Creativity is a highly valued quality that has fueled the solutions to some of our most pressing problems and sparked wonderful innovations that make our lives more enjoyable and less difficult. Research is demonstrating that mindfulness may enhance creativity through a number of mechanisms of action.
Practicing mindfulness can help us cultivate the factors shown by research to promote greater resilience, promoting the qualities we need to survive and thrive in the face of adversity.
The Midwest Alliance for Mindfulness is rounding out our second year as Kansas City’s premier nonsectarian mindfulness and meditation center. Our experiences have been invaluable and we continue to learn as we build community together.
Mindfulness and prosocial behavior, or actions intended to benefit others, are correlated, contributing to positive feelings, increased motivation and productivity, and to the overall well-being of society.
One of the most compelling reasons people seek out mindfulness training and start to practice meditation is a reputation for reducing stress.
Compassion is a necessary ingredient in engaged mindfulness; however, as with any concept, it is susceptible to misunderstanding and manipulation.
Working memory, an executive function that has been described as our mental scratch pad or internal white board, is positively correlated in the research with mindfulness practice.
Emotional intelligence (EI), or the awareness of and ability to modulate emotions and interact with others empathetically, is positively correlated in the research with mindfulness and meditation practice. Cultivating EI helps us communicate, manage stress, and solve problems more effectively.
Research is indicating that mindfulness and meditation practice is correlated with enhanced attention and concentration. Through practice we can learn to harness this precious resource in service to the greater good.
Cognitive flexibility is an executive function that has been shown to be positively correlated with mindfulness and meditation practice. When we are more flexible, we’re better able to nimbly shift and switch gears in response to life’s changing demands resulting in greater resilience.
Life serves us up a rollercoaster ride of experiences that can leave us feeling insecure and confused. The practice of mindfulness can help us cultivate the equanimity needed to feel anchored, confident and balanced amidst the fickle winds of worldly concerns.
We value diversity and understand the importance of supporting belonging in an inclusive community through affinity groups.
Dr. Sydney Spears provided an interview for Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris in which she shared her views on the important role of self-compassion in diversity, equity and inclusion work and vice versa.
Do outcomes always justify our strategies? Often there are unintended longer term consequences when we fail to align our actions toward a goal with our highest values. Mindfulness can help us start where we are, make space to see the bigger picture, and allow us to respond with greater wisdom.
Although it’s not a panacea, the practice of mindfulness can help us stay connected to our highest values even in the face of great difficulty.
Radical compassion means nothing and nobody is excluded from the circle of kindness. The best evidence shows its good for us individually and as a society, but it can be difficult for us to trust given US mainstream cultural conditioning. Cultivating radical compassion takes courage and persistence, but when collectively practiced, it can become a powerful force for personal and societal transformation.
Even when we are in touch with our intentions and they are good, our compassionate actions can be unskillful. Mindfulness, discernment, balance and equanimity in the face of suffering are also important factors in increasing the likelihood that our helping will be truly helpful.
Mindful self-forgiveness opens us to the truth of our situation, making it possible to learn from our mistakes and prevent them from reoccurring.