Saturday, January 16, 2016

Listen and Learn, Part 2

     Last week I was reviewing an audio course called The Science of Mindfulness:  A Research-Based Path to Well-Being, offered by The Great Courses.  The presenter, Ronald D. Siegel, is a clinical psychologist who has used mindfulness practices with his clients and has studied their benefits as a professor at Harvard.  From the sound of his voice, he seems like a really nice guy.

     Filled with anecdotes from his own life and some examples from some clients, Siegel's lectures go through how our brains are wired for survival in a caveman sense, and poorly equipped to withstand today's relentless pressures and stress.  He talks about why we tend to remember the negative more than the positive (it's called a negativity bias), and then recommends several mindfulness practices to deal with those tendencies. 

    For me, it was fascinating to learn that the mindfulness practices developed by the Buddha some 2500 years ago have finally been verified and adopted by modern science.  And if these practices can help you find more peace and contentment in your life, they are definitely worth the time and effort.

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