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So how can we use mindfulness practice
in learning mathematics?
First of all, do you even know what mindfulness means?
Mindfulness is simply becoming aware of your body
and your thought and your breath.
So when you experience anxiety or negative emotions
while learning mathematics, we ask you to just pay attention
to the symptoms that are in your body.
It's easier to concentrate on the body than the thought.
So for example, somebody gets nervous, they'll say, my God,
I have butterflies in my stomach.
That's a physical symptom.
So any emotion that you feel has two components, body
and thought.
And the body is easier to pay attention to.
Thoughts you cannot control.
They just come.
But body sensations, you're not asking
to do or change anything.
Just pay attention.
Just paying attention will start to make a difference.
So become conscious of your body sensations
and become aware of your breath.
So right now, pause the video here, just sit back
in your chair, and just observe your breath in your body,
and just become aware of your body.
So pause the video here, be quiet, and just observe.
Assuming you've come back, silence
is very, very important.
Spend at least 5 or 10 minutes a day,
either when you first wake up, or right before you go to bed,
or when you're anxious in an exam, just sit back.
If you're in an exam, put your pencil on the table,
just sit back, relax, close your eyes.
It makes it easier to concentrate.
If closing your eyes makes you anxious,
just keep your eyes open but find a focal point
in front of you so that you are not distracted.
And just become aware of breathing in,
become aware of your breath, breathing out, exhale,
and become aware of your out-breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
You're not trying to change anything.
You're simply observing the in-breath and the out-breath.
Breathing in, smile, and exhale, just relax.
Breathe in, smile, and exhale, relax.
Just doing that will allow you to calm down in exams.
I've had many students who have tremendous amount of anxiety.
And it was very difficult for them
to smile when they were anxious.
So one of the things that I read somewhere--
I don't remember where I read it-- is just hold
a pencil sideways in your mouth which will automatically make
your lips spread out like you were smiling artificially.
And even that fake smile is going to change how you feel.
And a lot of my students have said
that just putting a pencil in their mouth
made them feel so stupid that they were no longer stressed
out about the exam or the problem.
And it really helped them overcome their anxiety.
I know it sounds really simple.
Some of you might say how for years I
have struggled with anxiety and stress.
How can body awareness and just observing your breath
allow you to get rid of stress?
I had the exact same reaction.
And I can tell you that until I was desperate,
I did not try these practices.
And I can tell you from personal experience
that it really does work.
So when you're stressed, just sit back
and simply observe your breath.
And when you're observing your breath in and out,
just become more aware of what's happening in your body
right now in this present moment.
And it will change how you look at the problem or situation
that you are in that's causing you anxiety or stress.
Breathing is very, very important,
diaphragmatic breathing.
If you're bringing incorrectly, it
will actually create a lot of stress.
I know that I was breathing incorrectly.
And just by changing the breath and making
it more diaphragmatic breathing allowed
me to change how stressed I got in different situations.
So what does diaphragmatic breathing mean?
You can Google it.
Or just right now sit back and place your hands
onto your belly, and just breath and observe what happens.
If you're breathing correctly, what
should happen is when you breath in, stomach should expand out.
When you breath out, stomach should contract in.
Breathing in, out.
Breathing out, stomach goes in.
That's it.
That's all diaphragmatic breathing is.
And if you have trouble with it, lying down might help.
Placing some heavy books on your belly,
making them go up and down, that might help.
And there are many other techniques
that you can look up on the internet.
There's also a lot of meditation and mindfulness websites.
One book that I might recommend that helped
me was Thich Nhat Hanh's You Are Here book.
There is also online meditation lectures by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Just go and become aware of what this practice is about.
And 5 or 10 minutes every day should
make a tremendous amount of difference.
Another thing that might help you in your performance
is your attitude.
If you do not have enough care and you do not
take ownership of your performance,
it can make a big difference.
So a simple thing like fixing your attitude
can take you a long ways.
And your discursive mind, which is another mindfulness term.
Discursive mind is if I make a mistake and I get a bad grade,
immediately I will get on my case
and say, God, I'm really stupid.
I'm so dumb.
I'm never going to get this.
That is my discursive mind telling me I'm no good
and all these negative labels that I have for myself.
And that is actually a hindrance and doesn't serve any purpose.
So you don't have to say I'm good or great.
But you can just prevent your discursive mind
from kicking in and belittling yourself and judging yourself.
So any time, the next moment you get, and you
start saying these negative labels, stop.
Become more positive labels.
Fire together, wire together.
New brain research shows that if you
have two things that simultaneously happen
and neurons fire together, then they're
more likely to stick together.
So next time you have a discursive mind jumping at you,
stop and think of something very positive that you've done.
And if every time you do that, little
by little your discursive mind will go into the background
and not poke his head out.
So don't let your past affect your perception of your ability
now.
If you've always done very well, then this
might not be as important.
But past definitely interferes in the present.
And if you just keep the past as past
and just be in the present moment, and new moment,
a new beginning, then it will help you move forward
from where you're at.