Interruptions, during meditation, 63
Irreversibility of thoughts, 189, 194
Irritability, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 25, 26, 71, 217
Job dissatisfaction, case histories about, 16, 23–25, 90–91, 94, 211–13, 214–18, 221–22
Judgmentalism, 9, 11, 13, 30, 39, 44, 45, 105, 195
Keyes, Roger, poem by, 238, 249, 250–51
Kindness, 60, 64, 163, 195, 196, 197, 200, 202, 204, 205–6, 209, 240, 241. See also Loving-kindness
Kindness Habit Releaser, 208–9
Kings’ stories
on facing difficulties, 168–69
on finding completeness, 238–39
Lake analogy, describing wandering mind, 86
Life expectancy, mindfulness increasing, 36–37
Listening, as mindfulness bell, 236
Love, self-feeding nature of, 19
Loving-kindness, 50, 59, 200, 200, 201
Mastery, enhancing feelings of, 230–31, 232–33
Maze experiment, 112–14, 177
MBCT. See Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
Meditation, mindfulness.
See Meditations, specific; Mindfulness and Mindfulness meditation
Meditations, specific
Befriending meditation, 59, 197, 198–200, 200–206
Body Scan meditation, 58, 95–96, 97–100, 101–6, 118, 178, 196, 247
Breath and Body meditation, 126, 127–29, 143, 146, 172, 196
Chocolate meditation, 14, 54, 55, 72
Exploring Difficulty meditation, 59, 167, 169–81, 196, 247
Mindful Movement meditation, 58, 118–19, 120–23, 124–26
Mindfulness of the Body and Breath meditation, 58, 81–82, 83–85, 86–87
One-Minute meditation, 4
Raisin meditation, 72, 73–75, 76–79, 196
Sounds and Thoughts meditation, 59, 142, 143–45, 146–47, 148–53, 172, 196
Three-Minute Breathing Space meditation, 57, 130–31, 132–33, 133–34, 197, 227, 228–34 (see also Breathing Space)
Memory(ies)
bad, triggers of, 10, 11, 30
in Doing vs. Being modes, 42, 43
echoing emotional state, 9
effect of context on, 10
impact of, on mind and body, 23, 25
mindfulness meditation improving, 5, 6
overgeneral, 191–92, 193, 194, 207
of past, 9, 11, 27, 42, 43, 48, 144, 146, 189, 191, 193, 229
of real events, 189, 190
suppression of, 194
of threats, 27
working, limitations of, 69
Mental pain, 187, 187
Mental time travel, 42
Mind
analytic side of, 11
approach vs. avoidance system of, 114
aversion pathways of, 113, 177, 179
awareness of, 11, 31
busyness of, as problem, 78–79
connected with memory, 9
conscious, 42, 70, 72
in Exploring Difficulty meditation, 170, 171, 172
on full alert, 26
inferences made by, 136–38
problem-solving mode of, 28–30
restless, turning toward, 79
threat perception by, 26–27
training, to focus, 79
wandering, 64–65, 82, 85, 86–87, 94–95, 101, 102, 103, 127–28, 129–30, 151, 198
Mind-body connection, 20–22, 23, 91–92
Mindful eating
in Chocolate meditation, 14, 54, 55, 72
in Raisin meditation, 72, 73–75
Mindful Movement meditation, 58
guidelines for, 118–19, 196
reactions to, 124–26
stretches in, 120–23
Mindfulness and mindfulness meditation
audio tracks on, 14, 56, 82, 103, 106, 119, 131, 152
autopilot and, 70
Being mode awakened by, 35, 38, 39, 40, 41–42, 43
benefits of, 5, 6, 11–12, 35–36, 44–45, 50–52, 212, 216, 217
for boosting resilience, 53–54
brain changes from, 46–49
choosing practices for, 247
compared to parachute weaving, 243
core program of, 12
time frame for, 13
effectiveness of, 3
enhancing, in Week Seven, 231, 233–34
feelings of failure about, 151
finding gaps for practicing, 222–23
focusing on breath in, 4–5
gardening analogy and, 153
habit breaking in, 12–13
for increasing life expectancy, 36–37
for maintaining peace in a frantic world, 244–45
for managing negative thoughts, 11
myths about, 6–7
overview of, 240–41
positive reason for continuing, 246–47
purpose of, 242–43
repetition in, 153
struggles with, 167
subtle changes from, 116
time spent on, 56, 57, 247–49
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), 3, 51–52
Mindfulness bells, 235–36
Mindfulness of the Body and Breath meditation, 58, 81–82, 83–85, 86–87
Mindfulness Program. See Eight-Week Mindfulness Program
