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Mindfulness and Neuroscience: Let's Make A Deal
It seems that everyone is talking about mindfulness lately. Have
you heard?
*The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society is working with a
number of groups--college faculty, attorneys and judges, social
justice workers, business leaders, youth and those who work with
young people--to encourage the incorporation of contemplative
practices in a variety of settings.
*Film director David Lynch is traveling across the U.S. offering
presentations and podcasts about the power of Transcendental
Meditation.
*Colleges such as Portland State University in Oregon are
offering meditation classes at no charge to any interested
students. The focus is on stress-reduction, not spirituality.
*Goldie Hawn's organization, the Bright Light Foundation, is
studying the effects of mindfulness education in students in the
Vancouver, B.C. area. The program teaches a series of simple
techniques designed to enhance self awareness, focused
attention, self regulation and stress reduction.
Mindfulness is popping up in surprising places as the buzz moves
from meditation to everyday ways to increase awareness. In the
last week alone, I have been interviewed for forthcoming
articles in Self, Vibrant Life, Woman's Day, Family Circle,
Health, and even Sly, Sylvester Stallone's magazine for mid-life
men.
But the greatest buzz of all comes thanks to the Dalai Lama and
his invitation to speak at the annual convention of the Society
for Neuroscience last week. Hundreds of scientists signed a
petition against his selection as the speaker, citing a conflict
between science and religion.
As a serious student of science, the Dalai Lama has been
actively encouraging mind/body research for many years. He feels
that learning more about what happens during meditation will
help shed light on the ways in which the brain processes
information and responds to focused attention, and the findings
may prove useful in alleviating human suffering.
Those who are worried about blurring the line between science
and religion would do well to embrace a little temporary
fuzziness for the greater good. In an editorial published in
both The New York Times and the International Herald Tribune,
the Dalai Lama says: "If science proves some belief of Buddhism
wrong, then Buddhism will have to change."
Wow. Now there's a guy who is not attached to the outcome. He's
simply seeking to learn as much as he can and wants to see that
new information shared with everyone who might benefit from it.
Neuroscience has much to gain by opening to new discoveries, but
in order to do so, researchers must be willing to question their
own theories if findings do not support them.
Let's make a deal: Neuroscientists will do research. People will
meditate. We will all learn about meditation and mindfulness and
attention as best we can and share what we find.
We'll keep at it until we come to a greater understanding of
what it means to be mindful and how that might affect the brain.
And we'll look forward to reading all about it in Playboy and
Popular Science, in People and Parents and Pro Football Weekly.
We won't stop questioning and studying and sharing until
mindfulness is discussed by all kinds of people while they sip
milk or mint tea, Mountain Dew or mocha cappucino, merlot or
Miller beer.
Deal?
About the author:
Maya Talisman Frost has taught thousands of people how to pay
attention. Her playful, eyes-wide-open approach to everyday
mindfulness has been featured in over 150 publications
worldwide, and her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage,
offers clarity, comfort and comic relief to subscribers in over
100 countries. To read her free tips for practical awareness,
visit http://www.Real-WorldMindfulness.com.
Written by: Maya Talisman Frost
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