I often remind myself of Jon Kabat-Zinn's insight: "When we understand that life is the curriculum, life itself becomes the meditation."
Still, until recently, I only understood half the sentiment. Initially, I internalized it in a responsive manner. When life presented an opportunity to practice mindfulness, especially a challenge, I would respond in kind.
It wasn't until reading Dr.Richard J. Davidson and Dr.Cortland Dahl's new book, Born to Flourish, that the quote finally landed. Jon's invitation isn't solely to respond with compassionate presence. It is to intend it in each moment.
This is one of the central revelations Dr.Davidson and Dr.Dahl inspire (and my favorite line in the book)…
"Flourishing is not a destination, but a practice."
As Dr.Dahl illuminates, we often have elaborate visions of what it means to flourish. Still, each moment is an opportunity to practice the four skills in their framework: awareness, connection, insight, and purpose.
To start, they encourage you to reflect on your daily routines and identify opportunities to infuse them with intention. It can be as simple as practicing gratitude while walking your dog or reflecting on our sense of interdependence before eating a meal. While these micro-practices may seem simple, compounded over time, they lead to neuro-plastic changes (causing the behaviors to unfold spontaneously) and elevate your baseline.
Since reading Born to Flourish, I truly have come to see life as the meditation. As if with new eyes, I now see every interaction as an opportunity to practice. I move through my day with a deeper sense of joy and expansiveness; More attuned to the kindness of others and the goodness in the world.
Two of my most revered teachers, Dr.Davidson and Dr.Dahl make a transformative difference in my life. They've devoted their life's work to studying the neuroscience of flourishing at The Center for Healthy Minds at The University of Wisconsin-Madison—where they conducted the first studies on advanced meditators' brains—as well as at their non-profit Humin.
We explore their pioneering research and practices to wire your brain to flourish. To become the "architect of your inner experience," we learn how meditation alters the way that your brain responds to pain, how (and when) to shape the encoding of your memories, and why our subjective experience can be more impactful than our objective one, as well as how to relate to it. I hope our discussion will elevate your vitality as it did mine.