{"id":3735,"date":"2015-02-23T19:44:24","date_gmt":"2015-02-24T00:44:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/?p=3735"},"modified":"2015-02-23T19:44:24","modified_gmt":"2015-02-24T00:44:24","slug":"getting-out-of-our-own-way-finding-liberation-in-the-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2015\/02\/getting-out-of-our-own-way-finding-liberation-in-the-moment.html","title":{"rendered":"Getting Out of Our Own Way: Finding Liberation in the Moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If you are like me, you spend more time than you would like caught up in imagined stories that don’t feel good and keep you stuck. How can you get out of your own way and stop beating yourself up with regrets. My mind can sometimes get stuck and I’d be in big trouble if I didn’t have a mindfulness practice that gives me the skills and wisdom to deal with it.<\/p>\n

To free ourselves, it helps to have tools such as my Story Art method, perspectives like those provided by Buddhist psychology, and practices such as meditation and good self-care.<\/p>\n

I’ve done a lot of work with perfectionism. I’ve come to the realization that perfection has appeal to us because it is a cheat against impermanence. If we can exert the control required to be perfect, perhaps we’ll be protected from the difficulties of life.<\/p>\n

Due to my own struggles to find peace, I’ve come in deep contact with the teachings of the Buddha and have tasted the liberation from anguish that they offer when we embrace them.<\/p>\n

My calling has been to write and teach about these discoveries and to convey what I’ve learned to others through my books and workshops.<\/p>\n

The program I offer at Kripalu is focused on delivering the tools and perspectives that can help you to get unstuck and out of your own way, be more self-compassionate and forgiving of your imperfections, and let go of stories that keep you<\/p>\n

If you have the time available, come join me at Kripalu for this five-day journey called Mindfulness A to Z: Liberating Regret, Stuckness, and Perfection<\/a>.\u00a0Kripalu is a wonderful place that I am happy to have as one of my spiritual homes. It’s beautiful, spacious, and friendly. The energy is buoyant. The food is healthful and delicious. Just being there is good for your heart, spirit, and body.<\/p>\n

For more information and to register, click here >><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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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\/3735","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=3735"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3735\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3776,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3735\/revisions\/3776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}