Satipatthana is a compound of Mindfulness (Sati) and either Patthana- Foundation or Upatthana – Presence. This compound can be interpreted as – Sati-patthana – Foundation of Mindfulness or Sati-upatthana- Presence of Mindfulness
Analayo-2006, 2022
Establishing a practice of Mindfulness can start with listing the ways one is not mindful. A five minute break at the end of every three hours can be a way to check in and see where we are in the practice of a particular tool.
Labyrinths in a Retreat
Having practiced the 12 steps with a fellowship, I was eager to impress the priest about my knowledge and application of the steps, spirituality, and work with a sponsor ( a person who knows one’s story, will hold us accountable to the 12 step path, and agree to be our sponsor).
She listened to the different aspects of the program, what brought me here, how I progressed, what pitfalls and roadblocks I had observed and where I see myself in the coming months in this path.
Practice one tool a day, and check in where you are in the awareness and application of that tool. This suggestion by the priest helped me strengthen my program and be more mindful of the way I do the program, how I spread the message and what I need to do less of.
Earlier Perspectives
Dialogues- how they arise, develop and affect.
Silence before a conversation can be a starting point to being mindful. Be aware of the energy, the feeling (ease or unease- inside, in the other , in between) and the biological way in which the voice is generated.
A coach once taught me the way the voice is coming from either the throat or the head or the throat or even stomach and the difference in way it comes out if one is aware from where we are speaking. It is more high pitched from higher areas and deeper if from lower areas.
He also mimicked two US Presidents and showed the difference between the folksy- I am a regular guy like you tone of one and the preacher voice of another. After he demonstrated that, I heard the speeches of both Presidents again and realized how true his observation was.
Worksheet
Common Day to Day themes to be mindful of
| No | Theme | M | P | Comment |
| 1 | 5 minute break | |||
| 5 minute break | 3 | 3 | During the break I realized that my breathing, posture, gait needed to be better. I stretched by back and straightened the way I sit | |
| 2 | 3 hour slots | |||
| 3 hour slots | During the past three hours, I was mindful of the way I drive, did I let some drivers enter the freeway before me, did I overspeed. On getting to my place of work, or study- I first checked in on the common spaces and did some service for the good of the organization, institution (or did not bother and just rushed into my own work space) | |||
| 3 | Labyrinths The bigger picture and detours | |||
| Labyrinths | The bigger picture of where I am headed, what ways I can go off track. In the example above, I wrote of doing a retreat in guidance of a priest. She was my spiritual mentor. It helped me align my program a bit deeper and also made me see the primary purpose , my relationship with a higher power and the fellowship in a deeper way. | |||
| 4 | SummaryWhat new insightAny change | |||
| Summary | Through this exercise, I also saw the way voice is generated, how high and low pitch are related to anatomy. In addition, a coach helped me see the energy generated by two famous public speakers- one a folksy regular guy, the other a preacher voice Write a summary of what this exercise in mindfulness meant to you | |||
| 5 | Follow-up | |||
| Follow-up | Laying the Foundation of Mindfulness I became more present to the persons I am speaking to . As a follow-up I made a note of times when I held space for them to open up, and the times when I had an urge to give them feedback and let it be. Write one step you implemented in the past week.Discuss with a person with whom you practiceWhat new insights were gained. |
M- Mastery- how good am I on a scale of 0 to 5 in implementing this tool (5 being best, 0-not existent)
P- Pleasure- how much pleasure or sense of achievement did I get in implementing this tool
(5 great pleasure/sense of achievement 0-non existent) (Burns & Arens, 2020)
References
Anālayo, B., Medvedev, O.N., Singh, N.N. et al. Effects of Mindful Practices on Terror of Mortality: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Mindfulness 13, 3043–3057 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01967-8
Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization
Burns, D. D., & Arens, B. (2020). Feeling Great. Findaway Voices.
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