Episode 5: Insights

This episode is a short recap of what has been discussed so far, followed by a long list of books on these topics, which have inspired me along the way. The books-section is a little longer than planned, but the following quote explains how I feel about them:

 
“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”
— John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

Mind is consciousness, it is our human experience. Trying to create space, to quite this inner world is often difficult as it can be covered by waves of emotions and an endless stream of comments and judgements, memories and stories of the future, worries and plans. Modern life has added chronic stress to our lives; our breathing has become rushed and shallow and we have started “living from the neck up”. Many people are so used to being out of touch with the body that they live entirely in a mental world. The fact that body and mind are interconnected might even be hard for them to believe.

Meditation and mindfulness teach us to focus on sensations we feel in the body, but we notice that inevitably we start assessing those sensations or feelings as pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. Trying to grasp pleasant things, avoid unpleasant things or being ambivalent about neutral things create a waterfall of reactivity. We disconnect from the present moment, from awareness and from our heart.

To awaken from this trance, to escape the waterfall, the Buddha recommended “mindfulness centred on the body”. If we can try to return the focus on the sensations in our body, over and over, each time we notice we are in a story, we are thinking, return the attention back to the sensations we are feeling. Without judgement, but with clear focus and compassion.

Over time unprocessed emotions also start to create tension in the body. So enabling movement while practicing mindfulness or meditation can allow this tension to be released.

Somatic movement is mindful and allows movement patterns in the brain to be reset allowing the tension to leave the body. Yoga is a mind-body practice which has a rich philosophy, offering tools to deal with physical, mental, emotional and spiritual challenges.

 

BOOKS

Note that the section on books in the videos is quite lengthy (even after I edited it down); it’s just that I am so grateful for people sharing their wisdom that I get a little carried away at times. Below is the summary of the books in the video, note that there are so many good books not on this list and that I will be adding those to the library page which I'm developing.

 
 

on Mindfulness:

  • The Untethered Soul, The Journey beyond Yourself, by Michael A. Singer

  • The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle

ON Mind-training:

  • Training in Compassion: Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong, by Norman Fischer

ON Stress:

  • Why Zebras don’t get Ulcers, by Professor Robert M. Sapolsky

  • When the Body says No, The hidden cost of Stress, by Dr. Gabor Maté

  • The body keeps the score, by Psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk

ON Compassion:

  • A Fearless Heart, Why compassion is the Key to Greater Wellbeing, by Thupten Jinpa

  • Radical Acceptance, by Tara Brach

  • Radical Compassion, by Tara Brach

ON Yoga:

  • The old texts (the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras) which have been translated by many modern writers.

  • Anything by BKS Iyengar; Light on Life, Light on Yoga

  • Anything by Stephen Cope

  • The Revolution of the Soul, by Seane Corn

  • The Science of Yoga, by Ann Swanson

OTHER Insights ON LIFE:

 
 
Series, Series01BFOYMaud GerritsenMindfulness, Meditation, Development, Yoga, Somatics