Mindfulness

Raafiek & I attended a Mindfulness conference some time back… think 7 May 2008… and the concept has since intrigued me. I was meant to write a commentary article about my observations and findings, but alas, I didn’t. Perhaps I really need to become more mindful of my myself and my actions.

The conference was held by the UCT Graduate School of Business at the Breakwater Campus, in Greenpoint. On arrival at 17:30 we received a complimentary orange juice and were seated. We were in for something really big here. Something I now wish I took more cognisance of. And, something which could change the rest of our lives.

The conference was led by Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn, a professor emeritus of medicine and the founding director of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in the US. He did lead a very interesting discussion and one which certainly left my mouth gaping. It then struck me. How many times are we really aware of ourselves within a day? Do we really tune into ourselves? Or do we just live life endlessly, day by day, never really taking in all it has to offer?

I don’t know about you, but I’m very guilty of this. Many times, I’m flooded with ‘things to do’, errands to run and just generally clogged with clutter all round that I never get to see any beauty. A beauty which is free for all, a beauty always available, a beauty we sometimes never see or bother to care about.

Dr Kabat-Zinn showed us a very interesting PowerPoint, a presentation in which there were 15 people, 7 wearing white sweaters and 8 wearing black. We were meant to focus only on the white sweaters and to count how many times they passed a soccer ball between each other. Raafiek and I both came to a final answer of 13. Everyone had different answers and where ready to argue their cause. But, that was not the real exercise. We certainly did what was asked, but most people missed the actual test. Even us. He then asked us to watch the presentation again… this time not counting and purely enjoying what was presented. We couldn’t believe what we saw. Not even one person saw it the first time around… there in the midst of passing the ball to each other was a man covered in a black robe passing through the entire screen from right to left. That really made me think. It was right there. Different from everything else... how come i didn't notice it?

It wasn’t a different presentation, it was the very same one we viewed the first time around. But, when given an instruction, to count only the white, we were unable to focus on anything else… which led me to thinking. How many times a day don’t we notice something because we are too focused on something else? Do we even realise the magnitude of this? So, how much opportunities, observations and chance for friendships do we actually miss in our lifetime?

This is how he defines ‘mindfulness’:

“Mindfulness is the ability to focus our attention in the here-and-now, purposefully and without judgement or expectation. Our deep conditioning often means we are habitually lost in thought. This often results in a sense of disconnection from our feelings and our bodies and what is happening directly in front of us. Mindfulness practice is a simple way to begin to reconnect with our inner resources.”

For more information visit http://www.mbsr.co.za

From now on, I want to be more present. To live in each moment I’m presented. To be thankful for all which crosses my path and to smile on the passing of a day, knowing I gave it my very best and really lived in each moment!

So, let’s be mindful!