Mind & Body

Keegan MikSTS Senior ThesisFall 2014

Living a Thoughtful Life

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Background 4

Mind 6

Overcoming Fear 7

Ancient Mind Practices – Zen 9

Meditation 14

Modern Mind Practices – Flow 17

Body 25

Yoga 25

Effects of Physical Exertion 28

Call of the Wild 29

Shinrin-Yoku 33

Implications 38

Works Cited 41

2

Introduction

The overarching goal of my senior thesis is to tackle the question of how to live a thoughtful life

– how do we create meaning from the things we do, and how do we set ourselves up for success

so we can truly make a difference? My research has taken me on an interesting journey through

a wide range of fields, ranging from yogis to the call of nature to the mythical practices of ancient

Zen Buddhist monks to cutting-edge developments in the fields of psychology and human

performance that have the potential to revolutionize our future.

The first section of the thesis covers my personal background, specifically the things that

motivated me to pursue the subjects of mental performance and understanding the connection

between mind and body. The second section covers the power of the mind, starting with the

deep forces that motivate us and leading into the mental side of performance. This journey

begins with the ancient practices of Zen Buddhism and merges with modern trends in psychology.

The third section details the physiological and mental changes activated when we use our bodies.

Relevant practices here include yoga, nature immersion, and extreme sports such as big wave

surfing and kayaking off of waterfalls. Achieving mindfulness is a powerful tool which enables

one to improve not only mental and physical performance, but also health and overall well-being.

The final part of my thesis details implications of my research, and how it can be applied to

making life better.

3

Background

I have always been intrigued by nature and spent as much of my childhood outdoors as I could –

hiking, exploring, camping, playing with friends outside, anything really. One of my best

childhood memories was taking a boat out to an island with my dad, hiking to our campsite,

setting up for the night, then getting up early to watch the sun rise over the ocean on the morning

of my ninth birthday. When I was outside I felt calm, at home. As I grew up and gained more

responsibilities I spent more time working and indoors, less time free and in the wilderness. I

found however that returning to nature and exercising helped me clear my mind and feel good

about myself, and actually helped me to be more productive. In addition, I have always had a

natural inclination towards creative technical pursuits, which led me to pursue degrees in

mechanical engineering and product design. However this technical interest is not just

theoretical but also spans the physical realm, including activities such as soccer, skiing, mountain

biking, and more recently combat sports such as Muay Thai kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

wrestling.

I have never looked at these pursuits just as distractions from my responsibilities but rather as

ways to burn off the negative energy that builds up from the stresses of daily life, while doing

something productive. I find these pursuits help me set goals for improving myself, force me to

build discipline into my life so that I have time to do them, and challenge me physically as well as

mentally. I want to get better at these activities, so have invested time in reading relevant

literature, practicing as much as I can, and looking at people who are outstanding outliers in order

to emulate and learn from them. When I had the opportunity to pursue a topic of my choice for

4

STS senior thesis, I saw it as an opportunity to find a way to generalize these pursuits into a sort

of mantra that can be applied to all aspects of life. I wanted to figure out why, at a philosophical

as well as deeper scientific level, spending time outside going on a strenuous hike or rolling on

the mat with a grappling partner helped me feel calmer, more insightful, more in control, and

better able to grapple with issues in my real life. This thesis will go into detail about the various

aspects and forces that affect our perceptions and abilities, as well as how we can take control

of them in order to improve ourselves.

5

Mind

The mind is the most powerful tool we have – a heightened ability to reason is in fact what makes

humans distinct from other animals. It is the driver of all we experience – what we feel, how we

think, what we desire, all exist in the realm of the mind, and can be translated into reality through

action. However many people do not harness their mind to its full potential because they are

not cognizant of the processes going on in their own heads. We think about our lives, our goals

and actions, but generally do not pay much attention to the process of thinking itself. Living in a

reactive state is not usually a problem as it enables quick and efficient work. However, reality

can serve up rude surprises when the unexpected inevitably occurs. By being consciously aware

of our own thought processes, we can better control our mindset and corresponding responses

to the world around us.

Becoming conscious of your own consciousness can sound overly mystical, but in fact can serve

as a way to tune out the distractions and noise in life and become better attuned to the things

on which you want to focus. In ancient times, this mental state was known to Zen Buddhists as

mushin no shin. In modern times, we refer to this state as flow or being in the zone. The state of

flow can be difficult to achieve, especially if one does not understand and hence cannot control

the factors that promote or hinder reaching flow. The first step towards reaching flow is learning

to overcome the things that scare us, that jolt us out of our comfort zone.

