Mindful Moments Singapore
  • Home
  • About
    • About Erin
    • About Mindfulness
  • Coaching
  • Corporate
  • MBSR
    • MBSR Program
    • MBSR Preview
    • Register for MBSR
    • What Participants Say
    • Private MBSR Group
  • Community
    • Take A Pause
    • The Big Sit
  • nian

Mindful or Mind Full: Which do we teach?

10/4/2016

0 Comments

 
Mindful or Mind Full? What we teach at Mindful Moments Singapore

A friend of mine, upon seeing Mindful Moment's Facebook update on our Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program, sent me an image along with a cheeky question: which version are you teaching? 

The image, which you may have seen before since it is commonly featured on mindfulness-related websites and social media, is a drawing of a man taking a walk with his dog along a row of leafy green trees and a big warm sun shining from above; there is a thought bubble above the man's head, showing that his mind is filled with thoughts about work, communications, tasks, traveling, etc.; and then there is another thought bubble above the dog's head, showing the exact scene they are in - the row of leafy green trees and the big warm sun shining from above. And then the big question on the image asks the viewer: Mindful, or Mind Full?

​It is not difficult to understand from the image that despite taking a walk in a lovely environment, the man is miles away caught up in his own train of thoughts about everything other than the beautiful scenery around him - his mind is full. The dog, on the other hand, is noticing his immediate environment as he walks - aware of the trees he is passing by, and the warmth of the sun - it is being mindful of its surroundings. 

​My friend understood that, and his tongue-in-cheek question was, which version does a mindfulness teacher teach in an MBSR class? Mindful, or Mind Full?

I answered: Actually, both! 

​It is without a doubt that participants learn to be mindful in a mindfulness class - during practices we work really hard to pay attention to the present moment, instead of allowing the mind to be pulled away by the past or the future. But through practicing mindfulness, we might find that there is also a lot to learn from paying attention to a mind that is full! 

What happens when the mind is constantly overloaded with checklists, to-dos, and tasks to complete? Or when the mind is playing an upsetting event that had happened over and over again? Or when the mind loops questions about uncertainties, or when it frequently airs an unpleasantly critical, judgmental voice? 

Through practice, we might discover that the mind virtually never stops, and is almost always full, or at least filled with something. Even though we frequently hear the advice: "Clear your mind" or "Empty your mind", we can be sure that this "emptiness" we are hoping for as a relief from the never-ending busyness of life will not last beyond a moment before the mind begins to be filled up again. It is equally important for mindfulness practice, then, to train the mind to be mindful of the present moment, and also be mindful of the mind that is full.

Curious, yet?

​It is worth highlighting here that it is not enough to ponder over the "Mindful or Mind Full" question as an intellectual exercise. Only personal experience from engaging in mindfulness practices can bring us true insights and discoveries into the nature of the mind. And I invite you to further explore this with mindfulness training. 

Click here to find out the latest dates of our next Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program.   
​
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    About The Author

    MiMo founder Erin Lee is a Mindfulness Coach and MBSR Teacher at Mindful Moments, and advocate of mindfulness as the way of life. She conducts the classic 8-Week MBSR Program, as well as the 8-Week MBSR Workplace Program. 

    Erin holds a Masters of Science in Studies in Mindfulness with University of Aberdeen, UK. She is a Certified MBSR Teacher as acknowledged by the Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute (MBPTI) of the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Center for Mindfulness to conduct and deliver the classic Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program. 

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Categories

    All
    Anxiety
    Awareness
    Benefits
    Body
    Brain
    Challenge
    Contributors
    Curiosity
    Daily Life
    Education
    Events
    Feelings
    Information
    Interview
    MBSR
    Media
    Meditation
    Mind
    Misconceptions
    Musings
    Non Judgmental
    Pain
    Participants
    Pause
    Paying Attention
    People
    Practice
    Present Moment
    Program
    Quotes
    Reaction
    Research
    Second Arrow
    Sitting
    Stress
    Suffering
    Talk
    Talks
    Thoughts
    Training
    Videos
    Visuals
    Waking Up
    Walking

    Contribute

    Are you a mindfulness practitioner and have meaningful experiences or thoughts about mindfulness that you'd like to share? You can contribute an article on the MiMo blog! Please contact Erin to find out more. 

    Archives

    June 2021
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    RSS Feed

Connect with us, because we would love to practice mindfulness with you. 

FAQ
Contact

Copyright © XDG Labs Pte. Ltd.
  • Home
  • About
    • About Erin
    • About Mindfulness
  • Coaching
  • Corporate
  • MBSR
    • MBSR Program
    • MBSR Preview
    • Register for MBSR
    • What Participants Say
    • Private MBSR Group
  • Community
    • Take A Pause
    • The Big Sit
  • nian