Mid-Month Mini Episode: Mindfulness

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[0:00:49 Speaker 1] embracing present moment experiences with poise, calmness and without reproach or rigid interpretation. This is a very helpful line of thinking after a year that force us to face trauma to face fears, disconnection, disappointment and well being present without actually being present. I’m Ginger Okoro, with the live strong cancer institutes and Emerging Cancer Center at the University of Texas at all. Since still medical school, this month’s many episode challenges us to have the beginner’s mind. As we face new and renewed experiences, Patty Prado helps us evaluate our experiences in a rejuvenated way by allowing ourselves to really be present and really understand how to be in the moment. Patty is an assistant director of leadership development and coaching in the Department of Medical Education. at the University of Texas at Austin’s Dell Medical School.

[0:02:01 Speaker 0] Mindfulness. We hear this word a lot, and we see it in many spaces. There are a variety of interpretations and flavors of mindfulness. Most people agree that mindfulness is a state of being a state of heightened awareness that allows us to be open to the experience at hand, whatever that may be being present, not necessarily in person, but in your mind and in your heart. Jon Kabat Zinn, the professor emeritus of medicine, the creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness and Medicine, Healthcare and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, says that mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives. It is about proceeding the exquisite vividness of each moment. He goes on to say, We also gain immediate access to our own powerful inner resources for insight, transformation and healing. That’s a lot. It’s really powerful, And the goal, however challenging, is to accept things as they are in the moment, to really notice and feel your feelings, whatever they are, and to not resist, avoid or ignore what’s right in front of you and what’s right inside you. Each of us comes to the word mindfulness with different experiences and perspectives. I began my mindfulness journey about 15 years ago. The act of being aware was new to me. Actually noticing the impact of my words, actions and choices was something I really hadn’t spent much time doing. It was mind blowing. It was really challenging and it was wonderfully liberate. I was learning and seeing that I have the power to pause and really think through what I was doing and how I was being. It’s a continuous practice of remembering. What matters is how we show up in the moment how we’re able to create greater awareness of our emotions, feelings, thoughts and how we engage with others. Many times the awareness happens after the fact, which I believe still counts as a win. Realizing a few seconds after I use a certain negative tone in my voice when I’m frustrated with my daughter is still better than never having that realization that I used a certain tone at all. So the joy of mindfulness is that we can return to this awareness practice every day, many times a day to notice and learn just a bit more each time. Here is a well known and loved poem that explores mindfulness and encourages us to be present and open in our lives. This is the guesthouse by Rumi. This being human is a guest house. Every morning, a new arrival, a joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all. Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice. Meet them at the door, laughing and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. Rumi’s poem frames our emotions and experiences as guests that come and go. That’s safe for a while. Or leave abruptly, allowing us to really see this human life experience for what it is. One foundational mindfulness practice that you can try out time and time again, no matter where you are, what you’re doing or who you’re with is this practice of beginner’s mind choosing to have beginner’s mind. It’s a wonderful invitation to let go of preconceived notions. Let go. What you thinking now? Like our judgment, like all of history, hopes, expectations. It’s the act of really seeing and experiencing something as if it was the very first time to give you rich and full experience. Think back to experience that was brand new to you. Maybe when you started driving the first day of a new job, the first from multi partner Crush. The first day in a new city, a new country, a new continent, everything was fresh. Wow, real. I’ll give you a second to think of this moment that was brand new to you, but you’d like to recall from your life. As you visualize this moment from your life, you probably experience a range of emotions. Lots of guests in your guest house. Excitement, nervousness, joy, confusion, all of these normal feelings that accompany new experiences. Now think of something you do every day that’s possibly boring. You’re really comfortable doing it. It’s really easy, and you don’t have to think about it much. What comes to my mind is doing the dishes at the kitchen sink, but it can be anything, and maybe it’s an aspect of your work or even an interaction with someone you see all the time. What if you chose to try on a new lance? You intentionally looked at that task or person as if it was the very first time you’ve ever done it or you’ve ever seen them. What would you notice that you have been overlooking all his time? What different way can you think about this task on person? What could you learn about yourself or others? By having beginner’s mind, we easily get stuck in patterns and routines in ways of doing things and think to ourselves. That’s just how it is. That’s the only way to do it, or that’s just what I feel comfortable doing. But many times you have more choices. You can choose from your perspective, a new approach in a new route to get somewhere that will allow you to see something you’ve seen before. But in a new way, I invite you to choose an activity or a person in your life that you can practice beginner’s mind with Today. Chances are you will learn something new and enjoy the process as well. Another entry point into mindfulness is to think about being instead of doing. But doing will always be important, and it will always be there. We have responsibilities and obligations in our family lives in our work lives and the to do list. We’ll hold a valuable place that will ensure that we finish things. And I think of us a nice sense of accomplishment when we check items off. And yet there is another kind of accomplishment, a sense of real satisfaction, sense of contentment and awareness that comes with creating and sticking to a to be list. This is an opportunity to think about how you want to experience your life, regardless of what you’re doing. And regardless of what happens to you, you’re setting an intention for how you want to show up what you want to feel, no matter the external circumstances, surprises and changes that inevitably arrive in our daily life. The first time I tried this, I chose three words fun, future serving and present, and I decided to attempt this on the weekend, all day, Saturday, all day Sunday. I was amazed at how this simple shift in my own mind set for how I wanted to spend these two days created the life experience I wanted. Yes, I stood in line at the grocery store. Yes, I waited. What? It felt like a really long time for my car’s oil change. And yes, I did other necessary but not really exciting chores around the house. Yet with my intention set on how I wanted to be and returning to that intention frequently, it allowed me to creatively and thoughtfully see opportunities to be that way. I also found myself enjoying time that weekend in a way that hadn’t come to me when I was just focused on getting things done. So how do you want to be? Not just What do you want to do? I recommend starting with just one day, possibly even just one hour. What ways of being come to mind for you? How do you want to experience life regardless of what happens to you? Writing this down or typing it out can be very helpful. And maybe you even put this right next to your to do list. So think about how you want to experience life, how you want to be. Thankfully, there are many resources available to learn much more about practicing mindfulness and what it can look like in your life. A one stop shop that provides a variety of entry points and perspectives. Research Personal stories on mindfulness is the website mindful dot org. I leave you today with a quote from Jon Kabat Zinn. Once in a while throughout the day, let go into full acceptance of the present moment, including how you are feeling and what you perceive to be happening. Give yourself permission to allow this moment to be exactly as it is and allow yourself to be exactly as you are. Okay, when you’re ready, move in the direction your heart tells you to go mindfully and with resolution.

[0:14:09 Speaker 1] Well, I don’t know about you listeners, but I definitely need these points that Patty made today when it comes to mindfulness and Austin traffic. So what are you envisioning in a transformed way, learners? As we envision what we want for our beginner’s mind, we consider how to pay attention, how we want to change our perspective, how we want to not only exist but to thrive. Thank you so much for joining us today. If you enjoyed this episode, please tell a friend and definitely subscribe. For questions about this episode or the Livestrong Cancer institutes, please email. Live strong cancer institutes at dell med dot utexas dot e d u. You’re also welcome to follow our chair and director Dr Gill ECG Heart on Twitter at S s and sou Gail G A i L Eckhart E c k h a r D T. This is Ginger Okaroh. Thank you for your ongoing support of cancer and Co