Third Post: An Empire State of Mindfulness!

What is mindfulness?

How does Dr. Kabat-Zinn define mindfulness?

Dr. Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as paying attention or being absolutely attentive to the present moment going on. It's the one part of the state of being that allows you to experience life and feel the moments passing you by.

Why, according to Dr. Kabat-Zinn, does our "life depend" upon mindfulness?

Our lives depend on being mindful because it's an absolute necessary element of survival in our world. If we were on a battle field or facing a ferocious beast, we would have to be attentive to what the others are doing. But not only that we would have to be open for a reaction that might come with what we perceive. Most people think that being mindful is just a state of mind but it's the harmony within the physical body and the mind that provides for a genuine and unfiltered reaction to things in an instant.

Does it matter what thing or things you pay attention to?

Yes and no. Paying attention is not something that can be applied subjectively because we all have different value systems of importance. The point of being mindful is that you do it often enough in your everyday life so that your perception on life isn't weighed too heavily or too little. You are just simply taking it moment by moment rather than taking it all on in that instant.

Is Mindfulness a technique? 

No. There are ways getting to a state of mindfulness, but there is no true how to rule saying that this is what you have to do to achieve mindfulness. It's different for everybody.

All It Takes Is 10 Minutes

What does Andy suggest we "do" for at least 10 minutes each day?

He suggests that we take 10 minutes out of our busy day in life and just sit down and do nothing. That's it. And when he means nothing, he means "nothing". No texting, no talking, no thinking. ZIP!

According to the Harvard study cited by Andy, what % of time are our minds lost in thought?

We spend about 47% of time just being lost in thought and not really taking in what's going on. Sad day for human race.

Is Mindfulness about controlling our thoughts and feelings? If yes, explain. If not, explain.

Well, no. It's probably the exact opposite. When we are trying to stay mindful or get into the state of mindfulness, the point of being there is to let things flow as it is but in a way that you're aware of. No judgments, no hinderances. We have to let things pass by in an instant, but see the beauty of it while it's there. It would be impossible to control every thought, every feeling, and everything that goes on in our lives. If we could, then most of us would have done it a long time ago. In acting, or anything for that matter, there is no point of calling it "real" when you are just gonna select what you perceive and not have the full enjoyment out of it.

How does Andy's juggling with the three red balls relate to our activity of balancing sticks?

Just like us with the sticks, he had to be present with the balls. However, if he were to focused then eventually he would have dropped them. He would have been too focused on the end goal with the balls and not everything going on around him, including talking to the audience. The same could be said on the flip side. He would have been so unfocused that he would have dropped the balls and not connected with the audience as well. I guess you can say that the happy medium between both is a second circle.