The Art of Mindfulness | Dr. Jack Kornfield

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

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Jack Kornfield (1:12)

One of the first skills that one learns in the art of mindfulness, of mindful presence, or mindful kind attention, is to name and acknowledge the states of mind without getting lost in them. And one of the most helpful acknowledgments is of the judging mind. So there you are, doing your art, you're playing music, you're playing ball, you're painting, you're whatever it happens to be. And then the judging mind comes to start it earlier. You should have, you could have done this, you could have learned this, you would have, all those things. And you could say, oh, I hate this judging. I want to get rid of, judging is terrible. No more judging. I'm going to, what was your word? Eradicate that sucker, you know? Stop judging, I hate judging. But what's that? It's another judgment, right? Just piles on. Instead, what you do is you turn almost with a bow and you say, judging, judging mind. And then if you need to, or if it's helpful, you can say, thank you for your opinion to that part of your mind. And if you want to take it one level deeper, you can even reflect now, whose voice does that remind you of? Because it's not just your own. It was recorded in there from school, parents, whatever. We won't talk about them. Okay, thank you for your opinion. I'm actually okay for now.

You can rest, put them on the sideline and go on. And it will arise a number of times. But all of a sudden, your relationship to the judging mind becomes one of not living inside it with the belief that it's true, but seeing it as just conditioned. And that is, this is a small example, a small window or doorway into the kind of inner freedom that comes as we learn to meditate and learn to practice.

Michael Gervais (3:21)

Okay, welcome back or welcome to the Finding Mastery podcast. Happy New Year, happy 2021 I'm Michael Gervais, and by trade and training, I am a sport and performance psychologist. And the whole idea behind this podcast, behind these conversations, is to learn from people who have committed their life efforts towards mastery. What does that mean? It means that they have dug into the nuances of both craft and self. And the design of this conversation, this podcast, is to help you understand what they're searching for, to help refine what you're searching for, to help understand what it is that they're doing to organize their inner life so that you can apply many of those same principles. And then we dig underneath to figure out what are the mental skills that they use to build and refine their craft. Finding Mastery is brought to you by Mack Weldon. The holidays are around the corner and there is so much to look forward to. There's time with family and friends, hopefully, some great food, a little chill in the air and of course, giving gifts. I love when I find a great gift for somebody. And something I'm really excited to share with you during the season of giving is Mack Weldon. I'm a huge fan. I'm a huge fan of what they're doing. And for those of you who have been listening for a while to the podcast, you know that we don't partner with clothing companies often. That's because I'm really picky. And Mack Weldon, they have this clean, classic approach that's great for men who value comfort and quality over, you know, the flash bang that comes with fast fashion. Mack Weldon makes it easy to find timeless pieces that look and feel great, which also makes their products ideal for holiday gifting. And a couple of my favorites, their Tech Linen Half Zip. It's comfortable, it's breathable, it's refined, it layers really well. And then they've got this Warm Knit Air Shirt Jacket that I love. It's lightweight, it's also warm. I'm wearing one of their Cashmere Sweaters right now. I just, I gotta tell you, I love what they're doing. They've got the essentials dialed in. And for any man who would like, you know, a thoughtful gift, I think that this is one you want to consider. And what I really appreciate though about Mack Weldon is that they stand for something deeper. They believe that knowing is more important than showing. And that aligns so well with what we talk about here at Finding Mastery. Substance over image, working from the inside out. So if you're looking for some quality gifts for the men on your list, I really, really want to encourage you to go check them out. Right now, new customers get 20% off orders over $100 with the code findingmastery at Mack Weldon. So you spell that Mack Weldon, mackweldon.com, and then use the code findingmastery. Finding Mastery is brought to you by OurPlace. I am sure you've heard of Forever Chemicals. Things like PFAS and PTFE, also known as Teflon. They're everywhere. And things you wouldn't expect, but you use every day like pots and pans and air fryers, blenders, water bottles, and the list goes on and on. In previous conversations with my friend Darren Oline about this topic, I've made personally a ton of valuable swaps in my everyday life that have elevated my personal health, my family's health, and in return, the health of the planet. A big one is the cookware that we use in our kitchen, which is why I'm super excited to partner with OurPlace. OurPlace makes beautifully designed nonstick kitchenware and it's 100% non-toxic. Meaning they're free from those forever chemicals and all the other hard to pronounce compounds. You don't want anywhere near your food. My wife, Lisa and I have been absolutely loving their Always Pan. Cooks great. It's quick and easy to clean because it has that slick ceramic surface that prevents food from getting stuck. The whole thing works. On top of cookware, they also have a variety of other great products like utensils, knife sets, cutting boards, air fryers, blenders and more. All of which are fully non-toxic and designed for efficiency and ease of use.