Mindfulness: defeating distraction and amplifying awareness | Richard Chambers | TEDxUniMelb

Today’s world surrounds us with so many sources of distraction, which make us less engaged and less effective, and can even lead to mental health problems. In this talk, Richard Chambers explains how mindfulness is a tool for increasing self-awareness and how it can help create a generation of young people better equipped to solve the problems we are facing in the world today. Dr Richard Chambers is a clinical psychologist, mindfulness consultant, author and speaker. He started practising mindfulness in 1999 and since then has been increasingly involved in integrating it into mainstream education. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@omarpreetsinghbali4128]

Something beautiful happening today is that Delhi state government has begun mindfulness teaching as the first period of the day for all students from 1st to 8th for the past three or so year with amazing results in everyone involved. They call this the happiness curriculum. Waiting for something like this to spread to the globe

[@JasJus.88]

Amazing how late India is, considering they are the origin of meditation and mindfulness.

[@ariyazheng5146]

Wow! This is amazing. The education system needs more mindfulness. I thought about the similar thing earlier. I am 15. I attended six different schools in three years in China and America. Seeing how various types of school motivate students differently, I realized that our education system didn’t just help us to acquire knowledge, but it also shaped our mindset in different ways. Schools in China have a very strict testing system and motivate students to work very hard to rank higher among all the students. American education system encourages students to do more extracurricular activities in order to get involved in the society. Although both systems sound very well organized and can well prepare students before they go into the real world, many students still don’t truly enjoy school activities or studying. The majority of students in China study just for the sake of scoring higher on a test. They felt like they were just studying machines. Some American students are completing tests and do all sort of things just to meet college’s standardizations. And often times, we fell into the mindset of comparing and our minds drifted to the “should have done better” past, or the “I need to do this, this, this, and this” future. Rarely, our minds stayed in the present moment and enjoyed what we are learning or doing. I felt like that as well. I was mindlessly completing tasks and hoping for an abstract future. Sometimes I felt lost and could not find true joy in learning. That caused me a lot of unnecessary anxiety. So I started meditating and reading personal development books, while I was going through an uneasy time moving to America alone. Being aware of my thoughts and studying psychology helped me to stay more present. I learned to put meanings into the dry and busy work that I used to do; and amazingly, the things that used to frustrate me did not annoy me anymore. I tried to jump out from the box my environment set for me, so I started consciously changing perspective of things and put meanings in them. I started to become interested in things we learn, not because they will benefit my grades, or look good for my college application. Walking down the street, I would wonder what was the people walking here like 300 years ago; I also found myself looking up the history of my neighborhood...not to complete anything or impress anyone, but that I was truly curious. My mind did not drift to the future or dwell in the past. My thoughts focus on the “now” that I can change, the “now” the I enjoy. What I learned from my experience is that our environment shapes our mindset; but we can always free ourselves by creating our own internal environment. Nowadays schools can cause plenty of stress, especially when we didn’t learn how to handle our negative thoughts. By meditating, doing personal development, we will be more mindful of our thoughts and consciously shift our perspectives on situations. Instead of struggling to chase one deadline after another, or blaming ourselves on what we could have done better, we can focus on the “now” and notice how everything can be interesting.

[@valeriab-6126]

You are so right. You seem a very intelligent person!

[@ammarsheikh6841]

@Baybay Bouquet DarkMatterQ This is exactly I was about to write and as soon as I opened the replies, I found you wrote this already :) @Ariel Yaying Zheng, you are a very bright young boy. All the best in your future endeavors my friend.

[@ajayprem3368]

Wow!!!

[@1Chongs]

That is totally true. Mindfulness meditation or Mindfulness is a very powerful tool and help people too. We need to share Mindfulness or Mindfulness meditation to the world. The more shares of Mindfulness or Mindfulness meditation the better the world will be.

[@hanhtrinh21ngay47]

thanks so much for your comment

[@rohinimalhotra6931]

Very clear and concise talk. Thank you. I know firsthand how mindfulness has lifted me out of suicidal depression.

