Mindful Happiness

Anthony Quintiliani, Ph.D, LADC

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Mindful Movement as a Form of Meditation Practice

Using Mindful Movement as a Form of Meditation Practice with the Body

In Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction practices Hatha Yoga has been used as part of the recovery process from both psychological and physical suffering. In my own clinical use of mindful movement with children, youth and adults, I found that basic Qi Gong/Che Kung, MindfulHappiness_WalkingMeditation-002Walking Meditation, and Trauma-Informed Yoga proved to be very helpful in improving participants’ mood and personal motivation.  So why/how does repeated, formal sequences of body movement help people? Like general regular exercise, these mindful movement routines tend to lubricate the body (tendons, joints, etc.), improve strength (muscles), enhance resiliency (sticking with it for reinforcement), perhaps modify neurotransmitters, change breathing rate and depth, produce cognitive distraction from negative thoughts and emotions, lead to bodily stimulation and later relaxation, as well as MindfulHappiness_AnthonyQuintilianiimprove attention, mindfulness, and concentration.  There are many ways regular body movement can help us.  The Buddha’s own advice was to move the body to improve attitude and mood: sit, lay down, walk, and stand up the next time you experience unhelpful emotions to see what happens.  Today many examples of these movement meditation forms are available –  often free online, through Google, in social media, and via Apps.

One of the most interesting explanations about why yoga (body meditation) is so helpful to people has been presented by the 14th Dalai Lama ( Tenzin Gyatso along with Khonton walking-meditation_MindfulHappinessPeljor Lhundrub and Jose Ignacio Cabezon) in the book, Meditation on the Nature of Mind.  The Dalai Lama suggest that there are many ways to attain enlightenment: four ways of yoga, five paths, and ten stages of the bodhisattva.  Although he supports all means for attaining enlightenment, The Dalai Lama makes a special effort to support the “yoga of single-pointed concentration.”  Apparently this form of yoga is one of the most personally “experiential” in its application.  In the yoga of single-pointed concentration the self arises in the body (asana); there is Meditation on the Nature_0complete awareness in the present moment of the body (holding its suffering or joy) but without distraction and cognitive elaborations (thinking).  With the help of a trusted yoga teacher’s guidance, voice and sometimes corrective touch, there arises a strong calm abiding with self-compassion for what the object of meditative yoga is: the body as the personal home of  emotional suffering.  With this state of being comes equipoise and the “clear light” of experiencing your bodily experience, in the now. There is a self-arising realization in the present moment of the” you” experiencing the body as it passes through life’s joy, suffering and neutrality.

For more information refer to The 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso), Khonton Peljor Lhundrup, and Jose Ignacio Cabezon (2011). Meditation on the Nature of Mind. Boston: Wisdom Publications, pp. 120-126.

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, VermontChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness

CLICK HERE to Order!

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Loving Kindness Meditation

Loving Kindness Meditation –

More Thoughts

Some less experienced meditators complain about how easily the mind’s wandering thoughts distract them from paying attention and deepening concentration.  This is a very common problem in meditation practice, and not always just for novices.  Here is a solution for you to try.  In Loving Kindness Meditation, you focus attention on specific thoughts – internal, subvocal, self-statements like “May I be Safe.”  Since the mind is the seat of thinking, and since thought, speech, and action are fundamental aspects of how you live your life – Buddhist or otherwise – MindfulHappiness_WhatisMindfulness-meditating-by-waterloving and kind thoughts may help improve your meditation skills.  In mindfulness traditions, thought is simply another aspect of processing sensory information – in fact one of the sensory processes.  Thinking leads to consciousness; consciousness may improve or distract your meditation practice.  Yes, Loving Kindness Meditation helps to improve the quality of your thoughts, speech and actions.  In this practice we soon learn that wishing the best for others also enhances our own joy; it is soothing and comforting.  When we open our soft hearts and wish safety, health, and happiness for others we engage in a basic bodhisattva action.  More active loving kindness and compassion practices take us a step further into doing things that help other reduce suffering and enhance happiness.  There are many compassion practices.  Here we will focus only on Loving Kindness Meditation.

Loving Kindness Meditation follows a recommended sequence. There are, however, variations.  Begin with yourself. For example:  “May I be safe.” Then move your attention to a significant other: “May … be safe.” We can include a good friend, benefactor, or mentor.  And then we do move to a neutral person, even a total stranger.  You can add a difficult person, and when ready (to forgive) move on to an enemy.  Do not include the enemy until you are ready to forgive that COMPASSION-mindful-happinessperson for their harmful actions.  You will see that once you do forgive them, they no longer hold power over your emotions and your suffering may end.  At this point in the sequence it is helpful to add all beings everywhere.  End your practice sequence by going back to yourself.  Each change in the object of your good wishes includes all statements before moving to another person.  For example: May I be safe. May I be Healthy, May I be happy. May I live with ease. Then you move to the next person.  There are other variations in what you say to yourself.  For example: May I experience safety and the causes of safety.  May I experience good health and the causes of good health.  May I experience happiness and the causes of happiness. May I be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. May I rest in great equanimity.  At some point people who do regular loving kindness meditations may make up their own words.

These words would clarify what best meets what your needs are, and what you think other people may need.

I recommend that you use ritual as a norm in this practice.  For example, light some incense, perhaps a candle, and ring a chime to begin and to end your practice.

1) Sit in a comfortable position, and relax yourself with a few deep, calm, slow breaths.

2) Begin with yourself.  Select the phrases you want to say to yourself.

3) To enhance practice effects, as you say the words feel the associated emotions in your body.  What does safety feel like? What does happiness feel like.  Do your best to introject the power of associated emotions and sensations.

4) When you move to another person, as you say the words do your best to project outwardly the associated emotions of the words.  Make an image of the recipient’s face, and send you words and emotions to them.

5) Continue through the sequences noted above.

6) End the sequence by going back to loving kindness for yourself.

I hope you enjoyed this practice.

Do it often – daily if possible. May you be successful in your loving kindness practices.

For more information refer to: Thondup, T. (2009). The Healing Power of Loving Kindness. Boston: Shambhala Publications. [CD].  Se also Chodron, P. (2009). Perfect Just as You Are. New York: Random House Audio. [CD].  And Salzburg, S. (1995). Loving – Kindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. Boston: Shambhala Publications.

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, VermontChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness

CLICK HERE to Order!

Mindful Happiness cover designs.indd