Mindful Walking Essentials: Space, Pace & Posture

2021

The growing interest in mindfulness and meditation practices have generated a corresponding interest in the Buddha’s teachings (Dhamma). The approach adopted in this article is informed by the poem of Rumi, a 13th-century Sufi poet—Two kinds of Intelligence—which recommends getting in touch with our intuitive (as opposed to learned) intelligence. In this article, I discuss the understanding and applications of mindfulness and meditation in Buddhist traditions and classical texts and their articulation in contemporary contexts and literature. I also discuss the importance of practicing dana (generosity), sila (ethical conduct), and wisdom (panna) holistically with meditation and mindfulness (bhavana). I address some contemporary issues—the “debate” about acknowledging the connections with the Dhamma in current teachings and applications of mindfulness more unequivocally; the direction and limitations of some mindfulness research and mindfulness-based therapies; and the appraisal of the adverse effects uncovered in mindfulness research. I share anecdotes and clinical vignettes to illustrate the themes discussed in the article. Finally, I discuss my vision and hope for how the Dhamma can contribute further to contemporary society. In unpacking some of the misconceptions about the Buddha’s teachings, especially in relation to mindfulness, and explicating a more nuanced and “right” understanding of the Dhamma, I hope that this paper can make further contributions to the understanding and applications of mindfulness, mindfulness research, and the place of mindfulness in psychology and psychotherapy. Keywords: Rumi, Eightfold path and The Three Pillars, right mindfulness and the Dhamma, research, mindfulness-based therapies and adverse effects of meditation and mindfulness

Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2015

Because the nature of chronic pain is complex, pharmacological analgesics are often not enough to achieve an ideal treatment plan. Virtual Reality (VR) technologies have emerged within medical research in recent years for treating acute pain, and proved to be an effective strategy based on pain distraction. This paper describes a VR system designed for chronic pain patients. The system incorporates biofeedback sensors, an immersive virtual environment, and stereoscopic sound titled the "Virtual Meditative Walk" (VMW). It was designed to enable chronic pain patients to learn Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a form of meditation. By providing real-time visual and sonic feedback, VMW enables patients to learn how to manage their pain. A proof-of-concept user study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the VR system with chronic pain patients in clinical settings. Results show that the VMW was more effective in reducing perceived pain compared to the non-VR control condition.

Despite the widespread practices of tài jí and mindfulness, their principles are often misunderstood in the West. This paper shows the authenticity and integrative wholes of Mindful tài jí by demonstrating its overarching principles. It also provides an account of the lineage of a Mindfulness tài jí. The paper was based on the workshop at the 19th Annual Transpersonal Psychology Section Conference on 18-20 September 2015, Cober Hill, Cloughton, Scarborough; which aimed to provide participants with an insight about tài jí and how it relates to mindfulness, by learning some basic principles and movements.

When How to Meditate was first published more than twenty years ago, meditation was not widely known or practiced in the West, and there were few books about it. Things are different now. Millions of Western people practice meditation regularly; doctors prescribe it to their patients as a way to deal with pain, heart disease, cancer, depression, and other problems; scientists are studying its effects on the brain and the immune system. There are dozens of books, tapes, CDs, and websites about meditation, and meditation classes are available in most cities. Whatever I know about Buddhism and meditation I have learned from my kind and compassionate teachers, especially Lama Thubten Yeshe, Zopa Rinpoche, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, Geshe Jampa Tegchog, and Ribur Rinpoche. I thank these precious teachers from my heart for sharing with us their knowledge and insight and pray sincerely that their work may continue for a long time to come. Many people have worked to make this book possible. I extend thanks to Wendy Finster for her Handbook of Mahayana Practices, from which this book developed; to Thubten Wongmo, Jon Landaw, and T. Yeshe for their initial editing and translating work; to Nick

