Quotes About Mindfulness

She would remind herself that in reality she was safe despite her fears, or that her hyperventilating was only a sign of temporary anxiety, not a sign that she would suffocate.

At this level of mindfulness, it may help to use the method of naming—bringing to mind a single word that identifies the nature of the disturbance.

can't do this,' 'I feel overwhelmed,' and 'I hate myself'. So I labeled them 'M1,' 'M2,' and 'M3,' for 'morning tape thoughts.' This way I can more easily watch the habitual play of thoughts running through my mind, without taking them too seriously or getting hooked in.

Equanimity practice can be an inner resource to turn to whenever we face difficult moments. The practice of equanimity involves silently repeating to yourself a phrase while you reflect on its meaning.

May I accept things as they are. I wish you happiness and well-being, but I cannot make your choices for you or control the way things are.

Becoming aware of these emotional habits is the first step, because unless we can catch and challenge them as they are triggered by the events of our lives, they will dictate how we perceive and react.

There are several forms of the loving-kindness meditation. Here's one. Just as I want to be free from suffering, may all beings be free from suffering.

The Dalai Lama advises practicing equanimity before loving-kindness as a way to take the sting out of attachment to wanting things to be a certain way.

A Buddhist principle holds that awareness leads to empathy.

whenever something triggers them our feelings flare and our perceptions become distorted.

And with this loosening of our usual identifications, we become less defined by our reactions as we widen the scope of who we think we are.

mindfulness practice improved the ability of the meditators' brains to control their negative emotions.

By becoming mindful we can drop the compulsion to try to make disturbing thoughts go away, to agitate ourselves by worrying, or to try to make things better or in any way different. We can be with life just as it is, observing completely what happens, without immediately trying to change it.

When a schema trigger disturbs your equilibrium, stirring strong feelings and reactions, it can be quite helpful first to calm your mind down and neutralize your feelings by, for instance, meditating on your breathing for a bit.

Imperfection is not our personal problem - it is a natural part of existing.

The boundary to what we can accept is the boundary to our freedom.

Clearly recognizing what is happening inside us, and regarding what we see with an open, kind and loving heart, is what I call Radical Acceptance. If we are holding back from any part of our experience, if our heart shuts out any part of who we are and what we feel, we are fueling the fears and feelings of separation that sustain the trance of unworthiness. Radical Acceptance directly dismantles the very foundations of this trance.

The renowned seventh-century Zen master Seng-tsan taught that true freedom is being "without anxiety about imperfection.

The emotion of fear often works overtime. Even when there is no immediate threat, our body may remain tight and on guard, our mind narrowed to focus on what might go wrong. When this happens, fear is no longer functioning to secure our survival. We are caught in the trance of fear and our moment-to-moment experience becomes bound in reactivity. We spend our time and energy defending our life rather than living it fully.

Radical Acceptance is the willingness to experience ourselves and our lives as it is.

What would it be like if I could accept life--accept this moment--exactly as it is?

I found myself praying: "May I love and accept myself just as I am.

There is something wonderfully bold and liberating about saying yes to our entire imperfect and messy life.

But this revolutionary act of treating ourselves tenderly can begin to undo the aversive messages of a lifetime.