Mindfulness
‘Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom .’
Victor E. Frankl
If you click on the button below, you will find the slides of the Masterclass
Mindfulness & The Brain
The reaction of our brain
· we are by nature not so positive, and this is not surprising ·
· focusing on potential dangers gives you greater chances of survival ·
· our brain still lives on the savannah, while these primary dangers no longer arise in our society ·
· the brain sees negative thoughts as potential danger: the lion on the savannah who sees you as his next meal ·
· your brain does not distinguish between the two in its response ·
· reaction = fight or flight modus, release of the stress hormone cortisol ·
· we are often unaware of this, but experience the consequences ·
What can we do ourselves?
· the first step you can take is to become aware of what thoughts you are actually having ·
· you can do this by switching back from the autopilot more often, to being more present with what you are doing ·
· this way you can notice unhelpful thoughts more quickly ·
· this allows you to respond more consciously to these thoughts ·
· you have thoughts, but you are not them ·
Meditation
By practicing meditation, we are training ourselves to be consciously present, get off our autopilot mode, to a more conscious state of being. By doing this, we become more aware of how we are feeling, the thoughts we are having, and it gives us a choice to respond different to situations that arise.
We can think of meditation as the training of a muscle. The more often we train the muscle, the stronger it gets. In the beginning you might feel uneasy when you close your eyes, feel a bit lost. But the more frequently you practice, the quieter it gets, and your practice improves.
Breath Awareness Meditation
15 minutes
‘Everything you give attention to grows.’