6

Overcoming Fear

Of the full spectrum of human emotions, perhaps the oldest and most primal is fear. Fear is the

driver that keeps us aware and alert when danger lurks, and drives our desires to live. Fear of

death, fear of hunger, fear of danger is what drove people to come together to build civilizations

as safeguards against the ever-present threats to human survival. Fear has one of the few hard-

wired neurological pathways in the brain, and serves to affect our conscious and subconscious

thought processes in real time and in the long run. In the short-term, fear enables people to

process incoming stimuli nearly instantaneously, to make a fight-or-flight response without

spending precious time interpreting a scenario and devising a solution. This was especially

advantageous for survival in ancient times – for example if a bear snuck up on you at night and

you only had a split second to react, requiring time to realize there was a threat behind you and

then deciding how to react could mean instant death. In the long-term, fear is important because

it provides the lingering voice in the back of one’s head to be mindful of food, water, shelter,

social relations, and other factors vital for survival and success in life.

When something scares us, incoming signals bypass our conscious neural network and travel

through the limbic system directly to the amygdala, which signals the entire body to go on full

alert. (Wright, Neuroscience Online) This process also releases calcium in the brain which

encodes information, “saving” memories for future recall. (Williams, Outside Magazine) While

this fear can be good for making quick decisions during emergencies, it can also become a

crippling factor that prevents us from performing to our best abilities. Cultures around the world

view mastery over fear as an ideal and a sort of enlightenment. Ancient cultures prized the hero’s

7

journey, where a brave man charged forth when others shied away from their fears. This can be

seen in tales such as Odysseus taking on the perils of the sea to Moses facing down the Egyptians

to lead his people to freedom. Modern culture still idolizes those who face fear, from fictional

stories such as Luke Skywalker challenging the forces of the dark side, to real tales of bravery

such as Martin Luther King confronting segregation in the South to Malala Yousafzai standing up

to Taliban oppression in Pakistan.

Figure 1: Odysseus in the Heat of Battle

While outstanding outliers serve as hero figures, people we look up to, everyday people can also

win their personal battles. The problem with fear is that it triggers the fight or flight response,

which is not useful in modern times for facing “dangers” such as giving a presentation to a large

audience or taking a difficult math test. In short, fear is good for heightening the senses, but bad

for staying in flow, for being calm and in control. How do we overcome fear? The best approach

8

is through mindfulness training – to confront the things that scare us head-on. Forcing oneself

to be consciously aware of fear removes its power and enables it to be rationalized so that the

next time it is encountered it can be treated calmly and rationally. Maintaining relationships,

juggling obligations, paying bills, and other things that stress us out in the modern world do not

present much of a direct threat to our physical survival but nevertheless can take a big toll on our

overall well-being. Meditation can serve as an effective counterbalance to help people mentally

stay on top. Meditation has its roots in ancient Zen Buddhist teachings, and has surged in

popularity in recent times due to the ever-increasing stresses of modern life with its always-on

connectivity.

Ancient Mind Practices – Zen

Zen thought emerged in China during the first few centuries A.D. as a combination of Buddhist,

Confucianist, and Taoist influences. The basic premise behind Zen philosophy is that everything

exists as a duality, where things only have meaning when measured in relation to their opposites.

This tends to clash with the classic Western ideology of absolute truths. Western thought prizes

reason over base carnality, with the application of logic to subdue and bring order to chaos. In

Zen this duality is necessary however, for good cannot exist without evil, light cannot exist

without dark. If there is no bad then good has no meaning, without death there is no purpose to

life. One cannot exist without the other, and as one state shifts towards dominance the other is

reborn so that balance is restored. Everything in life is transitory, part of a cycle, for it is

impossible to remain in one state for a long time without turning back into the other. For

example if one attempted to be eternally happy their bliss would soon lose all its meaning and

9

they would be left feeling empty. The duality prevents emptiness from taking over. In the

concept of the yin-yang, light emerges at the moment of greatest darkness, and darkness returns

when the light grows too bright.

