DISTRACTION AT HOME AND AT WORK

DISTRACTION AT HOME AND AT WORK

Are you doing something else while you read this? There are more and more articles coming out now to direct us to build our skills of attention. Several studies have demonstrated that so-called multi-tasking simply means doing several things at once, all badly. There is evidence that this behaviour creates shifts in the brain which rob us of the capacity to use important executive brain functions, like organizing and prioritizing. Most concerning is the suggestion that younger minds are being robbed of certain cognitive capacities by the drive to many things at once. Lots of scanning does not create decisive or purposeful individuals.
 In an article in the Huffington Post, Surviving the Distraction Epidemic, Ellen Goldman writes

It is becoming more and more apparent that this way of living is seriously impacting not just our happiness, but our health and brains as well!....thanks to the brain imaging technology ...(we are learning)...that if we don't put boundaries on our personal technology, our brains will suffer, and it is detrimental to our health...For the brain to function optimally, it needs its full beam of attention on one activity at a time. As a matter of fact, the more we multitask, the higher the propensity for error and the greater the drop in efficiency.

Read the whole article here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-g-goldman/surviving-the-distraction_b_6455404.html


Yours , on purpose,                               
Ray
Mindful Living in Renfrew County ....What’s got your attention?

MID-JANUARY REMINDERS

MID-JANUARY REMINDERS

1. There are still some places for our CORE Mindful Living Program, scheduled to start on February 3. This is a brand new program and promises to re-set the bar for mindfulness training around here. Info and registration links on this site.

2. Watch for the February issue of SODAI, our monthly magazine, coming out next week. It will feature some new programming for the late winter.

3. Pick up a copy of the latest Health Matters Magazine, Winter 2015,available at locations all over Renfrew. On page 16 you can read an item about us and coming programs. Oddly, its not available online yet (wonder why?)...but should be soon.

4. There is no programming IN PEMBROKE on January 24 due to the special Red Maple Sangha Ceremony in Renfrew. Two members are going through the jukai ceremony, through which they formally anounce their lives in the Buddhist way. Congrats to them.

5. The KAPPS walk for January will be announced this weekend. Check out their blog for details.

Finally, this nice photo for the winter ....

Mindful Living CORE Program

Red Maple Mindful Living is pleased to announce its brand new learning program, The Mindful Living CORE Program. The CORE Program prepares you for mindful living in a 10 week learning series running Tuesdays, 6-8 PM beginning February 3.

We believe that lasting improvements in our lives will not come from any of the quick-fixes being offered these days. Life is not an illness or a disorder, so we don’t need treatments to have a satisfying life. We believe in finding our place in our lives through aligning ourselves with the momentum we experience in our bodies, thoughts and circumstance. We believe satisfaction comes from fulfilling our personally-defined purpose.

Our approach grows from the PARA foundation:
    P: purpose, pro-activity and perspective
    A: attention, awareness and affiliation
    R: relationships, resources, and resilience
    A: activity, action and activism

The CORE Program combines teaching and discussion with attention-building practices and focussing exercises in a casual but disciplined class environment. The Program is not therapy or self-help, it is learning and practicing in a safe, friendly and confidential environment.

The CORE Program consists of:

• 8-2 hour classroom sessions over 10 weeks, 
• 2 individual mentoring sessions, 
• free admission to all Center Saturday practice sessions, 
• a 10% discount for any/all of 3 half-day workshops and 
• the CORE Program workbook. 

The cost is $250. The program will be limited to 10 participants, with a minimum age of 17. Couples and parent-teens welcome.You can register by contacting Ray at 613-433-9405 or rayATpadakun.com .                   

Yours , on purpose,                               
Ray
Mindful Living in Renfrew County ....What’s got your attention?