Griff do you think Dandapani is alluding to our tendency to multitask throughout the day? That used to be such a bragging right that someone was quite capable of multitasking, but as I’ve gotten older I realize now that you just do a bunch of things not very well. I have a little mantra in my head that says to me “OK we’re just doing this right now, nothing else just this.
Renee, no, I think Dandapani is urging "nothing else just this." But for most of us who are starting out, I think it's too much to expect that we try to do it all day long.
A 1-minute meditation every day might be a good place to start. Then bump it to 3 minutes after X days or weeks. Then 5 minutes, etc.
And then maybe pick one daily activity to be mindful, eg, brushing teeth. And then after a week or more, pick another activity to be mindful, eg, walking the dog.
And for us mountain bikers, maybe pick one sensation to be mindful of for 1 minute, eg, awareness of palm pressure on the bars. Maybe do that 5 times every time you go for a ride for a month. And then add a minute. Or add another sensation.
Griff.......you really are going at this fiercely. You are accesssing some impressive sources.
Maybe what going on here is the basic idea that modern living tends to make us "habituated" to a complex program. We tend to start doing things without really examining the implications or even the purpose.
In order to be able to examine our actions more carefully we have to learn a new way to use our minds, to cogitate. Like any new skill, this takes a while and needs commitment and practice. One starts with simple exercises and builds up. As one becomes more expert, one tends to act more intuitively and not to need the discipline of the original exercise structure.
Maybe this is what they mean by training for constant Mindfulness by using periods of "meditation".
The master lives a life of constant integrated mindfulness while the acolyte still needs to "practice" it.
Before we start going round in circles, we might consider that most "masters" will go off and get on with their lives.......as soldiers, farmers, downhill MTB racers, whatever, while only a very few will go on to teach the state of Mindfulness as a discrete skill.
I would think the trick is to do what Bruce Lee recommended: take from each discipline what you judge to be most useful to enhance your own needs, while not worrying too much about where that particular discipline leads.
Rusty, I’m not experienced enough with the interplay between meditation practice and mindfulness practice to understand what’s best for me, let alone what’s likely helpful to fellow recreational mountain bikers. I’m at the stage of “there seems to be something to it!”
However, I think no question that knowing how to get into a state of “relaxed concentration” is important for motor skill-related learning and performing. So I’d quibble a bit about your Bruce Lee paragraph. If someone said, “Well, I’ve tried relaxed concentration, and it doesn’t seem to help my learning or performing”, I’d argue that they’re mistaken.
Griff do you think Dandapani is alluding to our tendency to multitask throughout the day? That used to be such a bragging right that someone was quite capable of multitasking, but as I’ve gotten older I realize now that you just do a bunch of things not very well. I have a little mantra in my head that says to me “OK we’re just doing this right now, nothing else just this.
Renee, no, I think Dandapani is urging "nothing else just this." But for most of us who are starting out, I think it's too much to expect that we try to do it all day long.
A 1-minute meditation every day might be a good place to start. Then bump it to 3 minutes after X days or weeks. Then 5 minutes, etc.
And then maybe pick one daily activity to be mindful, eg, brushing teeth. And then after a week or more, pick another activity to be mindful, eg, walking the dog.
And for us mountain bikers, maybe pick one sensation to be mindful of for 1 minute, eg, awareness of palm pressure on the bars. Maybe do that 5 times every time you go for a ride for a month. And then add a minute. Or add another sensation.
I'm experimenting with this now!
Griff.......you really are going at this fiercely. You are accesssing some impressive sources.
Maybe what going on here is the basic idea that modern living tends to make us "habituated" to a complex program. We tend to start doing things without really examining the implications or even the purpose.
In order to be able to examine our actions more carefully we have to learn a new way to use our minds, to cogitate. Like any new skill, this takes a while and needs commitment and practice. One starts with simple exercises and builds up. As one becomes more expert, one tends to act more intuitively and not to need the discipline of the original exercise structure.
Maybe this is what they mean by training for constant Mindfulness by using periods of "meditation".
The master lives a life of constant integrated mindfulness while the acolyte still needs to "practice" it.
Before we start going round in circles, we might consider that most "masters" will go off and get on with their lives.......as soldiers, farmers, downhill MTB racers, whatever, while only a very few will go on to teach the state of Mindfulness as a discrete skill.
I would think the trick is to do what Bruce Lee recommended: take from each discipline what you judge to be most useful to enhance your own needs, while not worrying too much about where that particular discipline leads.
I’ll get back to you on this Rusty. I’m camping off the grid so it might be a while!
Rusty, I’m not experienced enough with the interplay between meditation practice and mindfulness practice to understand what’s best for me, let alone what’s likely helpful to fellow recreational mountain bikers. I’m at the stage of “there seems to be something to it!”
However, I think no question that knowing how to get into a state of “relaxed concentration” is important for motor skill-related learning and performing. So I’d quibble a bit about your Bruce Lee paragraph. If someone said, “Well, I’ve tried relaxed concentration, and it doesn’t seem to help my learning or performing”, I’d argue that they’re mistaken.