Figure 2: Yin Yang Symbol

Zen teaching is freeform and meditative rather than regimented. For example, a Zen master

might read his disciples a series of koans, or riddles, which seem to contradict logic but ultimately

force the listener to accept life as it is rather than jumping to conclusions. Koans are intended to

make one realize the inadequacy of logic and words so that they may reach satori, or freedom

from the inner weights and contradictions of ordinary life. Below is an example of a classic koan

(“Real Prosperity,” ashidakim.com):

10

A rich man asked Sengai to write something for the continued prosperity of his

family so that it might be treasured from generation to generation. Sengai

obtained a large sheet of paper and wrote: “Father dies, son dies, grandson dies.”

The rich man became angry. “I asked you to write something for the happiness of

my family! Why do you make such a joke as this?”

“No joke is intended,” explained Sengai. “If before you yourself die your son

should die, this would grieve you greatly. If your grandson should pass away

before your son, both of you would be broken-hearted. If your family, generation

after generation, passes away in the order I have named, it will be the natural

course of life. I call this real prosperity.”

The ultimate goal of Zen is to unblock the mind from maya (illusion) and reach the state of mushin

(short for mushin no shin, or “mind of no mind”), where the mind is unconscious of itself and can

experience resonance and instant reflection. In this state one acts spontaneously based on

intuition rather than deliberately through planning and thought. (Soho, Daily Zen) Mushin is a

special transitory state and can be experienced by anyone under the right circumstances, but

achieving it has been a particular goal of monks and martial artists. For monks, reaching a

meditative state helps them achieve transcendence, where thought is pure and clear, unmuddled

with the petty worries of daily life. It is from this state that mystical stories are born. For martial

artists, especially the samurai of feudal Japan, achieving mushin meant achieving heightened

awareness to act swiftly and fluidly, to strike down opponents without hesitation in the heat of

11

combat. In modern Western culture, mushin is known as the high-performance mental state

called “flow,” or to use layman’s terms, “being in the zone.”

The way to achieve mushin is to calm the monkey mind. The monkey mind is a state of

mindlessness, the state in which most people live their lives. A blog by Robert Bessler describes

the monkey mind very well (Bessler, Expansive Expressions):

Mindlessness is a state of mind that can be seen as the opposite of Mindfulness

and paradox in regards to No-Mind. Being Mindless and having No-Mind are very,

very different things. Mindlessness is actually a state of having too much mental

activity and a lack of awareness for it or ability to control it. Plain and simple, it’s

an affliction. In Chinese philosophy, they refer to this as the “Monkey Mind.” You

suffer from the Monkey Mind when you have constant, random, and undisciplined

mental chatter in your head. Your thoughts, your ability to focus, and your mind

in general have the same level of discipline as a monkey – none. Mental tranquility

alludes you. A monkey is always all over the place, their eyes are darting here and

there, and they are not known for their patience. Observe a monkey and this will

become painfully clear. A monkey’s mind is compulsive, ever-wandering,

demanding, and mischievous. These are all qualities of the ego. Those who

cannot focus, or who are slaves to their uncontrolled thoughts, or have no ability

to follow through and finish things, or stick to one thing in order to master it; all

suffer from the Monkey Mind. Most people afflicted with this state of mind don’t

even realize it because they mistakenly believe that it’s just normal. Indeed,

12

nothing could be further from the truth. It may be ordinary, but it is far from

normal.

This state of mind, this lack of awareness for the mind itself, is ruled by the ego.

Here the ego has the prominent voice in your head and you mistake it for your

own. When suffering from this mental affliction, which is an incredibly common

ailment of the human condition, you are dominated by your own ego. In this state,

you are not consciously directing your life, you are being unconsciously directed

by your ego in a way that satisfies itself. It does not have your best interest at

heart because it is stuck in the mind, and so are you. It possesses you and you

don’t even realize it. It disconnects you from your heart and you can’t even feel it

happen. This is why the ego is often referred to as the “false master.” Very fitting

title. In many early religious texts, it is the ego that is actually being referred to as

being “evil” or even “Satan” not some external manifestation. These

misinterpretations occur when the message is read externally, from the egoic

mind, always placing the blame outside of oneself. When read with a sense of

internal knowing, the message becomes clear. There is no external force to blame,

it is work that must be done within yourself, it is the ego that drives us to “evil”

things. When the ego is properly subdued and you live in the heart space you are

not capable of such things. When the ego deceivingly convinces you that it doesn’t

exist or that you have it under control, it is then that you cease to exist, it’s then

that it has consumed you. This is when your thoughts, emotions, words, and

13

actions are all driven from your ego and steered toward achieving an egotistical,

self-gratifying reaction from others that serve to strengthen it and you are

incapable of discerning between your ego and yourself.

