Like many mindfulness practitioners, I sometimes wonder: Is there a mindfulness pill that I can take as a substitute to hours of practice? And, how about reading a great article or book on mindfulness, or talking about mindfulness with a colleague? Will this make me more mindful?
A new study published in the Mind & Life Institute by researcher, Wendy Hasenkamp makes clear that we integrate learning in many different ways: listening to an inspiring talk, a stimulating conversation, or reading a thoughtful analysis. These are all ways of learning. And, with the explosive growth in mindfulness, contemplative scientists are asking the question: Do we really need to actually practice mindfulness or is it enough to engage cognitively? Is mindfulness practice required to change habits and behavior?
Hasenkamp presents two convincing studies that demonstrate that we learn by doing. This may seem obvious, and we often forget. (Simple and not easy.) Consider the difference between reading a love story and actually feeling love, or eating an orange and actually touching , tasting, chewing, and smelling an orange. Hasenkamp concludes that our brains are particularly sensitive and responsive to direct experience. From an evolutionary perspective says Hasenkamp, “the human brain was exposed to experiential learning for millennia before language-based or written modes of learning evolved. Likewise, during an individual’s development, learning through experience begins in the womb, while the cognitive structures needed for didactic learning only develop years later.” In the practice of meditation, we reshape neuronal circuits in the brain, which is why the direct experience of mindfulness meditation practice may be longer-lasting than other ways of taking in information about mindfulness.
Want to practice of mindfulness? Register today for my upcoming Open Heart, Peaceful Mind Retreat, December 2 to January 1, 2016, which blends the practice of mindfulness with rest, reflection, and renewal: http://www.pendlehill.org/events/new-years-open-heart-peaceful-mind-2/#.VdfwL7RDlRE
https://www.mindandlife.org/the-contemplative-path-how-do-we-learn/