varies among people, but for most of the people that I know (even the most mindful ones); I have become aware of the frenetic attachment to their digital devices checking email, Facebook, twitter, and all the thousands of applications that make for eye and mind candy.

The fact is that none of this is inherently good or bad, but is worth looking at to see how its affecting our lives.

Why?

Because if our most valuable resource is our attention and much of the time that attention is pulled toward our phones, IPads, computers, etc…, then what of life are we missing out on?

Maybe we fail to see the smile of our baby, or the first bloom in spring, or perhaps don’t taste the delicious meal we’re eating. All of these experiences support feeling well and resiliency during difficult times.

This isn’t a definitive guide to our relationships with digital devices, but simply a post to make us go hmmm….

As always, please share your thoughts, stories and questions below. Your interaction provides a living wisdom for us all to benefit from.

Reposted from Elisha Goldstein’s Mindfulness Blog on Psychcentral.com