{"id":2248,"date":"2012-03-22T09:07:28","date_gmt":"2012-03-22T13:07:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/?p=2248"},"modified":"2012-03-22T09:09:48","modified_gmt":"2012-03-22T13:09:48","slug":"from-winter-to-summer-in-3-5-seconds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2012\/03\/from-winter-to-summer-in-3-5-seconds.html","title":{"rendered":"From Winter to Summer in 3.5 Seconds"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A few years ago, we had the St. Patrick’s day snowstorm that left over two feet of snow. This March, we are experiencing record breaking warm temperatures. A local golf course opened last weekend, a full nineteen days earlier than ever before. We are having weather that is suitable for high summer. August in March.<\/p>\n

This weather is a clear reminder of variability, or what the Buddha called impermanence. Weather has always varied and records have always been broken. Is this record warmth evidence for global warming? This is a scientific question and one that I cannot answer because I don’t know the science well enough. But it sure seems like it.<\/p>\n

I do know a couple things about human perception. We are really bad at understanding variability. This is why we need statistics, and even then it can be hard to appreciate the meaning of the numbers. We are really bad at retrospective memory. This is why it is important to look at the numbers moving forward. We are highly impressionable. An 80-plus degree day in March in the Northern climes of Vermont makes a BIG impression: “OMG, the world is melting!”<\/p>\n

Given the limitations to perceptions mentioned above, I think it’s best not to overreact to what is happening. Of course, we are always challenged to live in this moment whatever it brings. Today, it is “hot Buddha sweats” tomorrow it may be “cold Buddha shivers.” Yet, there is an eeriness to this current weather. I can’t stop talking about it. I don’t know what it means.<\/p>\n

Uncertainty often prevails as the challenge of this moment. How can I deal with this uncertainty? Bringing my attention to breathing is a good start. Next, I can reflect on impermanence–things are changing and I can’t control them. This is something of a relief. I don’t have to be responsible for making that change stop (which, of course, is impossible to do). If I relinquish control, I can relax into this moment.<\/p>\n

Paradoxically, by giving up control I feel more in control. If I’m surfing, I can’t control the frequency or intensity of the waves. I can, however, ride them as they are. Mindfulness is like surfing. It doesn’t change what is happening but it gives us a way to revise our relationship to what is happening. Instead of being overwhelmed by the crash of the surf, we proactively engage and “go with the flow.”<\/p>\n

It’s not surprising that I’m dreaming of surfing today as the temperature climbs to 80 degrees. Surf’s up! The only problem is that I’m 200 miles from the ocean.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few years ago, we had the St. Patrick’s day snowstorm that left over two feet of snow. This March, we are experiencing record breaking warm temperatures. A local golf course opened last weekend, a full nineteen days earlier than ever before. We are having weather that is suitable for high summer. August in March.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":268,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,7,8,9],"tags":[298,297,21,425,423,426,424],"class_list":["post-2248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-buddha-101","category-metaphors-for-mindfulness","category-mindful-living","category-mindfulnesss","tag-climate-change","tag-global-warming","tag-mindfulness","tag-northern-vermont","tag-record-setting-temperature","tag-surfing","tag-weather"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom Winter to Summer in 3.5 Seconds - Mindfulness Matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2012\/03\/from-winter-to-summer-in-3-5-seconds.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Winter to Summer in 3.5 Seconds - Mindfulness Matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A few years ago, we had the St. Patrick’s day snowstorm that left over two feet of snow. 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Dr. Kozak's ability to translate ancient healing traditions into pragmatic applications suitable for modern lifestyles through the use of metaphors have made him a strong voice in healthcare and business. Beginning with a journey to India in the 80\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where he took the Bodhisattva vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Arnie Dr. Kozak began his lifelong practice in mindfulness meditation. Intent on finding a way to bring the practical healing attributes of mindfulness he began incorporating these techniques in his private practice. In 2002 Dr. Kozak created Exquisite Mind in Burlington, Vermont as a vehicle that could expand his wisdom to larger audiences beyond individual psychotherapy to professionals and corporations, health care providers, public groups and, most recently with Exquisite Mind Golf, amateur and professional golfers. His award-winning new book, Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness (Wisdom Publications, 2009) is a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring translation of mindfulness practice through the inventive use of metaphor applicable to our daily lives. In addition to his work with Exquisite Mind, Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDoctorate has been a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Vermont and is a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine. He has studied and practiced clinical psychology, meditation, and yoga for more than 25 years. He has studied with several meditation masters, including S. N. Goenka, Larry Rosenberg, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After receiving his bachelors degree with honors from Tufts University, he was awarded a Presidential Fellowship to get his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo. He completed his training as a Psychological Fellow at the Harvard Medical School. Prior to founding the Exquisite Mind in 2002, Arnie worked ten years in the private sector for the PKC Corporation consulting on mental health content for this revolutionary software company.","sameAs":["http:\/\/exquisitemind.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/author\/akozak"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2248"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2257,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2248\/revisions\/2257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}