1999

by Gunalan Nadarajan) The beaten tracks and footpaths, the ground's memory of human trespass, have historically become, by governmental and charitable intentions, transformed into pavements, roads and railways. These prepared ways anticipate and thereby structure human traffic so much so that walking on them become mere rehearsals on/of prescribed trajectories. However, there are other ways of walking, 'walking otherwise', wherein the act still retains the possibility of surprise and therefore of discovery which the laid--path eliminates by its very intent. A capricious walk, then, by its 'refusal' to be directed by these conveniences of laid paths, maps or guides becomes, by default almost, a critical gesture in a complex pedestrian politics of space. However, before one can elaborate on what constitutes pedestrian politics, one needs to examine the architectural and governmental complicities of pedestrian design. Bernard Tschumi, the architect / theorist, in his book Architecture and Disjunction (1996), has proposed that all architecture embodies violence insofar as it seeks to be programmatic of human actions within and with reference to it. He uses the term violence as a "metaphor for the intensity of a relationship between individuals and their surrounding spaces" for he believes that "any relationship between a building and its users is one of violence, for any use means the intrusion of a human body into a given space, the intrusion of one order into another." However, he claims that the violent relationship between bodies and architecture is very often ritualized into programs. The rational, structured and pragmatically driven practices of architecture constantly demand that the architect purify or at least alleviate this violence between bodies and buildings by creating conditions that would channel "obedient bodies along predictable paths and occasionally along ramps that provide striking vistas, ritualizing the transgression of bodies in space." Such ritualization of an interaction between bodies and architecture comprises of an "organized repetition of events…announced in advance" such that they become a program, "a descriptive notice of formal series of proceedings." For example, architecture is constantly attentive to the natural elements that affect its structural integrity and utilitarian value for human activities. Gravity is one of these elements though its structural facilitation in actual buildings is seldom readily apparent. The human body is perpetually and very often subliminally adjusting itself to the gravitational force that hugs it to the ground and the body's upright posture seems to have developed into an effective means by which to mediate this force. The relationship between our feet and the ground is firmly rooted not only in gravity but also in etymology. It is noteworthy that the Latin root of the English word 'foot' is pes or ped and this term itself is etymologically related to the earlier Greek term, pedon meaning 'ground'. As such, it is not surprising to find that all building floors and pedestrian paths are gravitationally corrected meaning that these floors have been leveled so as to equalize the force of gravity all along their surfaces. Thus a person can walk on these floors without tripping or having difficulties in balancing. Such architectural programming has afforded walkers the possibility of being inattentive

PsycCRITIQUES, 2015

Although it is scholarly in tone, Handbook of Mindfulness: Theory, Research, and Practice is an easy read that is tailored to those who are novices in exploring this timely topic. It would be most helpful to researchers who wish to have a compact volume that summarizes all aspects of the state of the art of meditation for mental health professionals. Several pages include meta-analyses on applications for adults, children, and teens in the community, and preventative and clinical applications. This information is supplemented by comprehensive yet straightforward charts that capture information about study design and methodology. All of the widely used measures, whether they be self-reporting, biologically, or technologically based, are examined for strengths and weaknesses. Suggestions for ways to expand on themes already explored in the literature are also made explicit. Because of the breadth examined, it would be an excellent choice for a textbook.

2020

This book is about Dharma, practice, and how they intersect in mindfulness. It is a nutshell introduction to Buddhism based almost exclusively on the earliest Buddhist sources, which are the historical basis for all of the diverse later schools of Buddhism, and which represent what the Buddha actually taught, as best as we can determine. It is a textbook that has been used to supplement about ten hours of class time. In spite of its conciseness, this text provides a comprehensive overview of the range of Buddhist practice and understanding and contains practical advice on how we can integrate Buddhist practice into busy modern lives. It begins from the premise that Dharma serves solely as a support for practice and that the role of mindfulness is to enable Dharma effectively to inform practice.

International journal of current research and review, 2021

Introduction: Mindful walking in other words called “conscious walking “ technique which has been observed from Afghan nomads who travelled kilometres on foot quickly and effectively. This Afghan walking is a special kind of trekking called “holistic march”, the art of walking with one’s conscience. It includes a form of yoga that consciously absorbs energy from the air, synchronizing the steps with breathing pattern. Objective: The study aims to find the influence of mindful outdoor walking on attention on independent rural elderly. Methods: 192 subjects randomly selected into two groups (undergoing Normal & Mindful walking) were included for the study. Inclusion criteria: All independent elderly above 65yearsof both genders / Independent despite clinical diagnosis as Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, etc. / Post-surgical conditions like PTCS and CABG / medically stable cases excluding Medically unstable cases / Chronic illness & Life-threatening medical issue / Uncooperative, Psych...

Handbook of Mindfulness, 2018

Mario Poceski, Buddhist Meditation University of Florida, Fall 2017