Mood
as driver of thoughts, 19, 20
influences on, 10–11, 20, 26
low
persistence of, 26
preventing pleasure, 230
mindfulness meditation improving, 50
motivation and, 229
subtle changes in, 16, 18
thinking producing, 8, 9
warning signals about, 226
Mortality, meditation reducing, 51
Motivation, 228–29
Mouse in the maze experiment, 112–14, 177
Movement. See also Mindful Movement meditation
depression and, 21
Movie going Habit Releaser, 159–60
Negativity, 5, 9, 13, 25–26, 28, 30–31, 34, 42, 50, 57, 59, 61, 71, 109, 116, 138, 181, 205, 226, 243
Breathing Space and, 157, 206–7, 245
downward spirals of, 10–11, 40, 71–72, 115, 131, 176, 179
Exploring Difficulty meditation and, 170–71
mouse and movement experiment and, 113–14
Nourishing activities
in Being mode, 43
exercise for assessing, 218–20
giving up, 59–60, 214–16
importance of, 218
for rebalancing life, 221, 223–24, 226
One-Minute meditation, 4
Overthinking, 30, 34, 35, 44, 59, 114, 188, 231
Pain, chronic, 6
Painful engagement, 188
Parachute, weaving, 243, 244–45
Passivity, 112
Past
acceptance of, 194, 196
difficulty letting go of, 188, 191
entrapment in, 188, 194, 207
influence of, 24–25, 26, 114, 137
living in, 77, 105
memories of, 9, 11, 27, 42, 43, 48, 144, 146, 189, 191, 193, 229
re-living, 42, 43
Peace, 2, 8–12, 13, 24, 34, 59, 62, 63, 85, 93, 100, 129, 134, 147, 194, 195, 196, 204, 241–47
Perfectionism, 114, 249
Perspective, changes in, 33, 34, 156, 158
Physical health, mindfulness meditation improving, 50–51
Picking fruit, in Mindful Movement meditation, 121–22
PITs (Practice Interfering Thoughts), 160
Planning, in Doing vs. Being modes, 42, 43
Plant care Habit Releaser, 183–84
Playfulness, 113, 115, 180
Pleasure, reclaiming, 230, 231–32
Poems
“Hokusai Says,” 238, 249, 250–51
“The Guest House,” 166–67, 244
Positivity, 6, 19, 46, 47, 50, 140
Postponement of life, 242
&nbs
p; Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 186–87, 192
Practice Interfering Thoughts (PITs), 160
“Practices of the week” box, 57
Prefrontal cortex, showing mood shifts, 47
Present moment
living in, 42–43
paying attention to, 78
Problem-solving, 12, 28–30, 34, 175
PTSD, 186–87, 192
Pushing too hard
donkey story about, 112–13
pitfalls of, 112
Puzzles, approach- vs. avoidance orientated, 112–14
Rainstorm analogy, Breathing Space and, 157–58
Raising arms, in Mindful Movement meditation, 120–21
Raisin meditation, 72, 73–75, 76–79, 196
Rational critical thinking, 28
Reaction times, mindfulness meditation increasing, 5, 6
Real events, memories of, 189, 190
Rebalancing daily life, 221–26
Reclaiming your life Habit Releaser, 207–8
Relationships, meditation improving, 6
Repetition, in meditation, 153
Resignation, vs. mindful acceptance, 40, 45
Resilience, mindfulness boosting, 53–54
Reward centers of brain, 230
Risk taking, 115
Routine activities
focusing on, 76–77, 78
normally missed, 76
waking up to, 117
Rumi, Jalaluddin, 166–67, 244
Rumors, 138–40, 209
Sadness, 3, 8, 10, 12, 19, 25, 29, 42, 48, 71, 116, 126, 156, 164, 177, 188, 193, 245
Seed sowing Habit Releaser, 183–84
Self-criticism, 9, 13, 15, 25, 86, 117, 139–40, 240. See also Inner critic
Senses, 11, 39, 45, 58, 77, 78, 105, 107, 231, 240
Shoulder rolls, in Mindful Movement meditation, 123
Showering, paying attention to, 77
Sleep, 1, 116
Sleepiness, during meditation, 64
Sounds
likened to thoughts, 143–45
receiving and noticing, 145
Sounds and Thoughts meditation, 59, 142, 143–45, 146–47, 148–53, 172, 196
Sowing some seeds Habit Releaser, 183–84
Standing in stillness, in Mindful Movement meditation, 123
Stone-down-a-well analogy, 246–47
Storm analogy, describing wandering mind, 86
Stream, thoughts as, 45, 87, 88, 101, 143, 149, 150, 152, 153, 159
Stress, 2, 3, 8, 12, 18, 22, 24, 26, 56, 59, 60, 71, 95, 118, 119, 156, 164, 212, 242
affecting future plans, 42
attempts to solve, 28
