Session 7: Be Your Own Meditation Instructor and Daylong Retreat

Wisdom Mind ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 61-66
Author(s):  
Colette M. Smart
Keyword(s):  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Meditation Practice ◽  
Loving Kindness ◽  
Taking Responsibility

As we are nearing the end of the program, you will be invited to reflect on how you might sustain your mindfulness practice going forward (assuming you have found it helpful!). Taking responsibility for our own meditation practice is something we refer to as “becoming our own meditation instructor.” This chapter also contains information regarding the daylong retreat that will occur between this session and the final one. You will be given guidance on how to prepare for this silent day of group mindfulness practice, and time should be spent in session addressing any questions or concerns about the retreat. We will also review your homework experiences from the prior week, tracking reacting versus responding in relationships, and the final new practice of Loving-Kindness is introduced as a way to cultivate compassion for ourselves and ultimately for others.

scholarly journals Advancing the Assessment of Mindfulness-Based Meditation Practice: Psychometric Evaluation of the Mindfulness Adherence Questionnaire

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Hassed ◽  
Andrew Flighty ◽  
Richard Chambers ◽  
Dominic Hosemans ◽  
Neil Bailey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skill Acquisition ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Psychometric Evaluation ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Meditation Practice ◽  
Trait Mindfulness ◽  
Internal Reliability ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Background Mindfulness-based meditation practice (MBP) can be assessed in terms of time spent (quantity) or skill acquisition (quality), but these components have rarely been delineated in adherence measures. Individuals may also engage in MBP through everyday life (informal practice) and dedicate specific time for MBP (formal practice). Method The Mindfulness Adherence Questionnaire, a scale designed to assess quantity and quality of formal and informal MBP was evaluated. Study 1 used a cross-sectional design to examine internal reliability and construct validity (N = 282). Study 2 examined test–retest reliability and sensitivity (N = 55) during a 4-week mindfulness intervention. Results A nested-factor model showed adequate fit: MAQ items loaded on both the general factor (Practice) and specific factors (Formal and Informal). Discriminant validity analyses revealed the MAQ captured MBP adherence distinct from trait mindfulness. Quality of both formal and informal mindfulness practice was more strongly associated with higher levels of trait mindfulness than quantity. Changes in MAQ Quantity scores were observed over time. Conclusions The MAQ is reliable and has a meaningful scale structure, may usefully distinguish both quality versus quantity and formal versus informal MBP, and is sensitive to variations in MBP and does not solely measure trait mindfulness.

Mindfulness in workplaces : could it be more spiritual ?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Perocheau
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Meditation Practice ◽  
Altruistic Motivation ◽  
Spiritual Dimension ◽  
The World ◽  
And Performance

Recently, mindfulness meditation has become very popular in workplaces. Proposed as lay practice, it has been proven to be a well-being tool having an impact on efficiency and performance. But cut from its Buddhist roots, mindfulness has lost its spiritual dimension. In this paper, we try to define contemporary concepts useful to build more spiritual narrations for collective action and mindfulness practice in the workplaces. Our research method is based on a theoretical exploration of the traditional Buddhist spiritual context for meditation practice, and on the analysis of the discourses of altruistic leaders. Our intermediary results show that a spiritual mindfulness practice is driven by an altruistic motivation, is based on a non dualistic vision of the world, and is a transformation tool for action. More spiritual narrations of collective action should take into account the primacy of altruism in human experience, the universal dimension of work in the Anthropocene, and will be inspired by other altruistic stories.

Session 7: Be Your Own Meditation Instructor and Daylong Retreat

Wisdom Mind ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 131-146
Author(s):  
Colette M. Smart
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Loving Kindness ◽  
Regulatory Aspect

Nearing the end of the program, participants are asked to reflect on how they will sustain their mindfulness practice going forward. This underscores the self-regulatory aspect of mindfulness, as one learns how to “become one’s own meditation instructor.” This chapter also contains information regarding the daylong retreat. Participants are given guidance on how to prepare for this silent day of group mindfulness practice, and time is spent in session addressing any questions or concerns about the retreat. The prior week’s experience tracking reacting versus responding in relationships is discussed, and the final new practice of Loving-Kindness is introduced as a way to cultivate compassion for ourselves and ultimately for others.

Loving-Kindness Meditation practice associated with longer telomeres in women

2013 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 159-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Hoge ◽  
Maxine M. Chen ◽  
Esther Orr ◽  
Christina A. Metcalf ◽  
Laura E. Fischer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Meditation Practice ◽  
Loving Kindness

scholarly journals Coming Into Mindfulness: A Practice of Relational Presence to Cultivate Compassion in One Rural School

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-202
Author(s):  
Sonal Kavia ◽  
M. Shaun Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Inquiry ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Loving Kindness ◽  
Educational Spaces

This narrative inquiry explores personal and professional stories of two educators, nurtured and supported by their school leadership, in a rural school setting, who have had diverse experiences with the contemplative practice of mindfulness. Our research primarily focused on the following wonders: How does the experience of mindfulness practice shift teacher identity and awareness, and the quality of time educators spend with children and youth? As educators, how can the practice of mindfulness expand our experience of listening, loving kindness, and compassion within educational spaces? We explore how their unique experiences of mindfulness are woven into the fabric of their school and a mindful pedagogy.

scholarly journals Mind-Body Interventions to Reduce Risk for Health Disparities Related to Stress and Strength Among African American Women: The Potential of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Loving-Kindness, and the NTU Therapeutic Framework