[@allinone7028]

Are you there?

[@jamilajulie5717]

Sending you a virtual hug! 🥺😇❤️

[@gay4pay882]

@@allinone7028 no

[@ajayprem3368]

Great speech, I figured myself drifting away during the speech and I gently brought my thoughts back. It feels so good to be in control, to be in the "NOW".

[@haveaniceday846]

Hey, this video deserves more likes. He talked about very important stuff and I watched it many times.

[@Blockeryoga]

Great talk! Thanks for sharing and advocating for mindfulness in education.

[@mindfulmoments1895]

Yes. Thank you!

[@zeea6507]

Great talk we need to be ok with being bored rather than constantly getting distracted. Taken a break from social media Instagram, snapchat, Facebook and twitter and I am feeling more alert present and relaxed.

[@DrMateen36]

Thanks man! All this is just what i wanted to know about mindfullness. IMO this is the best talk on Ted about mindfullness.

[@gay4pay882]

Anytime!!

[@keenansubramoney4920]

Loved this talk , thank you .

[@jordanoboza150]

Great talk, thanks KZbin for putting this on my home page. A lot of great points he made, especially about Depression in the year 2020.

[@stefanocresto5581]

Great! Huge and propositive way of thinking and hopefully a new social way of life...

[@Larry21924]

This is unparalleled. I had the pleasure of reading something similar, and it was unparalleled. "Mindful Mastery: Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World" by Kyle Ash

[@lucanscreed5952]

Enjoyed this talk by Richard Chambers. He's one of the course directors for Monash University's Mindfulness for wellbeing and Peak Performance - available online through Future Learn.

[@moonwitch05]

Hi Lucan. I'm addicted to these courses now as I learn new things every time. Thanks for posting to add to promoting of this course :)

[@UZB74]

YES ME TOO - I really love and respect Craig and Richard

[@PatientenO.T.]

It's a great course. Love him and Craig.

[@omarperez671]

Amazing!

[@lewisodosa1605]

This one's good, well and soft-spoken ☺️

[@Chebab-Chebab]

04:33 'A lot of you probably know that depression is set to be the biggest health problem in the world by 2020.' 2020: *cracks knuckles* Oh, boy! Are you in for a surprise.

[@alexholden4091]

hahah!

[@thetriplelights9959]

Boy oh boy lets not skip these first 4 months of 2021 either.

[@BadWolfSilence]

Covid is not nearly the world’s biggest health problem, the survival rate is about 99 percent.

[@Chebab-Chebab]

@@BadWolfSilence Yeah, but 1% of the world population is still 70 million.

[@yilinlin5439]

Half through 2021.....still

[@astropredo]

I NEED THIS!

[@newtimes09]

Excellent talk, information on the topic conveyed in an elegant and contextualized way; how beneficial would it be to see mindfulness being taught in all schools, worldwide!

[@samanpriya968]

Thank you.

[@susantompkins4254]

Thank you, I really enjoyed this im beginning to understand mindfulness

[@aniketsonavane8124]

Thank you 😃

[@manishchetiwal1811]

Great talk.............

[@dheyaebrahim4850]

Thank you, 👏👏👏

[@simonmarin6469]

This is it. I have Receiving to much information at one time and it's killing me. I can't focus on one thing only. Thank you for clarifying.

