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From now on you can find it at www.mindfulbalance.wordpress.com

Balance in mind and body

The first three pillars of the MBSR Programme are awareness of the body, awareness of emotions and awareness of thoughts. All of these need to work together in harmony for us to have a healthy and positive life.

The first pillar is awareness of the body, both in the way stress manifests itself in the body and how a healthy lifestyle requires a healthy body. One way this is cultivated in the MBSR programme is through Mindful Yoga exercises.

The importance of physical fitness for the mind has been supported in a recent study by Laura Baker and her colleagues at the University of Washington, published in the Archives of Neurology. It found that older adults who engaged in regular exercise showed improved concentration and multi-tasking skills. Another study, this time conducted by Charles Hillman PhD, and published in journal of the American College of Sports Medicine showed that a 30 minute aerobic workout significantly improved the accuracy of memory on administered tests. Finally, a recent Duke University study found that middle-aged participants who worked out for 30 minutes, three to four times a week, showed a 30% improvement in mental function after 4 months. As Dr Hillman stated: “data shows that getting regular exercise over time can increase both gray and white matter in the brain and make a huge difference in how well you process and track information, stay on task and allocate your mental resources”

Laura D. Baker, PhD, et al., Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Mild Cognitive Impairment : A Controlled Trial, Arch Neurol. 2010;67(1):71-79.

Sunday Quote

We often ask, "What's wrong?" Doing so we invite painful seeds of sorrow to come up and manifest. We feel suffering, anger and depression and produce more such seeds.

We would be much happier if we tried to stay in touch with the healthy, joyful seeds inside of us and around us. We should learn to ask "What is not wrong?" and be in touch with that".

Thich Nhat Hahn, Peace is Every Step

Home

We can travel a long way and do many different things, but our deepest happiness is not born from accumulating new experiences. It is born from letting go of what is unnecessary, and knowing ourselves to be always at home. True happiness may not be at all far away, but it requires a radical change of view as to where to find it.

Sharon Salzberg, Loving Kindness

How to tackle a long task

"My son, every day work on only as much ground as your body takes up in space lying down,and your work will progress gradually
and you will not lose heart"

When he heard this, the young man
acted accordingly,
and within a short time the field was
cleared and cultivated.
Do the same, work step by step
and you will not lose heart.

Sayings of the Desert Fathers.

These sayings from the 4th Century have a lot of wisdom in them. In this one the young man gets discouraged because the field is hard to plough. He does not have the strength and feels paralysed. He does not know where to start and as a consequence leaves everything just lying around. We are like this when we have to face a difficult or long task, or indeed a difficult person.

The old man gives the best advice. Do not consider the whole field, just do as much ground as you would sleep on in the night. That can be done easily. And so the young man begins, slowly, but soon the whole field gets done.

Each day we can think that we have a mountain of tasks ahead of us. And if we get tired or stressed they seem even greater. The advice is to start at one place and work slowly, not considering the whole of the task. If we look at the whole day and the extent of work to be done, we can get discouraged and make no progress. Just do one thing after another, step by step....we can all do that without being overwhelmed.

It is the same with our inner life. If we get frightened by our faults or difficulties and think that we will never change, we will never get started. We give up on ourselves. It is enough to do a little piece of work each day, such as a short sitting, and not concern ourselves with the whole field. This way progress happens, without us even noticing it.

The way we live

The value of a life
does not depend on
the place we occupy;

It depends on the way
we occupy that place.

Therese of Lisieux

The other side of the world

Happiness is not a place that is found
outside of where we are right now.
If you wanted to find a perfect get-away
from all your stress and unhappiness,
where and how far would you go?
To the other side of the world,
to the International Space Station,
or just the nearest bar?
Your body would be somewhere else,
but still, you would be taking your
stressed, unhappy mind with you

Thich Nhat Hahn

Thoughts

Coming, going,
the waterbirds
don't leave a trace,
don't follow a path.

Dogen, On Non-Dependence of Mind