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Be an Effective Communicator
Humans are not the only species to have some form of communication. Yet we do have the most complex forms of communication extant. Hundreds of differing spoken languages and dialects, several visual languages, and several different alphabets, not to...
Dealing With Depression
Depression or “depressive reactions” is a mood response that is often brought on by the stresses and strains in our lives. For some, it can be triggered by a serious loss, a difficult relationship, financial problems or any overwhelmingly stressful...
Meditation Supply Items – Can They Help Deepen Your Practice?
Can a meditation supply item help you go into a deeper state of inner awareness? If you choose the right item, there is a good chance that it can help you get more comfortable and allow you to become more relaxed. A common problem with meditation...
Peace Of Mind At The Workplace
Work brings together people of different characters and behavior, and this often causes friction, resentment and stress. Sometimes the boss is too demanding, colleagues may be unpleasant, there might be too much work or the working conditions may...
The Ayurvedic Approach to Menopause and Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy
MENOPAUSE: IT'S ABOUT BALANCE The medical community is quickly evolving its understanding of menopause. Following the abrupt, early halt to the HRT portion of the Women's Health Initiative last July, due to findings that Hormone Replacement...
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Mindfulness and Creativity: The Wow of Wonder
You are so creative.
Don't deny it. Whether or not you consider yourself a creative type, the truth is that you are constantly creating ideas.
Mindfulness invites you to be aware of this constantly flowing river, and offers an opportunity to choose to sit beside it instead of swimming in it. By watching the ideas from that calm riverbank, you can more clearly see the ones that float to the top and sparkle in the sun.
But mindfulness is more than just mind watching mind. When we are engaged in the process of creating--whether that's words, numbers, music, art, or movement--without getting swept up in the concept of where it might be leading, that is a very pure form of mindfulness.
If creating is mindfulness in action, the little push that gets things moving is the thrill of discovery. As humans, we are fascinated by novelty, and we are pulled by our joy of seeing something in a new light.
Mindfulness allows us to approach the world with childlike wonder, to play with new concepts, and to see things from a shifted perspective. You can't always engage in new activities, but through mindfulness, you can look at the same-old same-old with fresh eyes.
The Wow of Wonder is what stimulates us to be creative. Without it, we are likely to come down with our culture's most prevalent malady--mindlessness. Mindlessness causes us to move through life without really connecting to any of it. It's living on auto-pilot. It's living without wonder--or fun.
Here's a helpful reminder: fun is good. We don't have to make mindfulness HARD. There is nothing hard about it. We were incredibly mindful and creative as children, and guess what? We had a lot more fun then, too!
The things that captivated you as a child were objects and ideas that triggered your
sense of wonder. You noticed something new, and jumped right into the Wow of Wonder. And there were plenty of things that elicited that response every single day.
A bug you'd never seen. A card trick. Something under a microscope. A new musical instrument. A dance move. A song. An animal. A poem. A historical fact. A new flavor of candy.
Mindfulness is a catalyst for wonder. You notice something. An idea is sparked. A distinction is made. A perspective shifts. There is a fullness in that moment, ripe with possibilities but unburdened by expectations.
The Wow of Wonder is what allows us to transcend what we "know" and float in that river of ideas without sinking under the weight of evaluation. In our most mindful moments, it is wonder that saves us from overthinking and keeps things light.
There's no need to work at making mindfulness a part of your life. It's already there, and you can glimpse it in all of your favorite memories. Being right there in the moment, full of wonder, and playing with discovery--this is you being a creative person!
Pay attention to your moments of fun, and you'll see that there's a hefty dose of mindfulness in there. You are smiling. You are fully present. You are creating ideas and responses. You feel alive.
Becoming mindful is simply getting reconnected to wonder about the world and your place in it. Look for the Wow of Wonder, and you'll find yourself immersed in mindfulness.
Isn't it wonder-ful?
About the Author
Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse in Portland, Oregon. Through her company, Real-World Mindfulness Training, she teaches fun and effective eyes-wide-open alternatives to meditation. To subscribe to her weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage, please visit http://www.MassageYourMind.com.
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Learning Meditation Home Page |
Introduction to the basics of meditation and the reduction of stress. |
www.learningmeditation.com |
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Meditation Room |
Choose freely and feel free to perform more than one meditation. ... Allow some time for your meditation. These meditations last from 3 - 10 minutes. ... |
www.learningmeditation.com |
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Meditation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
An introduction to different traditions, forms, techniques, and benefits. Includes links to other resources. |
en.wikipedia.org |
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World Wide Online Meditation Center |
Contains colorful, clear, concise meditation instruction on a variety of meditation methods from various spiritual teachings, plus tranquil meditation tapes ... |
www.meditationcenter.com |
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The Transcendental Meditation (TM) Program - Official website. How ... |
Meditation validated by over 600 scientific studies. The best meditation against stress. Online video! Personal instruction and lifetime follow-up. |
www.tm.org |
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Vipassana Meditation Website |
Homepage of the organization which offers Vipassana Meditation courses as taught by SN Goenka. |
www.dhamma.org |
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Welcome to Meditation Mount |
Meditation training programs and group meditation as a service to humanity. Worldwide organization based in Ojai, California. |
www.meditation.com |
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Guided meditations on mindfulness, peace, the 23rd Psalm, the way ... |
Come into the present moment with this 10-minute mindfulness meditation narrated by ... Experience a flow of positive energy with this meditation on peace ... |
www.beliefnet.com |
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Meditation Station Presented By The Meditation Society Of America |
Meditation Society of America's web site. Dedicated to sharing meditation techniques and concepts from all traditions. |
www.meditationsociety.com |
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Wildmind | Learn Meditation Online |
Wildmind provides a complete guide to simple meditation techniques. |
www.wildmind.org |
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Meditation |
An article By Dr Tom J. Chalko explaining the process and stressing the need for a spiritual teacher. |
www.thiaoouba.com |
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Free Learn to Meditate, online meditation - Meditation Australia. |
Details of activities, events, and classes in Wollongong University, Australia. Also offer a free online Meditation course. |
meditation.org.au |
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Meditation, Home, what is meditation, types of meditation ... |
Meditation Meditation is an alternative therapy. It can be broadly classified under the mind-body medicine. More and more doctors are prescribing meditation ... |
1stholistic.com |
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Sivananda Yoga - Meditation |
Introduction to the Official Web site of the Internationa Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers. Lots of information on Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, ... |
www.sivananda.org |
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Stress Reducers: Articles index |
yellow arrow button, Choose a Virtual Meditation Slide Show for Your ... yellow arrow button, Meditation and Relaxation: 20 Minutes A Day Can Make A ... |
www.selfhelpmagazine.com |
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Zen Mountain Monastery: Zen Meditation Instructions |
Detailed instructions from Zen Mountain Monastery on how to practice Zen meditation. |
www.mro.org |
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Meditation and concentration |
meditation concentration ability. ... Online fire meditation use it and develop concentration ability; Online flash meditation look at the screen and ajust ... |
www.ababasoft.com |
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Siddha Yoga path - Gurumayi - Swami Muktananda founder |
Under the guidance and teachings of Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, Siddha Yoga meditation students embrace the spiritual practices of yoga. |
www.siddhayoga.org |
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Meditation Handbook |
Survey of seven meditation techniques for beginners. |
home.att.net |
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Healing Music|Meditation Music|Self Help products |
Healing Products offers healing music for your Mind, Body & Soul at low prices. Use sound and music to heal and relax. |
www.healingproducts.com |
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