Mindfulness for the High Performance World: A Practical, Skill-Based Approach to Developing and Sustaining Mindfulness, Equanimity and Balance

By C. Norman Coleman and Karolynn F. Coleman

Mindfulness for the High Performance World provides a unique approach to mindfulness training, built upon the principles of Buddhist philosophy written in line with the Dalai Lama’s description of meditation and mindfulness as “Science of the Mind”. This unique volume explores mindfulness as a learnable skill in context with the underpinnings of the teachings of Eastern psychology.

The authors, Norm, a physician, cancer researcher and triathlete and Karolynn, a psychotherapist, mindfulness meditation teacher and marathoner, live and work in a high-stress, high-expectation world. Their approach is rooted in an understanding that thoughts produce biochemical and physiological changes and provides a strategic framework to instruct an individual on how to categorize types of thoughts. After harnessing this ability, one is positioned to become both more aware of his or her thoughts as well as the specific patterns of sensations they produce, or Sentinel Sites℠. The awareness of what the mind is doing and the ability to interrupt a thought pattern and/or control the response almost instantly leads one to having a healthier life, improved relationships with others and better adaptability to one’s environment. Emphasizing the importance of physical activity and nutrition, the authors present a systematic approach for people who want to learn and incorporate mindfulness and transform how they live without having to divert their lives and careers.

Offering itself as an accessible and skill-based introduction to the principles, practices, and benefits of mindfulness, Mindfulness for the High Performance World is a useful resource for students, athletes and professionals living and working in high-performance, high-stress environments and also for mindfulness practitioners seeking to deepen their skill level.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Springer
• Release date: Jun 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9783030185824

Book preview

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

C. Norman Coleman and Karolynn F. ColemanMindfulness for the High Performance WorldIdentity in a Changing Worldhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18582-4_1

1. Basic Paradigms: Looking for Relief

C. Norman Coleman¹   and Karolynn F. Coleman²

(1)

International Cancer Expert Corps, Inc., Chevy Chase, MD, USA

(2)

Private Practice, Chevy Chase, MD, USA

C. Norman Coleman

Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

Viktor E. Frankl

Keywords

MindfulnessCritical spaceStimulusResponseMind-made suffering Second-arrowThoughts and reactionsAwarenessObservationMorality

The skill that will be developed through a systematic approach is one that will lead to freedom from mental processes that seem to run on their own. It will be freedom from knee-jerk responses through insight into how the mind works by developing the ability to observe mental processes as they arise. It will lead to ongoing awareness of thoughts and pending but not yet executed reactions with the self-MRI so that you can live a richer life in reality with equanimity and wise compassion. The goal is for you to be able to function within the space described by Frankl. While we avoid jargon in this book as much as possible there are some terms that effectively convey a concept. The extraordinarily useful Paradigm of "Freedom from Mind-made Suffering" used this book is illustrated in Fig. 1.1.

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Fig. 1.1

Freedom from mind-made suffering paradigm . This is the first of the three key paradigms used in the book which we will go through step by