![]() ![]() Through these radical changes I became aware of my routines, habits, and conditioned behavior. I began yoga, meditation, a macrobiotic diet, acupuncture, massage, and holistic health care to counter the melanoma. I reasoned that my Western lifestyle was making me sick and that, if I chose a different route entirely, I might get well. Just prior to it, I had radically changed my behavior, convinced that change was necessary to save my life. ![]() It arose following a brush with death-a tiny early-stage melanoma-and the experience lasted for some thirty days. I believe that this intense work to let go of the past and build a strong sense of self had laid the foundation for my mystical experience. ![]() ![]() To counter these feelings of apathy and anger, I had begun therapy several years before and was slowly breaking down the external (and internal) barriers I had created for myself. Subjects in my research had become "data points" through which we might understand the biology of disorders, but also through which I might find professional fame or fortune in my field of study. At work I conducted research to discover genes for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and although I had gone into the field with a passion and love of discovery, I was finding myself routinely going through the motions of science with little interest except for self-recognition. My world was one of typical twenty-first-century chaos-too much to do and too little time as I juggled career, motherhood, and Hollywood with a big chip on my shoulder over the burden I needed to carry. Fully Present provides both a scientific explanation for how mindfulness positively and powerfully affects the brain and the body as well as practical guidance to develop both a practice and mindfulness in daily living, not only through meditation but also during daily experiences, such as waiting in line at the supermarket, exercising, or facing difficult news. Sue Smalley and Diana Winston provide an all-in-one guide for anyone interested in bringing mindfulness to daily life as a means of enhancing well-being. In Fully Present, leading mindfulness researchers and educators Dr. Mindfulness - the art of paying attention with an open and curious mind to present-moment experiences–has attracted ever-growing interest and tens of thousands of practitioners, who have come to the discipline from both within and outside the Buddhist tradition. If your attention span has shrunken like a sweater accidentally thrown in the dryer and you want to stretch it out again, then reading a book, author Ann Patchett says.From Buddhist traditions to daily exercises, enhance your physical and mental health with the ultimate practical guide to mindfulness from two leading experts. So read some more books and next time we’ll talk longer. I was told this essay should be three minutes long - that three minutes is the length of time people would pay attention. They’re available for free at your local library, and are for sale at your local independent bookstore for a fraction of the cost of a new iPhone. Books are also a great source of entertainment, education, and empathy. Chapter by chapter you can retrain yourself to pay attention for longer periods of time. Like baking, reading books can be the antidote to fragmentation and distraction. If your attention span has shrunken like a sweater accidentally thrown in the dryer and you want to stretch it out again, then reading a book can serve the same purpose as writing one. It turns out this is also the secret to baking a cake, and being in a successful relationship, and being a good parent, and a good friend. In order to write a novel, I have to show up to work fully present and concentrate on one thing. Admitting that I’m incapable of multitasking was an important first step. For me, it’s the ability to stay focused. People like to ask me the secret to writing novels. Though if you’re going to try and fail at multitasking, it’s better do it in the kitchen than on the interstate. Or behold the confidence it takes to drive a car while sending a text message. Behold, the confidence it takes to glance at a recipe from the corner of one eye and think it will all turn out fine. I hadn’t been paying attention to the text, which might have been because I was talking on the phone while folding the wet and dry ingredients, or I was folding the laundry while running the mixer, or making a note to myself in the margins of the cookbook to write a piece about cakes. Admitting that I’m incapable of multitasking was an important first step.īaking turned out to be a lesson in what we used to call reading comprehension. ![]()
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