Open Mind and Open Heart

Having facilitated 39 eight-week MBSR courses, to a full spectrum of participants from deeply religious (Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists, Native Americans, & likely others), to those very strongly averse to organized religions, and probably the majority who are somewhere in between, I've had wonderfully positive feedback, and no strongly negative comments.

One can rightly assume that only those open-minded to begin with would take this course in the first place. I see mindfulness training as an intentional, continuous, ongoing process of gently, progressively opening one's mind-heart. Psychologically speaking, it's intentionally transitioning from rigidity towards ever-increasing psychological flexibility; from a noisy ego towards a quiet ego, and for the very few, beyond ego altogether. Of course this needs to be an incredibly gentle, very slow, patient, persistent, lifelong process: http://jglovas.wixsite.com/awarenessnow/single-post/2017/04/25/Normal-Resistance-to-Maturation

All of us resist this potentially profound maturation process at various times, to varying degrees! It's very important to thoroughly understand how & why we resist, so we can proceed wisely, efficiently & safely. Some of us would greatly benefit from help from a mental health professional. But mindfulness meditation is not for everyone: http://jglovas.wixsite.com/awarenessnow/single-post/2016/10/28/Not-for-Everyone

People feel that meditation is not for them for seemingly different reasons. Many feel that they're too action-oriented, "Type-A" personalities, so they "could never sit still." Others sense that their subconscious holds a lot of sadness & misery which they try to avoid by "keeping busy." Some perceive meditation as "navel gazing - a waste of time."

Nevertheless, Socrates' statement, "The unexamined life is not worth living" suggests that delaying deeply examining who one is and what life's about, is very far from ideal.