by Sarah Monk | March, 2022 | Mindfulness, Sarah Monk
Introduction Mindfulness and meditation are two of the most prolific terms in Positive Psychology and often the most misunderstood. I have not written a blog specifically on this topic since my very first one in 2017, so I thought it was time to revisit the mindfulness movement. I hope to clarify what we mean by mindfulness and meditation, the broad different types of these approaches, their varying benefits and what to think about if you are planning to engage with these practices. Mindfulness Vs Meditation First of all, mindfulness and meditation are not the same thing. Helpfully, there is also a lack of agreement on the precise definitions. These are mine, based on the literature consensus and my own experience. I have been personally engaged in these approaches for seven years. This makes me a novice by many standards. I’m always happy to be challenged and educated by those with greater expertise. Mindfulness Mindfulness is intentionally noticing what is going on right here, right now from an observational and non-judgemental perspective. This can refer to paying attention to our external world, but more commonly means our internal world of thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations. This means being aware, as an observer, of what is occurring in our mind, body or environment without getting caught up with or carried away by what we perceive. It does not mean having an empty mind but awareness of what is happening there. A quietened mind can be a side effect of practising mindfulness, as you develop the ability to step back from your thoughts and feelings and let them come and...
by Aren Henry | April, 2021 | Clarity is . . ., Grit/Grace/Gratitude, Karen Henry, Light Life, Noetic Nomad
The Light life dims once in a while. The same is true for our emotional health. Imagine you walk into an art studio to see a dim light from a single flickering candle. Around it are 13 artists, each learning how to capture the light on canvas with paint. You will see 13 different, unique interpretations of the candle. Some see the absence of light while others only see the burning flame, holding off the darkness. For some, the end result is literal in how they captured the image of the candle. Others may skew the image to reflect a more symbolic understanding of the dance between light and dark. This is true of life. We see the interpretation of all things from a uniquely crafted lens. No one view is right or wrong. It just is. Some of us see the darkness first, then learn to appreciate the brightness of the flame. Others see the flickering flame, then as the painting expands, they learn how to appreciate the compliment of the dark. Flames dim and so do we We can’t burn bright all the time. Humans are not meant to experience life as bright shinning lights, only being in the light. The darkness provides value that the light can’t give. The same is true for the emotional health of the ever evolving human across our lifespan. In grief, we learn what love is In love, we more profoundly feel the pain of loss In sadness, we strive for joy In surviving trauma, we work toward contentment and peace When there is a discussion about the value or importance...
by Aren Henry | March, 2021 | Clarity is . . ., Grit/Grace/Gratitude, Karen Henry, Light Life, Noetic Nomad, Uncategorized
Every morning, if we are lucky, the sun will rise. We are but one in seven and a half billion people who live that shared experience. This, and death are the only two things that we, as humans, share entirely and in certainty. For 200,000 years, humans who looked most like us have been on earth. The formal science of psychology? Approximately, 150 years. Very Well Mind stated that, “… the study of psychology has a very long past but a very short history.” One sub-field says ‘seek meaning’, while another says to find self-actualization and another still says, what are our peak experiences. There are times when these sub-fields collide. Do we study happiness or not? Why or why not? Does our belief system count? In my opinion, how can it not? Who are we to believe? We can count on the sun to rise Today, we have approximately, 4200 religions actively participating in a belief system. What we believe to be true, is true for each human being. How we go about understanding our species, that is also diverse. Have you tried having a conversation with someone who doesn’t believe what you believe lately? Who is to say that one is right and the others are all wrong? We can’t. To believe in something is part of the human experience. To believe that there is nothing to believe is active believing and that is something too. The sun rises in the east, but for each of us, east is somewhere else. I’m using this as a metaphor of course. One of the most liberating sun rises of...
by Aren Henry | January, 2021 | Clarity is . . ., Grit/Grace/Gratitude, Karen Henry, Light Life, Noetic Nomad
Our internal energy is the fuel of our light life. They say that human beings have 27 emotions, depending on genetics. The neuropsychology of sentient beings taps into how our electrical wiring connects us to all other experiences in life. We have at our disposal, an energy source at any given moment. Highly sensitive people and those who can sense emotions in others have the power to heal. We are the more subtle members of this sometimes, too loud world, but we are just as important as those living out loud. Energy healing is now in the hot-topic focal point in our field but energy work has been around for thousands of years. We often forget that psychology is a new science compared to other healing practices. In 2013, I started focusing on holistic, alternative healing as a way to heal my own trauma. That journey took me into six years of learning about the forth wall of the healing experience. Internal Energy When we have a connection to the subtle parts of ourselves, we are more fully prepared to heal. We live beyond the less complex idea of a mind-body-spirit. We are also meridians and our vagal nerve and fascial connections. We have offered meditation and introduced the mind manipulation of our emotions. Our meditation masters teach us to focus on the non-thinking in a world where overthinking has become the norm. Others call this prayer, encouraging a conversation with a Higher Power outside of ourselves. The delivery of connection to Source energy, a connectedness to a belief system and the earth itself are all part of the transcending...
by Aren Henry | November, 2019 | Gratitude, Grit/Grace/Gratitude, Karen Henry
When we heal, we experience transcendence. People who fully live in the present are able to navigate from past experiences toward a more meaningful life. Those who feel that sense of wholeness or completeness are able to transcend the lessons we learned along the path toward enlightenment. Adyashanti said, “A total acceptance of yourself brings about a total transcendence of yourself.” What does that look like? We are not afraid of not knowing. We are excited to learn more. We are not embarrassed to lack a skill. We are thrilled to have more to acquire. We do not compare ourselves with others. We become one with our now. Transcendence When we transcend the need to be happy, we ease into its truth. One’s ability to move beyond the notion of wanting or needing toward accepting means we have found our ability to simply ‘be’. There is a great deal of yearning for things that we don’t have. Money. Sex. Power. Popularity. Social approval. Value according to others. Basic needs are important, yet so are all the other parts of our hierarchy. Beyond the Basics When we study a singular concept in the field of psychology, we bring its significance to the masses. We have studied thriving, gratitude, forgiveness, love, healing, happiness and so many other singular key concepts for decades. No, not decades, millennia. We pull our strengths from both ancient texts and modern ideals. We do research, then pronounce our “newness” to the world at large. With the right sugar coated appeal, we draw in a crowd. That crowd becomes our cheerleaders, our street teams and in...