Читать книгу Summary: How to Live Mindfully with the Help of Meditation. Maria Gorina - Smart Reading, Ольга Ганкова - Страница 3

Possessing a mindful attitude makes our lives richer, brighter and fuller. Living mindfully, we live longer because our lifespan is not measured by the number or years lived, but by the amount and fullness of accumulated and integrated experiences. Your ability to submerge yourself into your own life and mindfully perceive every minute of it returns true value to your life.

"Mindfulness brings concentration into to our lives. When we are concentrated on life, it becomes deeper, and we acquire joy and harmony. We can live any activity mindfully: drive mindfully, peel carrots mindfully, shower mindfully. When our level of concentration grows we are able to penetrate the essence of things and experience a revelation."

Tit Nath Khan

Daniel Goleman in his last book "Altered Traits", which he co-authored with Richard Davidson, shares the results of years-long research that focused on the brains of people with varying levels of experience in meditation (mindfulness practice). It’s clear that meditation develops the ability to concentrate. But that was known before these scientific experiments.

The most amazing discovery was the fact, which was scientifically proven, that by meditating people develop prefrontal cortex regions – the very part of the brain that makes people people. The cortex is responsible for planning, being organized, will (e. g., to live, survive), and sense of responsibility. Here lie the centers that determine to what degree emotional intelligence is developed. Meditation improves communication between the amygdala (our reptile part of brain that produces instant reactions like fight-or-flight) and the prefrontal cortex. People practicing mindfulness are more stress-resistant, perceive their environment and life situations in a more harmonious way. And are simply healthier. But that’s not all. Goleman’s team discovered that by practicing mindfulness while engaging in certain types of meditation (loving kindness, compassion) people can literally become kinder and more compassionate in the long term.

Another amazing discovery Goleman and Davidson made was that a total amount of being mindful, between 1000 to 10000 hours (including both regular individual practice and intense week-long retreats with an experienced teacher), can transform temporary characteristics acquired during meditation into stable personal qualities. Therefore, concentration, balance, being at peace with the world, kindness, and compassion can become permanent personal qualities with the help of meditation.