2025-03-20
7 分钟Welcome to Happiness Break, a series by the Science of Happiness,
where we guide you through practices supported by science to help you find more happiness, connection, and meaning.
I'm Dacher Keltner.
We all ruminate from time to time, and the literature shows it's not good for us.
In fact, too much rumination is a pathway to depression and anxiety.
So today, we're trying a practice to help us create a little bit more distance between ourselves and our thoughts.
So it's easier to let go of the nagging worries and feelings that aren't really serving as well.
This practice is often called the Sky-like Mind.
It's based in Buddhist teachings and grounded in mindfulness principles like non-attachment,
which study after study show to be helpful in curbing rumination and improving our mental health.
We'll be led today by Lamarad Owens, a Buddhist minister, author, and activist.
Here's Lamarad.
Hi,
I am living and teaching on the ancestral lands of the Creek Cherokee and Muscogee people here in the city we now call Atlanta.
So to begin with, I invite you to return back to your bodies.
Allowing your bodies to come into a position that feels appropriate for you.
Comfortable for me, a position that helps me to balance both the experiences of comfort as well as discomfort,
which in itself is a basic meditation practice.
And so when you're ready, I invite you to shift your attention into the expression of your mind,
beginning to notice thoughts and emotions rising and falling, coming and going.