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl L. Woods-Giscombé ◽  
Angela R. Black
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Emotional Suppression ◽  
American Women ◽  
Loving Kindness ◽  
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

In the current article, the authors examine the potential role of mind-body interventions for preventing or reducing health disparities in a specific group—African American women. The authors first discuss how health disparities affect this group, including empirical evidence regarding the influence of biopsychosocial processes (e.g., psychological stress and social context) on disparate health outcomes. They also detail how African American women’s unique stress experiences as a result of distinct sociohistorical and cultural experiences related to race and gender potentially widen exposure to stressors and influence stress responses and coping behaviors. Using two independent, but related, frameworks (Superwoman Schema [SWS] and the Strong Black Woman Script [SBW-S]), they discuss how, for African American women, stress is affected by ‘‘strength’’ (vis-à-vis resilience, fortitude, and self-sufficiency) and the emergent health-compromising behaviors related to strength (e.g., emotional suppression, extraordinary caregiving, and self-care postponement). The authors then describe the potential utility of three mind-body interventions—mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), loving-kindness meditation (LKM), and NTU psychotherapy—for specifically targeting the stress-, strength-, and contextually related factors that are thought to influence disparate outcomes for African American women. Self-awareness, self-care, inter- and intrapersonal restorative healing and a redefinition of inner strength may manifest through developing a mindfulness practice to decrease stress-related responses; using LKM to cultivate compassion and forgiveness for self and others; and the balance of independence and interdependence as a grounding NTU principle for redefining strength. The authors conclude with a discussion of potential benefits for integrating key aspects of the interventions with recommendations for future research.

Session 3: Noticing Slips and Falls

Wisdom Mind ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 55-80
Author(s):  
Colette M. Smart
Keyword(s):  
Life Experiences ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Focused Attention ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Meditation Practice ◽  
Pleasant Events

The main focus of the current session is to help participants see the connection between their cognitive slip-ups (which they were asked to track in the prior week’s homework) and the emotional reactions they have to those slip-ups (i.e., “falls,” as in “slips and falls”). Homework is reviewed to provide material for this discussion. This segues into providing psychoeducation on the hierarchy of attention, and Focused Attention mindfulness is again reinforced as a way to decrease slip-ups. Participants are introduced to the first of two Mindful Yoga series as another way to experience present-moment awareness, and as a complement to sitting meditation practice. Tracking pleasant events is also assigned for homework as a way to make the bridge between mindfulness practice and daily activities and life experiences.

Session 3: Noticing Slips and Falls

Wisdom Mind ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 19-36
Author(s):  
Colette M. Smart
Keyword(s):  
Life Experiences ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Focused Attention ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Meditation Practice ◽  
Pleasant Events

The main focus of the current session is to introduce you to the connection between your cognitive slip-ups (which you were asked to track in the prior week’s homework) and the emotional reactions you have to those slip-ups (i.e., “falls”, as in “slips and falls”). You will have a chance to discuss your experience with the homework and what you learned about the kinds of slip-ups you experience and how that is related to your mood. Building on this, you will learn about the hierarchy of attention, and how Focused Attention mindfulness can help you decrease slip-ups. You will also be introduced to the first of two Mindful Yoga series as another way to experience present-moment awareness, and as a complement to sitting meditation practice. Tracking pleasant events is also assigned for homework as a way to make the bridge between mindfulness practice and daily activities and life experiences.

A comparison of loving-kindness and mindfulness meditation practice

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelica Falkenstein ◽  
John Edwards ◽  
Victoria Braun ◽  
Shana Needham
Keyword(s):  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Meditation Practice ◽  
Loving Kindness

A Qualitative Study of Adolescents’ Experiences of Distress and Well-Being during Intensive Mindfulness Practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Tumminia ◽  
Shana DeVlieger ◽  
Sharon E Colvin ◽  
Tanner LeBaron Wallace ◽  
Thomas Akiva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mindfulness Training ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Physical Pain ◽  
Smartphone Applications ◽  
Loving Kindness ◽  
School Programs ◽  
Physical Distress

ObjectivesIn recent years mindfulness has gone mainstream, reaching many adolescents through school programs and smartphone applications. Yet there is little empirical understanding of what mindfulness practice is like for adolescents. This qualitative study sought to capture adolescents’ lived experiences as they embarked on a period of intensive mindfulness practice.MethodsThis multi-method qualitative study involved 23 self-selected youth (Mage = 16.35 years, SD = 1.58, 57% girls, 52% White) who participated in a six-day residential mindfulness retreat. Participants wrote reflections about their mindfulness practice each night of the retreat and discussed their experiences in focus groups immediately after the retreat. Data were analyzed using a two-cycle coding process to categorize common patterns of adolescents’ experiences into conceptually meaningful categories. ResultsAdolescents reported an array of experiences of distress from cognitive (83% of adolescents; e.g., self-loathing and rumination), to emotional (87% of adolescents; e.g., sadness), to physical distress (44% of adolescents; e.g., physical pain) during mindfulness training. They also described a range of well-being experiences from cognitive (87% of adolescents; e.g., self-inquiry and discovery), to emotional (65% of adolescents; e.g., acceptance), to social well-being (39% of adolescents; e.g., loving-kindness and connection). Experiences of distress and well-being were relatively balanced overall, yet girls and experienced meditators reported greater distress.ConclusionsThis study paints a descriptive picture of adolescents’ experiences during mindfulness practice and suggests that their experiences during mindfulness might reflect core developmental concerns. Implications for developmental science and adolescent-informed mindfulness training programs are discussed.

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