作者：億萬Yvonne
2015年1月
覺察呼吸，感受行走的步伐，品茶或咖啡，並充分地感受香氣、味道與質感，什麼事情都不做…在繁忙與嚴肅的商業環境中，這些都可能被認為是偷懶或者浪費時間。 然而，越來越多包括Google、Facebook、eBay等國際領先的企業，還有醫院、學校、監獄、警察局、軍隊、政府等等，都開始為機構裡服務的人提供正念培訓。是的，「人」。員工、高管、教師、學生、囚犯、警察、醫生、病人…都是「人」。
隨著科技飛速發展，生活的節奏越來越快速，商業世界強調盈利與增長，我們的自身價值似乎都是以效率、生產力和能否製造更多作為衡量標準。多任務工作模式，還有越來越多樣的通信平臺，如行動電話、電子郵件、社交媒體平臺等等，都導致我們對於要不停地做事情上癮了。 人們開始如機械般操作，這種操作模式開始嚴重地侵害我們的生理和心理健康。越來越多人受到壓力、焦慮、職業倦怠、慢性疾病的煎熬。我們跟別人與家人的關係也在斷裂。最糟糕的是，我們跟自己的心，和對生命的激情與喜悅，距離越來越遠。
幸運地，有一些早期的先鋒，如喬·卡巴金、傑克·康菲爾德、裡奇·戴維森等等正念的踐行者與科學家，冒著犧牲事業發展的風險，在30多年前當正念還沒有被西方主流社會認識和接受之前，就把事業致力於在主流社會中推動正念培訓以及相關的科研項目。到了今天，成千上萬的科研報告證明了正念修習可以有效地減壓、舒緩慢性疾病及疼痛、加快疾病療愈、提升健康與生活品質、增強專注力、改善人際關係、甚至改變大腦與染色體的結構等等，正念效益列表的內容在不斷添加中，很多企業、機構與個人都開始參加正念的訓練。
正念並不是你能夠從外面學回來的東西，它已經是你內在的一部分 ——是你與生俱來，能夠不帶評判地覺知當下的能力。有著這覺察力，你可以接觸到內在的空間與寂靜，儘管外在一切顯得混亂。行動和幹活是陽性能量，讓你得以前進、擴展和成就。但同時你必須擁有寂靜與空間，這是陰性能量，能夠滋養、容納以及蘊涵嶄新的可能性。正念訓練的真正目的是喚醒你內在已經存在的覺知力，讓你可以從獲自身的陰陽平衡，在人生的旅程中保持創意及可持續發展。 最終，正念讓你同時覺知到自己思想的智性和心的悟性，讓你作為一個有血有肉心臟在跳動的人，充分地去愛和理解，給予和原諒，創造和貢獻，接納和感恩，也就是真正並真實地活出此時此刻的生命。
正式的正念課程和靜修營能夠提供有系統的修習方法和有紀律的練習氛圍，可以有效地幫助我們培養正念覺知的習慣。同時，最新的研究也證明，定期的短暫正念練習也是有效果的。以下是3個簡單的正念練習，你可以隨時在家裡或辦公室裡進行：
練習1：
每天跟自己約會10分鐘。在這個完全跟自己在一起的約會中，請到一個不會被打擾的安靜地方，關掉手機，就如要跟一位最重要的人見面一樣。事實上，你確實是對自己最重要的人。安坐下來，保持腰背挺拔，同時讓身體放鬆，閉上眼睛，感受自己的呼吸。吸氣，感覺氣息進入身體的感受。呼氣，感覺氣息離開身體的感受。在這10分鐘就只是如實地感受自己的呼吸，放下評判也無須要控制呼吸，只是觀察與感受，感受著生命就存在於一吸一呼之間。吸氣時，誰在提供新鮮的氧氣給你呢？呼氣時，誰幫你處理你不需要的濁氣呢？感受自己跟宇宙的相連。
練習2：
在伏案工作的時候，設一個鬧鈴，讓自己停下來並留意當時的姿勢。在停頓的一刻讓身體保持著當時的姿態，然後用1分鐘時間，從頭到腳地去掃瞄身體各個部位的感覺，留意骨骼和肌肉的狀態，尤其是脖子、肩膀、手腕、胃部以及腰部的位置。注意到你的姿勢怎樣影響著自己的健康。在1分鐘身體掃瞄後，放鬆，伸展一下身體，並從新調整到讓身體舒適的坐姿。
練習3：
在跟別人（同事、客戶、家人、等等）溝通時，請不要一邊看著手機或電腦。當對方在說話的時候，留意到自己也許想要馬上打斷或有發表自己意見的衝動，但仍然保持靜心聆聽。聆聽的時候不只是用耳朵聽，還要用上你的眼睛和你的心。感受對方在語言以外在表達的信息。
定期修習以上這三個簡單的練習，你將發現自己的健康與生活質量都會發生奇妙的變化。最終，我們在生活的每一刻都應該保持正念覺知，並非作為一種練習，而是生活之道。
The Road to True Living: Mindfulness for PEOPLE at work
By Yvonne Pang
January 2015
Noticing your breathing, feeling each stepas you walk, fully taking in the aroma, taste and texture as you sip your teaor coffee, non-doing…allthese activities might be labeled as laziness or time-wasting in a seriousbusiness environment. However, more andmore business corporations worldwide, including Google, Facebook, eBay, etc.,as well as hospitals, schools, prisons, police, military, government, etc, areproviding 「Mindfulness」 based trainings for their people. Yes, PEOPLE. Employees, executives, teachers, students, prisoners, police officers,doctors, patients…they are all PEOPLE.