[@umeshbansall]

superb video

[@canucksway]

How mindfulness and dance can stimulate a part of the brain that can improve mental health ---- Activating the somatosensory cortex may help us connect to our bodies, develop our sensitivity, sensuality and capacity to feel pleasure. --------------------------------------- Like a thick velvety headband, the somatosensory cortex arcs across the top of brain from just above one ear to the other. I fell in love with the brain as an undergraduate student and pursued a career in neuroscience, but for years I had largely ignored this structure, since it appeared to be involved “only” in processing of bodily sensations. In my mind, that meant it was not as fascinating as areas implicated in emotion or higher cognitive function. However, over the past decade, during my training in mindfulness-based interventions and dance movement therapy, I’ve come to realize that a well-functioning and developed somatosensory cortex may help us experience the world and ourselves more deeply and completely. It may enrich our emotional experience and improve our mental health. For decades, the somatosensory cortex was considered to only be responsible for processing sensory information from various body parts. However, recently it became apparent that this structure is also involved in various stages of emotion processing, including recognizing, generating and regulating emotions. Moreover, structural and functional changes in the somatosensory cortex have been found in individuals diagnosed with depression, anxiety and psychotic disorders. These studies suggest that the somatosensory cortex may be a treatment target for certain mental health problems, as well as for preventive measures. Some researchers have even suggested neuromodulation of the somatosensory cortex with transcranial magnetic stimulation or deep brain stimulation. However, before we decide to use an invasive technology, we may want to consider mindfulness-based interventions, dance movement therapy or other body-centred approaches to psychotherapy. These methods use the entire body to enhance sensory, breath and movement awareness. Those factors can enhance overall self-awareness, which contributes to improvement of mental health through potential reorganization of the somatosensory cortex. Functional significance of the somatosensory cortex One of the amazing qualities of the somatosensory cortex is its pronounced plasticity - the ability to reorganize and enlarge with practice (or atrophy without practice). This plasticity is critical when we consider mindfulness-based interventions and dance movement therapy because, as mentioned above, through working directly with the body sensations and movement, we can modify the somatosensory cortex. Another important aspect is its numerous connections with other areas of the brain. In other words, the somatosensory cortex has a power to affect other brain regions, which in turn affect other regions, and so on. The brain is heavily interconnected and none of its parts acts in isolation. The somatosensory cortex receives information from the entire body, such that the left part of the cortex processes information from the right side of the body and vice versa. However, the proportion of the cortex devoted to a particular part of the body depends on its functional importance rather than its physical size. For example, a large proportion of the somatosensory cortex is devoted to our hands, and so just moving and feeling our hands might be an interesting option for dance therapy for those with restricted mobility. The somatosensory cortex mediates exteroception (touch, pressure, temperature, pain, etc.), proprioception (postural and movement information) and interoception (sensations inside the body, often related to the physiological body states, such as hunger and thirst), although its role in the interoceptive awareness is only partial. The somatosensory cortex and emotion A scent, a song or an image can suddenly bring a deeply buried and forgotten event to mind. Similarly, feeling a texture - like cashmere - against our skin, or moving our body in a certain way (such as doing a backbend, or rocking back and forth) can do the same and more. It can bring repressed memories to the surface, provoke emotional reactions, and create state shifts. This is one of the superpowers of mindfulness-based interventions and dance movement therapy. This response is mediated via the somatosensory cortex, just like emotional and cognitive reactions to a song are mediated via the auditory cortex, and reactions to scents are mediated via the olfactory cortex. Nevertheless, if the information stopped flowing at a purely sensory level (what we feel, hear, see, taste and smell), then a significant portion of the emotional and cognitive consequences would be lost.

[@roberttaylor6295]

Falling in love has the same beneficial effect of well being. Yet the more scientific presentation my Richard was credible and helped slow my cynicism.

[@BadassBikerOwns]

I'm watching this, while distracting myself from completing my Thesis. Still, I came here, which means I'm finding ways not to distract myself.

[@mojama6212]

“Depression is set to be the biggest health problem in the world by 2020” the irony is impeccable

[@mehdibouzid4392]

I was just going to comment this! when he said that, I paused the video, checked the year of its posting and was like "Really?! did you just say that?"

[@p.vishnuvardhan9067]

Whole thing summed up here about Mindfulness 06:20

[@nabarundeb3889]

2:00: Multitasking example - Switching between nummbers and letters.

