Mind & BodyLiving a Thoughtful Life

Keegan MikSTS Senior ThesisFall 2014

Goals

• How do we live thoughtful life?• Initially had strong intuition but little formal knowledge• Relationship between mind and body• Power of the mind• Effect of the body• Historical background• Mentality• Modern trends

Mind

• Fear is the oldest human emotion• Primal motivator for survival• Necessary but potentially troublesome• Mastery over fear is enlightenment

Overcoming Fear

Zen – History and Method

• Omnipresence of duality• Koans for instruction• Mushin no shin “mind of no mind”• Mind is unconscious of itself• Free to act spontaneously• Fluid action through intuition

• Natural state is mindlessness• Monkey mind wanders, lacks

discipline• Can be controlled through

intentional mindfulness

Zen – Controlling the Monkey Mind

• Meditation promotes discipline• Can be strengthened by practice• Many methods: • Guided• Moving• Sensory• Mindfulness

Meditation – Building Mindfulness

• Slows flux of beta waves in the brain – responsible for information processing• Better focus, less stress• Reduced anxiety• Improved creativity• Greater compassion and empathy• Stronger rapid memory recall• Prolonged cognitive functioning later in life

Meditation – Underlying Science

• Positive psychology – emulate mentality of successful outliers• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – what are our best moments? • State of total engagement in an activity• “Spontaneous flow” of consciousness• Peak experience achieved during everyday activities• Similar to mushin in Zen thought

Flow – Characteristics

• Clear goals for success• Immediate feedback• Immersive, engaging environment• Strong technical proficiency• High level of challenge

Flow – Triggers

Body

Yoga

• Over 5000 years old• “To join or yoke together”• Exercise, breathing, meditation• “Ashtanga” – eight-fold path• Engage with the present moment• Restore internal harmony• Produce spontaneous calm

• Our most natural environment• Reconnect with primal drives and emotions• People are intrinsically explorers and fighters• Good for the soul• Adventure sports• Nature immersion

Wilderness

• More potent form of exploration• Nature as final arbiter• Life on the edge• Seeking flow, mushin

Adventure Sports

• Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)• Relaxing in nature reduces stress• New scientific studies on forest therapy• Same effects as meditation, but without effort

Nature Immersion

• Confluence of modern technology with old-school mantras• Potentially can transform the way people take care of themselves• Many paths to find mindfulness and live a thoughtful life• Can be found doing anything that brings you joy

Implications

ResourcesBlaser, Carmen. “Nebelschleier über Berner Hügel.” 500px. 500px, 4 Dec. 2014. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. <https://500px.com/photo/91738883/misty-shroud-above-berner-mound-by-carmen-blaser>. “Calming Mind Brain Waves.” Fast Company. Fast Company, Aug. 2013. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://f.fastcompany.net/multisite_files/fastcompany/imagecache/inline-large/inline/

2013/08/3016649-inline-calming-mind-brain-waves.jpg>.“Challenge vs Skill.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Challenge_vs_skill.svg/1000px-Challenge_vs_skill.svg.png>. “Enso Zen.” The First Morning. WordPress, Mar. 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://thefirstmorning.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/enso_zen1.jpg>.“Forest viewing and walking.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2 May 2009. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/core/lw/2.0/html/tileshop_pmc/ tileshop_pmc_inline.html?title=Click%20on%20image%20to%20zoom&p=PMC3&id=2793346_12199_2009_86_Fig1_HTML.jpg>.

Ho, Fan. “Afternoon Chat.” Fan Ho: Hong Kong Yesterday 1950s-1960s. SFO Museum, 1959. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. <http://www.flysfo.com/museum/exhibitions/fan-ho-hong-kong-yesterday-1950s%E2%80%931960s>.

“Hollyford Valley Fjordland National Park New Zealand.” HD Wallpapers. mi9.com, 22 Nov. 2009. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. <http://www.mi9.com/wallpaper/hollyford-valley-fjordland-national-park-new-zealand_74049/>.

Jorgenson, Blake. “Thrill-Seeking in British Columbia.” The Best Adventure Photography: Exposure 2014. Outside Online, 20 Mar. 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <http://http:/media.outsideonline.com/images/exposure-james-heim-skiing-ipsoot.jpg>.

“Kinfolk-Hygge3.” N.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. <http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b976hvc9QVM/UNdB9pf_hJI/AAAAAAAAAPM/0GEq8DJPDqQ/s1600/kinfolk-hygge3.jpeg>. “Lotus Headstand.” Pinterest. Pinterest, n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <https://www.pinterest.com/pin/462463455458143278/>. “Milky-Way.” 2013. Planetary Science. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. <http://planetary-science.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/milky-way.jpg>. “Monkey.” Square Space. Square Space, n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http://static.squarespace.com/static/524a41cde4b016b87cc86281/t/524b2f51e4b0958929ea8c19/1380659026578/

monkey2.png>. Munsey, Charlie. “Buckle Up on Oregon's North Umpqua River.” The Best Adventure Photography: Exposure 2014. Outside Online, 17 Dec. 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.

<http://media.outsideonline.com/images/munsey-kayak-drop-oregon.jpg>. Wright, Krystle. “Off-Line in Washington.” The Best Adventure Photography: Exposure 2014. Outside Online, 22 Sept. 2014. Web. 4 Dec. 2014.

<http://media.outsideonline.com/images/exposure-slacklining-washington-pass-north-cascades.jpg>. “Yin Yang.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ commons/thumb/1/17/Yin_yang.svg/1024px-Yin_yang.svg.png>.Yosemite HD. Dir. Sheldon Neill and Colin Delehanty. Vimeo. Project Yosemite, 2012. Web. 22 Mar. 2014. <http://vimeo.com/35396305>.

Questions?