As thepace of our busy world accelerated with the advances in technology, and theemphasis on business profit and growth, our value seems to be measured solelyby efficiency, productivity and finding ways to produce more. With multi-taskingand increasing numbers of communications means such as mobile phones, emails,social media platforms, we become addicted to constant doing. People start to operate like machines. This operating mode is taking toll on ourphysical and mental healths. Peoplesuffer from stress, anxiety, burnout and chronic illnesses. It is disconnecting our relationship withpeople and families. And worst of all,it is taking us away from our heart, from our true passions and joy of life.
Fortunately,there are early pioneers such as Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jack Kornfield, RichieDavidson, etc, who dedicated their careers in driving mindfulness training andrelated scientific research programs in the mainstream society, even when itwas against the social norm more than 30 years ago and they were at risk ofsacrificing their own careers. Nowadays,thousands of researches are proving that mindfulness can effectively reducestress, relieve chronic illnesses and pains, accelerate healing, enhance healthand general wellness, increase attention span, improve inter-personalrelationships, change brain and gene structures, etc. The list of benefits keeps on expanding. Manycompanies and individuals start taking training in Mindfulness.
Mindfulnessis not something that you have to acquire outside of yourself. It is already within you --- it is your inborn ability to be aware ofthe present moment in a non-judgemental way. With this awareness, you can get in touch with the space and stillnesswithin you, amidst all the seemingly chaos outside. Actions and doings are 「Yang」 energiesallowing you to move forward, to expand and to achieve. But you also need stillness and space, the「Yin」 energies that are nourishing, accepting and holding newpossiblities. What mindfulness trainingreally does is to awaken the capability of awareness within you, so that youcan re-balance the yin and yang in your being, and have sustainable growth andcreativity in your journey of life. Ultimately, mindfulness allows you to be in touch with your heart aswell as your mind, so that as a human being with flesh, blood and a beatingheart, you can love and understand, give and forgive, create and contribute,receive and appreciate, i.e. truly live life as it is, in the present moment.
Thereare mindfulness training courses and retreats that provide formal andsystematic setting for practices. Formal training and practices are veryhelpful and effective in cultivating the habit of mindfulness in us. At thesame time, some recent researches indicate that constant short mindfulnesspractices are also effective. Here are 3simple mindful practices you can carry out any time, at work or at home:
Exercise1:
Make a10-minute appointment with yourself daily. During this time with yourself, go to a quiet place without distraction andswitch off your mobile phone, as if you are meeting the most important personin your life. And you are. Sit quietly with an upright and yet relaxedposture. Close your eyes and feel yourbreaths. As you breathe in, feel the airmoving into your body. As you breatheout, feel the air moving out of your body. Just feel your breaths as they are, without judgement or control forthis 10 minutes. Noticing that lifeexists with your breathing. Who isproviding fresh air for breathing? Whois taking away the exhausted air that you no long need? Feel the interaction with the universe.
Exercise2:
Whileyou are working at your desk, set an alarm to allow you to stop and notice yourposture. Stop at whatever posture you arein, and spend 1 minute scanning the feelings of your body from head to toe,notice the position of your bones and the status of your muscles, especiallyareas around your neck, shoulders, wrists, stomach and lower back. Notice how your posture is affecting yourwellbeing. After the 1-minute body scan,relax, do some stretching and adjust your posture with full awareness to yourbody.
Exercise3:
Whileyou are communicating with PEOPLE (colleagues, clients, family members, etc.),stop checking at your smart phone(s) and computer. While the person is talking, notice yoururge to interrupt and give your opinion right away but continue to just listen.Listen not only with your ears, but also with your eyes and with yourheart. Feel the messages conveyed beyondhis/ her words.
If youpractice these 3 short exercises regularly, you will discover amazing changesin your wellbeing and quality of life. Ulimately, mindfulness should be present in every moment of our livesnot as a practice, but as a way of living.
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