Get Fit - In Mind & Body
If there’s an activity that could unequivocally be described as low-tech, meditation is it. All it consists of, after all, is sitting quietly as you clear your mind and concentrate on nothingness. Believe it or not, however, your Apple tech can help you on your journey toward nothingness—or “mindfulness” as practitioners prefer to call it. But before we detail the specific Mac- and iPod-based meditation tools, here’s a short introduction to the concepts involved.
Mac-Side Meditation. Jeffrey Brantley understands the urge to smash a misbehaving office printer as much as anyone. But as a student of meditation, he has a coping mechanism that most people don’t—mindfulness.
Brantley, a medical doctor and author, describes mindfulness as being present, or “paying attention in a friendly, nonjudging way.” Buddhist monks have practiced mindfulness meditation for millennia. The most basic mindfulness exercises focus attention on the breath for a few moments at a time, gently reclaiming attention as it wanders.
In a lot of ways, Brantley says, mindfulness is the opposite of the anxious, distraction-prone, multitasking state that so many of us experience daily. Multitasking becomes a difficult habit to break because it creates a feedback loop in the mind, he says. As the brain grows accustomed to that level of stimulation, it seeks it everywhere. We find ourselves checking our email when we should be enjoying our evening.
But here’s the good news: The mind is plastic. It learns new skills with practice. A little bit of mindfulness each day encourages the ability to be present and aware. And moments of mindfulness can be cultivated anywhere.
“It’s kind of like cross-training. You want to practice, not multitask,” he says.
Get Fit - In Mind & Body by Johnaton Williams
(Via Mac|Life Magazine.)