Watershed Solutions Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Guided meditation’

“Often we allow ourselves to be upset by small things we should despise and forget. We lose many irreplaceable hours brooding over grievances that, in a year’s time, will be forgotten by us and by everybody. No, let us devote our life to worthwhile actions and feelings, to great thoughts, real affections and enduring undertakings.”~ Andre Maurois, 1885-1967, Writer

“One half of life is luck; the other half is discipline – and that’s the important half, for without discipline you wouldn’t know what to do with luck.”~ Carl Zuckmeyer, 1896-1977, Writer and Playwright

“I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.”~ Martha Washington, 1732-1802, First American First Lady

“Your mind is your instrument. Learn to be its master and not its slave.”~ Remez Sasson, Writer

“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world… as in being able to remake ourselves.” ~Mahatma Gandhi, 1869-1948, Political Leader

Mindsight is a must-read for anyone who wants to live a happier and more productive life. Through detailed explanations of the brain, Daniel J. Siegel shows how to change dysfunctional thoughts, and become more flexible and emotionally stable. He also shows how to use meditation to develop a special kind of lens, to see your mind clearly, which he calls “mindsight”.

Jonathon, a sixteen-year old high school teenager, had bipolar disorder when he first visited Dr. Daniel J. Siegel. This made it very difficult for him to maintain daily equilibrium and he often found himself exploding with rage. Instead of using antidepressants, which have numerous side-effects, Jonathon and his family decided to walk down the path of Meditation
and basic relaxation skills with Dr. Siegel to help Jonathon understand himself and live a happier life. Dr. Siegel describes the meditation technique and relaxation skills that he used on Jonathon also with explanations of how meditation affects our brains and help us change over time. After just a few weeks of therapy, Jonathon wrote this in his diary “I know this sounds lame, but my view of life is changed now” which shows the power of meditation to change our lives.

Not only has Dr. Siegel used this technique to help Jonathon, but he also helped a ninety-two year old man recover from cold childhood memories and start appreciating and caring for the people close to him. I found this an inspiring story because who would have thought that meditation could change the mind of an older individual.

Daniel J. Siegel has written Mindsight using simple language despite the complexity of the topic which makes this an easy read. The detailed description of the meditation technique and relaxation skills allows the reader to perform the same techniques at home.

After reading the book, I believe meditation should be practiced daily even if you don’t suffer from depression or other emotional or mental challenges. Meditation simply helps you reflect on and have a better understanding of yourself. It can also help you deal with personal and professional stress, keep balance in your life and be more productive. All in all practicing meditation will make you a better person; Dr. Siegel shows you how to meditate with ease.

See Dr Siegal talk about Mindsight with the Blue Man Group

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNi3huu5KAY]

Two weeks ago, I attended a great presentation by Linda Page, Founder and President of the Adler School of Professional Studies. She talked about information in her upcoming book with David Rock, Coaching with the brain in mind.  Here is a brief summary of her powerful message that really resonated with me.

The brain is made up of many complex areas that are responsible for various aspects of our functioning. The amygdala’s*, role is to sense threats and respond or trigger the ‘fight or flight’ response which is especially important given our stress driven society.  When we feel threatened, the amygdaqla goes into overdrive and takes over.  It’s what Daniel Goleman calls amygdala hijack and results in a lack of focus, panic and complete inability to be productive.  Unfortunately, threats are rampant in the today’s workplace (e.g. downsizings, management changes, more work and less resources etc.) and frequently send us into ‘hijack’ or the stress response.

How do we calm down the amygdala to better manage stress?  According to Linda, one way is to cultivate meta cognition. You’re probably asking meta what? It’s basically our awareness of our cognitive/mental processes or plain old self awareness.

That is well and good but how do we do we cultivate this meta-cogntion or self awareness?  According to Linda Page, one great way is through meditation. Meditation helps us quiet the mind and develop greater awareness of our thoughts and behaviors. In fact recent research by Yi-Yuan Tang and Michael Posner found that even 5 days of meditation results in better attention and control of stress than relaxation training.

The easiest place to start your mediation practice to start is with guided meditations. They are available at a bookstore (try those by Jon Kabat Zinn or Jack Kornfield), library or online at http://wendy.prositebuilder.com/Guided_Meditation.asp. To learn more about how meditation can help you check out next week’s blog.

* An almond shaped mass of gray matter in the temporal lobe of the cerebrum that is involved in the processing and expression of emotions, especially anger and fear.