We live in a distracted world. Our attention and focus is prayed upon by the attention economy. Reconnecting to the value of solitude and silence is essential. The more we develop our mindfulness skills - authentically and without compromise, not with hacks, apps, and shortcuts - so that they are robust, resilient, and constantly running in the background the more we will be able to observe and interact with the systems around us in healthy and constructive ways.
Systems thinking requires that we expand our awareness beyond the the present moment and context to include other contexts and future moments. From there we can see beyond first order consequences and develop adaptive strategies. Mindfulness allows us to stay present when needed so we can better evaluate real-time feedback. The more capable we are at thinking in terms of systems, the more mindful of our actions we become. Better skills at mindfulness lead to better systems thinking. Which leads to deeper mindfulness and awareness of the consequences of our action on the world around us.
If you'll allow me the double entendre, mindfulness isn't what you think. It's simple and it's hard. It's easy to grasp and it's elusive. Learning to be mindful was difficult when I began practicing Rinzai Zen meditation and Aikido many years ago. It's even more difficult in today's instant information, always on, "there's an app for that" culture. Attention spans are short and instant gratification is expected. The uninitiated are poorly positioned for success when they take their first steps to become more mindful of the world around them and their place within it.
There are no apps that will lead you directly to mindfulness. The “mindfulness” apps that can be found look to be no different than thousands of other non-mindfulness apps offering timers, journaling, informational text, and progress tracking. What they all have in common is that they place your mindfulness practice in the same space as all the other mindfulness killing apps competing for your attention – email, phone, texts, social media, meeting reminders, battery low alarms, and all the other widgets that ping, beep, ring, and buzz.
Attempting to develop mindfulness by using an app on a device that is arguably the single greatest disruptor of mindfulness is much like drinking more alcohol to get rid of a hangover or taking a second medication to deal with the side effects of first medication, then a third medication to deal with the side effects of the second. At some point, it's the pills that are the problem.
The way to practicing mindfulness is by the deliberate subtraction of distractions, not the addition of another collection of e-pills. The “killer app” for mindfulness is to kill the app. The simple act of powering off your smart phone for 30 minutes a day is in itself a powerful step toward mindfulness. No timer needed. No reminder required. Let it be a random act. Be free! At least for 30 minutes or so. How about all night!?
The combination of mindfulness, focus, and awareness is a choice and doesn't arise out of some serendipitous environmental convergence of whatever. It is a uniquely human state. There's no secret mix of sandalwood incense, chamomile tea, and Lululemon that brings it all together. Relying on a device or machine to develop mindfulness is decidedly antithetical to the very state of mindfulness. Choosing to develop such mental states requires high quality face-to-face mentors (I’ve had many) and dedicated deliberate practice – a practice that involves subtracting the things from your daily life that work against mindfulness, focus, and awareness.
The Experience of Mindfulness
Neither myself or anyone else can provide a definitive description of what it means to be "mindful" since it can be qualitatively different for every individual. It may help to call out a few things that it isn't.
Mindfulness isn't some constant blissed-out, warm and fuzzy, detached state of being. It can be, but it can also be quite the opposite. It's a state that is very much involved with what's going on around you. It can be relaxing. It can be stressful, particularly if the moment surfaces unacknowledged emotional issues. It takes a bit of bravery to sit still with unpleasant issues from the past. This is another reason I don't recommend the use of smartphone apps. There are some extended audio/visual courses that I think are good, but finding an experienced, quality, and competent fact-to-face mentor is the best approach.
Neither is mindfulness a single skill or behavior. Working to develop such a state will reveal many skills that help support mindfulness and behaviors that need to be adjusted or changed. Behaviors related to diet, for example, can have a significant impact on a meditation or mindfulness practice. Garbage processed food leads to an unhappy GI tract and poor sleep. Hard to sit still when your guts are going 100 MPH and your brain slogs along at a snail's pace. Learning a few basic cooking skills and simplifying your diet can have a significant impact on developing and holding a mindful state.
Mindfulness has its problems, too. Recent research suggested that while mindfulness "appears to promote individual well-being, its interpersonal effects are less clear."1 The study showed that mindfulness “training” makes selfish people more selfish and narcissistic people more narcissistic. On the other hand, it makes altruistic people more altruistic and compassionate people more compassionate. So there’s that.
Mindfulness is fragile, especially at the beginning of anyone's practice. This is one reason why so many become frustrated and quit. In the beginning, it isn't very sticky. It's easy for distractions and circumstances to push the old buttons and yank our emotions around. I recall one of Sasaki Roshi's teishos where he lamented the practice of some of his monks - strong while in the dojo but they would fall apart when they were sent into the city (L.A.) on an errand. This is why it's called a practice. I've been working at it for over forty years and there are still people and circumstances that manage to find cracks and worm their way into my peace of mind. Thankfully, they are few and far between. Even then, I can sense them coming and execute a tenkan2 so there's no there there when the problem attempts to land a blow. It takes a while to develop a mindfulness skill to this level, but less time than you might think. To paraphrase an old saying, the best time to begin a mindfulness practice was in your teens. The second best time to begin is today.
As you become more mindful in a way that permeates your daily life without having to work at it there is a wide array of benefits that become apparent. These don't appear in any particular order and will most likely go unnoticed except in hindsight, as you reflect back on your mindful practice in the coming months and years.
Peace of Mind (Less stress and worry, greater emotional stability)
Improved sleep
A rearrangement of what's important.
While you may remain just as busy, many things will seem less urgent.
"Mindfulness" last updated on 2024.11.27.
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Footnotes
1 Poulin, M., Ministero, L., Gabriel, S., Morrison, C., & Naidu, E. (2021, April 9). Minding your own business? Mindfulness decreases prosocial behavior for those with independent self-construals. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/xhyua
2 Tenkan, in Japanese, literally means convert or divert. In Aikido it is the name of a movement whereby an Aikidoka steps off the line from the attack and pivots 180 degrees on their lead foot so that they end up shoulder to shoulder with the attacker and are facing the same direction as the attack. It's often combined with other techniques to further redirect the attackers energy.
References
Photo by David Brooke Martin on Unsplash