The Mindful Attitude of Beginner’s Mind

Learn about the Mindful Attitude of the Beginner’s Mind to help support your formal (meditation) and informal (day to day) practice of mindfulness. Bring this attitude into practice and navigate life with a greater degree of clarity, calm and connection.

Use the attitude to guide your formal meditation practice, or as an informal reminder throughout your day to come back to the present moment. Find ways to incorporate these mindful attitudes in discussion with your family, or those close to you and practice them in communication with others both at work and at home.

The Mindful Attitude of Beginner’s Mind

“In the Beginner’s Mind there are many possibilities, but in the experts mind there are few.”
― Shunryu Suzuki

Too often we let our thinking and our beliefs about what we ‘know’ prevent us from seeing things as they really are.

When we cultivate a ‘beginner’s mind’, we see the richness of the present moment, and observe everything, as if for the first time.  We let go of the need to be the expert and instead develop a curiosity for life.

No moment is the same as any other. Each is unique and contains unique possibilities. Beginner’s mind helps us to reconnect to the awe and wonder within ourselves, as well as in the world all around us.

Below are some resources on Beginner’s Mind compiled by the Happy Melon Team to be shared with you. Enjoy listening, reading and watching. Stay connected and let us know what you loved, or share your own resources with us in return!

This Is Water by David Foster Wallace

In this commencement speech to the Kenyon College class of 2005, David Foster-Wallace shares timeless and meaningful reflections on how to live a wise and purpose filled life.

This powerful speech, now more than ever, is an important reminder of our inter-connectedness and the importance of honouring the shared human experience.

Listen here.

Mindfulness Over Matter

“We have many, many studies that suggest that the limits we assume are real are artificial, and that we don’t have to accept them at all.”

Ellen Langer is an artist and Harvard psychology professor who has authored 11 books on the illusion of control, perceived control, successful ageing and decision-making.

Listen to her full talk on mindfulness here. 

How Children Think and What We Can Learn

We’ve all experienced first hand what it’s like to watch children at play and to marvel at their inquisitive, open and curious minds. We now know, through developments in psychology and neuroscience that infants and children are far smarter, perceptive, thoughtful and aware then we thought.

This insightful broadcast explores how much adults can learn from children’s consciousnesses. Listen to the full broadcast here.

To Be In Awe

Psychologist Nicholas Humphrey has proposed that our ability to awe was biologically selected for us by evolution because it imbues our lives with sense of cosmic significance.

He suggests that this has resulted in a species that works harder not just to survive but to flourish and thrive. 

Listen to Jason Silva on the awesome nature of human experience here.

One Strange Rock

“I am going to tell you about the most incredible place… you’re walking on it.” As put by narrator Will Smith, our planet is bursting with life.

Take a trip around the world and experience all of it’s wonders through a new lens with this incredible series from Darren Aronofsky.

Watch the trailer here. 

8 Tips To Cultivate A Beginner’s Mind

A wonderful article on the practical tips and tools to cultivate a Beginner’s Mind specifically when practicing Yoga.

If you’re joining us on the mat this week be sure to read this and see how you’re able to implement some of these tools into your practice.

Read the full article here.

Shoshin

What is the true meaning of ‘The Beginner’s Mind’?

The Zen Buddhist term, Shoshin (初心), means ‘beginner’s mind’ and holds that only when you are a true beginner, can you really learn anything.

It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when at an advanced level – just as a beginner would.

Move and meditate with us in-studio and online to continue cultivating the mindful attitude of the beginner’s mind. Book a class here.