By: Barbara Turnbull Living reporter, Published on Fri Feb 14 2014
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Ever realize you’ve read pages in a book without absorbing the words or meaning?
That’s an example of living without mindfulness.
New York native Robert Thurman, 72, has perfected the practice, after 50 years of studying and teaching Tibetan Buddhism.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a translation of a Tibetan word for remembering — to remember where you are in the present, instead of ruminating in your mind about something that’s happened to you or fantasizing about the future.
Why is it important?
It increases the power of your concentration. It helps people reduce blood pressure, reduce stress. People can certainly learn better when they concentrate better. It’s becoming an important medical intervention, part of a do-it-yourself movement about your health, body and mind. Fear comes about when you worry about what’s going to happen to you. Concentrate on the present and you won’t have time to think and let your mind go off to fear. The thing about mindfulness is that it’s not only meditating, it’s a tool to make you more mindful of everything.
We think of children as being mindful already, but it’s being incorporated more in schools. Why is it important for kids?
In our electronic, highly distractible and very strongly commercialized cultures, I don’t think it’s accurate to say that children are naturally focused and mindful. They watch hours of television a day from a young age. They’re very distracted and it’s a destructive thing from a young age. Developing the power of concentration is not something that we do in education.
Why do you think we’ve become so removed from it?
It’s because of our industrialized society and culture. You were just urged to learn what it is you are good at, do it and be productive.
What are some simply ways people can incorporate mindfulness into their daily lives?
The simplest way is to spend time away from cellphones. Stop working for a period of time in the day, 10 minutes, put aside phones, screens and keyboards and just count their breath, counting one through 10. Their mind will probably get distracted before they get to three, by worrying ‘Am I going to meet my quota?’ or ‘What time is it?’ or remembering ‘Somebody was rude to me during the coffee break.’ They have to learn to detach from that and bring their mind back to their breath. Doing a little of that a day is like doing a calisthenic.