"Mindfulness" Grows in Popularity - and Profits
If I breathe in and breathe out, I'll be good. But if I sell the Buddha's technique, I'll be great. |
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP, June 11, 2012) In what's become a daily ritual, Tim Ryan finds a quiet spot, closes his eyes, clears his mind, and tries to tap into the eternal calm.
In Ryan's world, it's a stretch
for people to get this relaxed. He's a member of Congress.
Increasingly,
people in settings beyond the serene yoga studio or contemplative
nature path are engaging in the practice of mindfulness.
[Mindfulness meditation is] a mental technique that dwells on [non-judgmental] breathing, attention to areas of the body, and periods of silence to concentrate on the present [moment] rather than the worries of yesterday and tomorrow. Marines are doing it. Office workers are doing it. Prisoners are doing it.
[Mindfulness meditation is] a mental technique that dwells on [non-judgmental] breathing, attention to areas of the body, and periods of silence to concentrate on the present [moment] rather than the worries of yesterday and tomorrow. Marines are doing it. Office workers are doing it. Prisoners are doing it.
Meditation hall, Forest Refuge (IMS), one of the priciest ways to glimpse nirvana in the US. |
The technique is drawing tens of thousands to conferences and learning experiences across the nation and world, and studies have shown it to reduce the symptoms of certain diseases and conditions.
Ryan
has written a book, A Mindful Nation, pushing mindfulness as an
elixir that can tone down political divisions in Washington, get
American schoolchildren learning better, and return the country to an
era of richer personal experience.
"You still
forget your keys, you still call people by the wrong name, you still
stub your toe, but you can train your mind to be more in the present
moment," Ryan said.
Benefits in stress
reduction and improved performance have prompted U.S. corporations
including Google, Target, Procter and Gamble, General Mills, Comcast,
BASF, Bose, and New Balance to offer mindfulness training and encourage
its use at work.
The practice's critics,
including some psychologists and [non-Buddhist] religious scholars, say the approach is
little more than Buddhist meditation repackaged and rebranded for a
secular, and often paying, audience.
"The
commercialization of Buddhism has been happening as long as Buddhism has
existed," said Rachelle Scott, an associate professor of religion at
the University of Tennessee and author of Nirvana for Sale.... More
1 comment:
Nice post........
guide your life
Post a Comment