Meditation

Becoming consciously aware of the mental processes in your own head, through meditation, is

powerful because it allows you to take charge and silence them, to control them. There are many

ways to meditate, and each has different benefits. The four most common methods are guided

meditation, moving meditation, sensory meditation, and mindfulness meditation. Guided

meditation is what it seems – meditation sessions guided by an instructor to show beginners how

to proceed. Moving meditation is the practice of doing something physical but simple such as

knitting, and focusing on nothing else. Sensory meditation focuses the mind on sights, sounds,

tastes, smells, and other physical stimuli in order to become more aware of the surrounding

environment, but without creating inferences or physically reacting to the stimuli. Mindfulness

meditation is focused conscious awareness on subconscious thoughts, emotions, and actions.

Here the focus of the mind is the mind itself. (Cooper, Fast Company)

The first goal in meditation is to sit still and relax the body as much as possible, to produce a state

of calm. This enables one to quiet the monkey mind by ignoring distractions and focusing on an

input of choice, depending on the type of meditation being practiced. Perhaps the easiest way

to meditate is to focus on the breath. Here, a practitioner will focus on their breathing, and only

their breathing, in great detail – how it feels to breathe in slowly, how the lungs fill up, how the

14

air feels going into the nostrils, the surge of life force as oxygen enters the body, how the

diaphragm expands when breath is full, then how it feels to breathe out, etc. Meditation

promotes the discipline to control one’s own thoughts, and just like training the body physically

it is a “muscle” that can be strengthened and honed through practice. Ultimately the goal of

meditation is to shut down higher brain functions and avoid random thinking, enabling a person

to control what to focus on and what to ignore. Being mindful makes us more in tune with both

ourselves and others around us and shuts off the mental autopilot – monkey mind – that guides

most people through their lives. Mindfulness helps us better recognize our own problems so that

we may overcome them, and improves empathy so that we may improve our relations with

others. It enables one to be fully engaged – truly alive. 10th century A.D. Zen master Yung Ming

once said “I urge you not to throw away time, for it is swift as an arrow, fast as a stream.

Distraction is entirely due to lack of concentration; stupidity and blindness are caused by lack of

true knowledge.” (Smith, Meditation Class)

Figure 3: fMRI Brain Scan Before and After Meditation

15

Meditation enables people to achieve a state of higher, clearer consciousness – and this

physically alters the neurological structure of the brain as can be seen in functional magnetic

resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans. Meditation actually causes a decrease in the flux of beta

waves, which are responsible for information processing. A 20-minute meditation session can

cause the frontal cortex to go offline, quieting the voices of reasoning, emotions, planning, and

self-conscious awareness. It also slows down the parietal lobe (responsible for processing

sensory information), the thalamus (a “gatekeeper” for sensory inputs), and the reticular

formation (the brain’s arousal signaler). By calming conscious thought processes and the

subconscious sensory processing network, meditation can have profound and lasting effects on

the brain. The first benefit is better focus and less stress. By silencing the monkey mind, it

becomes easier to focus on the task at hand. The second benefit is reduced anxiety. Quieting

the information-processing neural pathways reduces the magnitude of fear-producing

sensations, enabling the mind to process them more rationally. Meditation can also improve

creativity. Though creativity can be hard to measure, a study conducted by the Institute for

Psychological Research at Leiden University in the Netherlands showed that people who

practiced open-monitoring meditation (focusing on all external and internal sensations with the

same openness) performed better on a test of divergent thinking (coming up with new ideas)

than did a group told to focus attention only on the task at hand. (Colzato et. al., Frontiers in

Psychology) Meditation has important effects on increasing compassion in people, by making

them more receptive to the feelings and needs of others and less focused on their own desires.

