Quotes on Mindfulness

[Daniel E.]

"Words are ubiquitous in our lives. They play a critical role in shaping every aspect of what we do, how we view ourselves and our world, and how we feel. Defusion teaches us how to step back from the words--and thus, from the thoughts--that cause us problems; how to take those words and thoughts less seriously. It teaches us how to break free from the verbal corners our thoughts paint us into and how to use our thoughts as tools rather than being used by them, thereby enabling us to live meaningful and vital lives even when our thoughts and feelings are telling us we can't."

~ John T. Blackledge, Cognitive Defusion in Practice

 

[Daniel E.]

“Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.”

"Life gives you plenty of time to do whatever you want to do if you stay in the present moment."

"We are not victims of aging, sickness and death. These are part of scenery, not the seer, who is immune to any form of change. This seer is the spirit, the expression of eternal being."

"Research has shown that the best way to be happy is to make each day happy."

Deepak Chopra

 

[Daniel E.]

A zen-like quote:

"If our life lacks a constant magic it is because we choose to observe our acts and lose ourselves in consideration of their imagined form and meaning, instead of being impelled by their force."

~ Antonin Artaud

 

[Daniel E.]

“Being under stress is like being stranded in a body of water. If you panic, it will cause you to flail around so that the water rushes into your lungs and creates further distress. Yet, by calmly collecting yourself and using controlled breathing you remain afloat with ease.”

“Accept the past as the past and realize that each new day you are a new person who doesn’t need to carry old baggage into the new day with you. It’s amazing how many people ruin the beauty of today with the sorrows of yesterday. Yesterday doesn’t exist anymore! For example, if ever I feel foolish or guilty about something I’ve done, I learn from it and attempt to do better the next time. Shame or guilt serves no one. Such feelings actually keep us down...Living in the present moment is the recurring baptism of the soul, forever purifying every new day with a new you.”

“Be vulnerable! It is not someone else’s responsibility to break down your walls to get to you. It is your responsibility to let them in. This is crucial. Be more vulnerable with people in your life today. Know that being vulnerable is not a weakness – vulnerability means you are strong and secure enough within yourself to walk outside without your armor on.”

― Alaric Hutchinson

 

[Daniel E.]

"When an individual is alienated from their body, they have nothing to do but stew in their own minds."

~ Jonathan Carroll

 

[Daniel E.]

“Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.”

“To know non-knowing is optimal
to imagine one knows
is affliction of mind.”

“Too many words cause exhaustion
[In the mind or from the mouth]
Better to abide in stillness.”

― Lao Tzu

 

[Daniel E.]

How to Let Go for Mindfulness - dummies.com

Letting go is the essence of mindfulness meditation. Thoughts, emotions, ideas, opinions, beliefs, emotions, sensations are all to be observed, explored and then let go. This can be a difficult part of mindful living...

Nature has many beautiful examples of letting go. Apple trees need to let go of their fruit so that the seeds inside can germinate. Animals need to let go of their young so they can find out how to fend for themselves. Young birds need to let go of any fear they feel when they first jump off a branch to begin to fly.

You’re always letting go of each breath of air to make room for the next one. This last example shows that you naturally know how to let go all the time, in one sense. Remember this the next time you’re struggling to let go...

Imagine you’re holding a tennis ball in your hands. Letting go isn’t something you do. Letting go is about stopping the doing. To let go of something, you stop holding on to it. The first step is to realize you’re holding on to the object in the first place.

 

[GaryQ]

“Too many words cause exhaustion
[In the mind or from the mouth]
Better to abide in stillness.”

― Lao Tzu

Ironically that’s quote seems like an exhorbitant amout of words used to express a simple philosophical ideology on the author’s part when the intention perceived by this reader was that he wanted to state that is is preferable to simply be quiet

(Yes the length of my comment was intentional... some things are hard to resist)

 

[GaryQ]

How to Let Go for Mindfulness - dummies.com

Letting go is the essence of mindfulness meditation.

Now I’m confused
How can I hold onto the knowledge and wisdom in that post when it tells me I have to let go of everything

 

[Daniel E.]

That is similar to the criticism of Buddhism that the monks become attached to Buddhism that teaches non-attachment. But as my therapist says, being addicted to chocolate cake is a lot better than being addicted to heroin.

And there are some things that words can't express anyway. One could argue that language itself fosters all-or-nothing thinking. Which is why one therapeutic tool is cognitive defusion:

The Six Core Processes of ACT | Association for Contextual Behavioral Science

 

[GaryQ]

I was being silly. ‘‘Twas a rhetorical question.

But koodos on the reply

Edit: as for the Chocolate cake vs Heroin addiction... if you have serious diabetes problems the chocolate cake would be more dangerous. Same story: 2 different angles

 

[Daniel E.]

"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time."

~ Leo Tolstoy

 

[Daniel E.]

The month of November makes me feel that life is passing more quickly. In an effort to slow it down, I try to fill the hours more meaningfully.

~ Henry Rollins

 

[Daniel E.]

The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.

~ Moliere

 

[Daniel E.]

I slow down when hiking. The rhythm of nature is more leisurely. The sun comes up, it moves across the sky, and you begin to synchronize to that rhythm.

~ John Mackey

 

[Daniel E.]

Creativity is the product of "wasted" time.

~ Albert Einstein

 

[Daniel E.]

What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing or any other resistance, is understanding fear; that means, watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it. We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it.

~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

 

[Daniel E.]

 

[Daniel E.]

This Extraordinary Moment: Moving Beyond the Mind to Embrace the Miracle of What Is

 

[Daniel E.]

"How much pain they have cost us, the evils which have never happened."

~ Thomas Jefferson