case histories about, 15–16, 90–91, 94
chronic, 115
from Doing mode, 231
effect of mindfulness meditation on, 5, 6
Exhaustion Funnel and, 213
helplessness from, 226
mindfulness for controlling, 5, 37
motivation and, 229
from overloaded memory, 66
preventing pleasure, 230
realizations about, 236–37
reduced sense of control from, 230
self-feeding nature of, 19
symptoms of, 217
thoughts and, 40–41, 140–42
Three-Minute Breathing Space meditation for, 130–34
Stretching, in Mindful Movement meditation, 118–19, 120–23, 124–26
Suffering, primary vs. secondary, 155
Suicide, 180
attempted, 185–88
Supermarket line frustration, 154–55
Suppression, 48, 71, 117, 169, 170, 194, 205, 231
Ten-finger gratitude exercise, 109
Tension, 18, 19, 25, 28. See also Stress
Thoughts. See also Sounds and Thoughts meditation
autopilot and, 71–72
body influencing, 21, 91–92
common negative, 140–42
connected to emotions and body, 30
disrupting sleep, 1
in Doing vs. Being modes, 40–41
effect on mood, 8, 19, 20
interfering with senses, 78–79
irreversibility of, 189, 194
likened to rumors, 139–40
likened to sounds, 143–45
as mental events, 40–41, 59, 60, 64, 86, 132, 147, 153, 244
observing, 148–50, 152–53
Practice Interfering, 160
receiving and noticing, 145
self-attacking, 9–10
as stream, 45, 87, 88, 101, 143, 149, 150, 152, 153, 159
transient nature of, 5
Threats, fight-or-flight response to, 22, 27
Three-Minute Breathing Space meditation, 57, 118, 143. See also Breathing Space meditation
carrying on after, 159
guidelines for, 130–31
instructions for, 132–33
in Week Six, 197
in Week Seven, 227, 228–34
Time
changing outlook, 33–34
spent on meditations, 56, 57, 61, 62, 96
Tinnitus, 149–50
Tiredness, 11, 15, 18, 27–28, 41, 48, 96, 104, 116, 162, 186, 191, 193, 226, 229, 236, 241, 244, 245. See also Exhaustion
Transcendental Meditation, 51
Trapped feeling, 114–15
Traumatic events, effect on memory, 191–92
TV, valuing, as Habit Releaser, 134–35
Unexpected events, happiness from, 159
Unhappiness, 3, 5, 9, 11, 12, 18, 19, 26, 40, 42, 44, 46, 56, 58, 61, 71, 91, 95, 111, 116, 192, 193, 212, 214, 216, 226, 229, 242, 244, 249
attempts to solve, 28, 29–30
case history about, 15–16, 18–19, 23–25
common thoughts with, 140–41
Exhaustion Funnel and, 213
increase in, 17
moods creating, 8
reduced sense of control from, 230
Walking
as mindfulness bell, 236
as Week Two Habit Releaser, 106–7, 109
Washing dishes, mindfulness during, 235, 245
Weather analogy, describing wandering mind, 86, 87
Week One of Mindfulness Program
practices in, 89
chair changing Habit Releaser, 88–89
cultivating mindful awareness, 87–88
mindful awareness of routine activities, 76–77, 78
Mindfulness Meditation of the Body and Breath, 80–82, 83–85, 86–87
Raisin meditation, 72, 73–75, 76–79
understanding autopilot, 67–72
realizations from, 94–95
summary of, 58
Week Two of Mindfulness Program
practices in, 110
appreciative attention exercise, 108–9
Body Scan meditation, 94–96, 97–100, 101–6
learning to connect with body, 93–94
understanding body’s influence on mind, 90–93
walking Habit Releaser, 106–7, 109
summary of, 58
Week Three of Mindfulness Program
practices in, 118
Breath and Body meditation, 126, 127–29
Mindful Movement meditation, 118–19, 120–23, 124–26
Three-Minute Breathing Space meditation, 130–31, 132–33, 133–34
valuing the TV Habit Releaser, 134–35
preparation for, 117–18
summary of, 58–59
Week Four of Mindfulness Program
practices in, 143
going to the movies Habit Releaser, 159–60
Sounds and Thoughts meditation, 142, 143–45, 146–47, 148–53
Three-Minute Breathing Space meditation, 153–54, 156–59
summary of, 59, 142
Week Five of Mindfulness Program
practices in, 170
Exploring Difficulty meditation, 59, 167, 169–81
sowing some seeds or looking after a plant Habit Releaser, 183–84
summary of, 59
Week Six of Mindfulness Program
practices in, 197
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