Mindfulness

I feel pretty inadequate to write something coherent on such a huge topic. But the point of my blog is to put my impressions into words no matter what level of knowledge or expertise I might have about a particular subject. I became freshly interested in this topic this week when I watched a GoogleTalk titled Mindsight. The information contained in the YouTube video stimulated connections between other approaches to the topic I have experienced through spiritual meditation and some reading about practices in Eastern Religion, especially Buddhism.

What is mindfulness? What does it mean to be mindful? Are there benefits to becoming more mindful? How do we become more mindful?

Fundamentally, mindfulness is the state of being completely present in the moment. Our focus is centered on the immediate experience and we are attuned to the relationships in play. It is the intention to give attention to the present and at the same time be aware of our awareness.

Being mindful involves bringing the present into focus and de-emphasizing the past, future or other distractions that are not part of our primary focus. We give our conscious attention to the present environment with intention. We give our attention to the relationships in the present environment and do not sleepwalk through our experiences.

One of the primary benefits that results from increasing our mindfulness is improved mental health. From a spiritual perspective, we slow down and become aware of the reality in which we find ourselves. We experience a oneness and act from our unified center. We experience a higher degree of control over our emotions and reactions. We have the ability to pause before acting. We eliminate unnecessary distractions and noise in life that increase our stress and drama.

From a scientific perspective, what we are really doing when we increase our ability to be mindful is building the mind muscle. Not the brain, but the mind. The pre-frontal cortex of the brain houses the areas that we most associate with the concept of mind. This area allows us to conceive and experience abstractions such as freedom, morality, creativity, intuition and control of fear. Mindfulness practices strengthen this part of the brain, therefore strengthening the mind in these areas as well as increasing our potential for empathy and compassion.

We become more mindful by following a daily centering practice where we intentionally concentrate on something fundamental, such as our breath. Mindfulness meditation is a style of meditation that has undergone the most scientific study. There are other practices such as Yoga and centering prayer that probably work as well but have not been studied to the extent of mindfulness meditation.

While the practices mentioned above (and others) qualify as pure mindfulness practices, other activities where we concentrate intentionally and intensely and gently deal with distractions by bringing our attention back to the focus of our concentration are also mindful practices. This includes activities such as reading, playing music, writing, producing art. However, it is arguable that there are many more such activities, anything that invites us to be completely in the moment that are also mindfulness experiences. It is possible that these are secondary mindfulness practices that benefit from a more primary mindfulness experience such as meditation.

Walking the Katy Trail

This morning we took a long walk on the Katy Trail. I live relatively close to one end of the trail. Well, if you count about half a mile as close. From my condo, we walk 3 blocks west to Market Street, then take Market through the West End to Houston Street near Hooters and Dick's Last Resort. We pass the House of Blues and continue on past the W, the Terrace and American Airlines Center to the entrance of the trail.

Lots of Sunday walkers, runners and bikers. We walked briskly to Lee Park and jumped off the Trail at Lemmon Street. We took Lemmon north to Oak Lawn and went to Eatzi's for breakfast. So much good food to choose from there, but we chose to order from the breakfast grill Migas, potatoes and bacon.

Sitting on the Eatzi's porch/patio was relatively pleasant as a light breeze helped. We had too many potatoes but the Migas was very good, although a little heavy for the amount of exercise we were getting from our walk.

We headed back south on Rawlins street and climbed back up a steep embankment to get back on the trail just west of Lee Park. Going back was very hot as the humidity continued and the temperature had increased a lot from the earlier walk over to Eatzi's.

What a great way to start a Sunday. The strenuous walk was comparable to the 3 hour hike we did last week at Lake Texoma. We're hoping the weather cools off soon so this kind of weekend fun will be even more enjoyable.

Car Shopping

This weekend I went with a friend to test drive a few cars. She wants to get a new car and was first attracted to the Prius. Since driving it the first time, though, she has also become interested in Acura. She came along with me when I was car shopping a few months ago, so I wanted to go with her this time.

First, she drove my TSX to the Acura dealership to get a feel for the way it handles. At the Acura dealership, we drove a TL. The TL was a bit larger and had a smoother ride. The downside of the TL is that it has a V6 and gets significantly poorer gas mileage than the 4 cylinder TSX and especially the Prius. For the money, it's not a bad deal though since you can get a TL for only a few K more than a TSX.

Next was the Lexus hybrid sedan, the H2 I believe. It rode pretty smoothly. Gas mileage was stated at around 35 mpg. The price tag is significantly higher than an Acura or Prius.

Last, we went back to Toyota and drove the Prius again (for her). It was my first time. The ride was ok, but the interior was very bland after driving the Acura and the Lexus. Gas mileage is impressive as the average is quoted as 51 mpg with some reports of up to 60 mpg depending on specific driving habits and environment. The downside to the Prius is the appearance. While it is intended to be very aerodynamic, it looks less professional than the Acura or the Lexus.

I believe the Acura TSX is the leading contender at this point. It gets 31 mpg on average, drives great and looks great. Maybe a new car for her next weekend :-)