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Citizens, take heart! There is hope in Washington!

We have long awaited some sign that someone in congressional circles genuinely cares about what they do, and a tangible beacon has been lit, a trumpet has been sounded.

Let me say that this is not intended as a book review per se. But a reading of Congressman Ryan's recent offering, A Mindful Nation, gives notice to all of us that a long-awaited and badly-needed shift in thinking is in the works. It goes far beyond being Republican, Democrat, Tea Party or Independent; transcends the labels of conservative or liberal, right or left. It is a new and essential approach to government as exists in many other occupations, including but not limited to the healing arts.

We are told at the outset that Congressman Ryan had much of his thinking transformed by meditation and deep introspection, with a sense of purpose and responsibility to those he serves and to all of society.

I was proud of our nation when we elected our first African-American president and when the themes of hope and change pervaded our thinking and collective American attitude. But, as reflected in my own and others' previous HuffPost entries, there was the fear and the caveat that there had to be a totality of cooperation and abs, if any of this optimism could take root. No one group or faction is to blame. Many have suggested spirituality as a solution to what ails us. We must each make ourselves better equipped to follow this direction. I know my ideas are not novel, but to see an outward manifestation of this attempt on the part of one of our congressional leaders gives more than hope. Just maybe, it will prove contagious. In fact, I hope epidemic for those in equivalent positions of influence, corporate or public..

Many metaphysical and holistic practices are much more mainstream in our society these days. Multitudes of people are taking yoga, practicing meditation with amazing dividends, taking classes in alternative medicine modalities, such as shiatsu massage, reflexology, reiki, many of whom are medical practitioners and providers. Hospitals and nursing homes are encouraging their staff members to pursue these crafts, and in some cases, requiring familiarity with their offshoots. The patients and clients benefit. There are now movements of lawyers who adopt holistic procedures in their practices. (See my post here.) Congressman Ryan talks about medical research confirming the effectiveness of mindfulness, its use in child development and conflict resolution, help to the military, labor leadership. What really impressed me was the fact that it was published by Hay House, the home of the holistic and spiritual greats of our planet, such as Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer, Louise Hay and many more luminaries. They saw in the book and in the author his depth and genuineness of motive.

Each governmental leader, from the president on down, and each lawmaker and staff member, must each day, take a pause and ask his or her deity of choice, "What do You want me to do today? What should I be doing for those I serve? What is my primary purpose in life?" And sit in quiet meditation to get the answers which can come through thoughts, through other people, through signs, messages, and life's unique signals. And which should be heeded.

These few extra steps can produce time- and life-saving results, and get us back to where we and the whole world need to be.

To me mindfulness represents an approach to one’s life, a certain spirit, in the way we think and act. It manifests in the way we treat ourselves and those around us. You’ll define it for yourself. Since I’m interested in the subject,I requested a copy from Hay House of Congressman Tim Ryan’s book, A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Reduce Stress, Improve Performance and Recapture the American Spirit.

A Mindful Nation serves as a very thorough and engaging resource guide. It includes a history of current ‘mindfulness practices’, a researched analog on who is who in the field, what experiments are showing promise, and how this ancient practice has been revived and revamped for modern life.

But most joyously, is the feelings of optimism and resilience that left this reader uplifted, curious and hopeful. I learned as much from the way Ryan skillfully handled topics in which we disagree as when he was talking to the choir (me.)

So we should start at the spot where we put together a working definition of mindfulness from the author, “mindfulness means being relaxed and aware of what’s going on in our own minds. It means calmly paying attention to what we are doing, without being pulled in to regrets about the past or fantasies of the future. It’s our capacity simply to fully focus on what we’re doing. “ “ Mindfulness is not a magic bullet or cure-all, but it can lead to small but significant changes that can improve your performance and make life more enjoyable. “ “Put simply, mindfulness is about finding ways to slow down and pay attention to the present moment – which improves performance and reduces stress.

While this may not be the one-stop answer to all the complex situations we face, there is an abundance of benefits (and no negative side effects.) This mindfulness community is active so I like to use the term, ‘mindfulness in action.’ Ryan provides us with current examples on how this work is being used in our health-care systems, with military and first responders, within working environments, and as a personal tool for one’s own development and potential for our country’s progress.



Some of The Real-Life Doable Benefits….


•Quiets the mind, can help one to relax
•Influences our autonomic nervous system (ability for stress management)
•Increases decision making capacity (increases your ability to stay put in the face of difficulties, leaving opportunity for emerging solutions, rather than acting blindly.)
•Harness your energy
•Focusing
•Increase compassion to self and others
•Manage bad moods and burnout


One story….

One example of mindfulness in action came upon a visit to an elementary school in Virginia where the students were taught the MindUP curriculum, initiated by Goldie
Hawn’s foundation and published by Scholastic.

These young students were taught about their amygdala and general brain functioning, in the belief that the first level of training is an understanding of how your brain is working in order to learn how to regulate it. Some of the stories that came out during the kids circle time were poignant of course, worried about parents and missing siblings, big stressors. Having the mindfulness tools at your disposal may help mitigate some of the anxiety and fear, giving them a fighting chance to stay calm enough to make decisions that will be healthy for them.

Difference of Opinion…

Congressman Ryan, of course has ideas and interests that differ than mine, including on hunting. Yet he beautifully modeled mindful thinking as he deftly presented this subject in a new light. As he extolled the stillness and beauty of nature, he made his points so that a reader (me) could hear and listen to his opinion. A powerful, useful communication skill that a ‘mindful presence’ instills.

I would certainly like to hear future stories on how this process is working in Washington?! Please note, I did request and receive this book free from Hay House Publishing so I could review it.

I saw a fascinating program recently about Fairfield, Iowa, where residents are devoted to meditation. When I heard about Congressman Tim Ryan’s new book, it seemed like a natural companion to this story. I was intrigued by the title, so I requested a complimentary copy from Hay House as part of their blogger program.

“A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Practice Can Help us Reduce Stress, Improve Performance, and Recapture the American Spirit” is a well written book covering a broad range of topics. Congressman Ryan discusses everything from introducing meditation in schools to the outdated medical practice model. His interviews with veterans and their families are especially poignant. Although heartbreaking at times, they only reiterate how useful mindfulness can be in training the whole person – both in preparation for war and civilian life after service.

No matter how familiar you are with this topic, Mr. Ryan gives you quick “What You Can Do” lists at the end of each chapter and plenty of practical “how’s”:
•How to spark mindfulness (pg. 17)
•How to get started (page 42)
•How to disengage from negative situations (page 69)

One caution: don’t overlook this book by thinking, “Well, I’m not a political person” or “Sitting still is so boring – I could never do that.” You will have insights into your actions and the environment around you even if you only select certain chapters.

I was especially interested in his observations about ways stress affects the body, and the transformative effect of using intention. Listen to his description of his old morning routine. Sound familiar? “Mindfulness helped me become aware of how my body and mind reacted to the stress of daily life, to get in touch with how my built-in survival mechanism could go into high gear when it had no valid reason to. I could feel myself tense up if someone told me something I didn’t want to hear. I would lose focus during a conversation because I was fretting about something that happened hours before. I looked at my BlackBerry messages first thing in the morning and got thrown into a tailspin before I even got out of bed.”

Imagine growing up with awareness of your actions and their effect on others. In this book, Fred Rogers (a/k/a “Mr. Rogers”) inspired me to envision a world where these ideas are commonplace. “If we can teach children that feelings are mentionable and manageable, we will have done a great service for mental health.”