[@ryung8323]

And the sad thing about society is if mindfulness was to be inserted in curriculum it would be focused on serving the higher class rather than the lower class, Because class divisions keep the economic and social scheme of things in check

[@heyyitsanabananaa]

Ok so how do we do this? What kind of mindfulness exercises can we do to get these benefits?

[@ridhichoudhary2559]

Sir can I use earplugs during mindfullness breathing meditation

[@Corusame]

In mindfulness it is totally normal to hear sounds and distractions during the practice. You should notice the distraction then mindfully bring your attention back to the breath. If it happens again you simply repeat the process. This is actually a fundamental part of improving your mindfulness.

[@PfropfNo1]

Anyone has recommendations on how to learn/achieve mindfulness? Good books, videos, courses? Name of good instructor/author anything?

[@sabyasachipramanik1329]

10:30

[@yahuyahu1362]

Ted talks is becoming more of a marketing platform.

[@shivshankarsajjanshetty5320]

Even the good things need marketing to reach to maximum people..

[@basecampguesthouse6763]

Im trying to pay attention to this but I keep getting distracted.

[@elaminemenni672]

That's how it works

[@arafferty478]

4.35 - biggest health problem in 2020? Oh..

[@specialsauce2466]

Meditation practices should be used more in medical treatment facilities.

[@arifali6762]

🙏👍❤️🇺🇸👏

[@BrotherKaban]

Too much filler, not enough how to. The world is full of people telling us what we need to do; the real question is how.

[@metalmusi]

I can tell you how!

[@raresmircea]

Jon Kabat Zinn is one of the best prepared and skilled teachers of mindfulness. He has books, audiobooks, appears in apps with audio guidance, and, you will also find lots of youtube videos with him. So, i'll roll the problem further: the biggest problem is not "not enough how to", but people's inability to be committed to a practice. Initial excitement and enthusiasm worth nothing. The internet if full of essays and comments about the wonders of meditation and mindfulness, and if you ask the writers about how they are currently doing they reply that "something.. something.. i couldn't continue". What makes people so positive in the early stages (making them talk & write about it) is the excitement of doing a new thing and the high hopes they have, which after a while get back to the normal levels. One can enter a practice even with apprehension, as long as he's committed to doing it for a year to see where it leads. Commitment is the secret, but people usually focus elsewhere.

[@germinarih]

@@raresmircea Brilliant! Commitment is truly difficult to achieve for many people.

[@Chebab-Chebab]

Buy books. Buy apps. Buy blogs. Buy courses. Buy mindful paraphernalia. See where I'm going here?

[@moryveraval6249]

@@Chebab-Chebab - you're so right! Money makes the world go 'round...

[@notagain3732]

My attention was everywhere ex3for on what this dude was saying in this movie... Help

[@khp7425]

The mindfulness (sati) first time explained to the world by the Buddha. Read the four foundations of mindfulness sutta.

[@EastVanGuy7]

They had no idea what 2020 had waiting lmaoo

[@thecastle09]

nothing makes sense to me...i wish something would grab me and help me. save me from myself...,..ugh 53 yrs of limbo.

[@mybeautifuljourney7540]

Mad Ashell Have u tried Jesus?

[@callyrose70]

Meditation 🧘‍♀️

[@AnimaLibera]

Get to know yourself first.

[@earthlycolorbrown6246]

Great talk but demonstrating recipes rather than notes is mindful.

[@mariamalhotra8228]

The concept of mindfulness comes from Buddhism.

[@kalyansunder6057]

no it is older than that it was created by rishis of hinduism,

[@ayeaye1363]

Yes. Fully recommended.

[@yuvaraje3734]

This guy had copied all the content from dandapani monk speech about mindfulness

[@jackybiscuits8193]

1.I don't like the argument 'we need mindfulness more than ever because of the pace of life'. No matter when you lived this would be true. The pace has been growing since the dawn of man. 2.Who is sold the myth of multitasking? Among intelligent people it's well known multi-tasking doesn't work.