It improves rapid memory recall, which can help with learning new things and navigating new

situations. (McGreevey, “Meditation May Help the Brain”) Finally, regular meditation can

16

diminish age-related decline in grey matter in the hippocampus and frontal areas of the brain,

which are responsible for cognitive functioning. Over time this means people are able to

maintain more positive emotions, longer-lasting emotional stability, and heightened focus during

daily life. (Cooper, Fast Company)

Figure 4: Zen Enso – Symbol of Enlightenment

Modern Mind Practices – Flow

Western psychology has its roots in the works of the Ancient Greeks, but until the 1870s was

regarded as a branch of philosophy. Psychology was established as a scientific discipline by

Wilhelm Wundt in Germany in 1879, when he founded the first psychology laboratory at the

University of Leipzig. (“History of Psychology,” learner.org) Wundt’s studies, and those that

followed for the next century, largely focused on human failings and pathology – what was wrong

with us, the underlying causes of our problems, and how to treat them. Psychology viewed

17

people as troubled beings in need of repair, passively shaped by stimuli and the contingent

rewards and punishments that surrounded them. A new branch of psychology emerged in the

1990s known as positive psychology. Positive psychology is based on a counter argument that

humans are inherently strong, and that success can be promoted by finding strengths in others

and emulating them. Rather than studying deranged or depressed individuals, it looks at people

who are extraordinary outliers and the factors that got them there, so that ordinary people can

mirror their mentality and ultimately their success. Examples include studying people who have

been married for 50 years and still love each other, athletes at their peak, and outstanding

salesmen and what makes them the best.

Positive psychology emerged not only as a counter to traditionally pessimistic psychology, but

also as a counter to the increasing stresses of modern life. With increased connectivity has come

increased competition and higher standards for productivity, combined with the waning of deep

interpersonal relations to superficial connections fostered by the internet and social media. Big

data, optimization, and efficiency have disproportionately become the dominating factors of the

modern business environment, leading to a resurgence of interest in spirituality and human

connection to restore the balance. At the Positive Psychology Summit in 2006, Jim Clifton

explained his idea on the relationship between modern society and the growing importance of

positive psychology (Lambert, “The Science of Happiness”):

Our world has been run according to neoclassical economics. We squeezed every

drop out of that rock—data and equations—and that got maxed out. The world

has gotten so much more competitive and now, you need so much more. Edward

18

Deming went to Japan and then the world put Total Quality Management on top

of classical economics. Now that’s maxed out. The next wave will be behavioral

economics and cognitive economics—positive psychology, well-being, strengths

science.

Perhaps the preeminent positive psychologist is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and his most famous

contribution is the naming of and research into flow. Flow is essentially the Western scientific

name for the Eastern philosophical concept of mushin no shin, the idea that we can get into a

state of heightened mental clarity which leads to peak performance. While mushin trends

towards being mystical, flow is practical. Csikszentmihalyi describes flow as the state of acting

“as one” with the environment and task at hand, of being completely immersed into the process

itself. Flow need not come from meditation or philosophy, but can be achieved by anyone doing

something they truly enjoy. In his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience,

Csikszentmihalyi says “The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing

times – although such experiences can also be enjoyable, if we have worked hard to attain them.

The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a

voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile. Optimal experience is thus

something we make happen.” (Csikszentmihalyi, 3) Csikszentmihalyi came of age in Europe

during World War 2, where he saw the adults around him become discontented and unhappy

when their jobs, homes, and livelihoods were destroyed during the war. He personally found

happiness playing chess, and became interested in the question of what makes a life worth living,

how to find meaning and comfort in seemingly simple activities that we enjoy.

19

Csikszentmihalyi began studying psychology, and over the course of 40 years conducted many

interviews with people ranging from artists to plumbers to scientists. He especially focused on

people who took up professions where they would spend their life doing things that for many of

them would not lead to fame or fortune, and wanted to know what made their life’s work feel

meaningful and worth doing. His research involved giving electronic buzzers to individuals and

having them record what they were currently doing and their thoughts about it whenever the

buzzer randomly went off during the day. After working through many notes, he identified a

common thread that held no matter the person’s profession: the moments that stood out, that

made people feel truly happy, were the rare moments when they were completely immersed in

an activity and enjoying the challenge of their work. One of his research subjects, an unnamed

music composer in the 1970s, wrote “You are in an ecstatic state to such a point that you feel as

though you almost don’t exist. I have experienced this time and again. My hand seems devoid

of myself, and I have nothing to do with what is happening. I just sit there watching it in a state

of awe and wonderment. And (the music) just flows out of itself.” (Csikszentmihalyi, TED 2004)

This state of ecstasy is special because it is a pinnacle that stands out from everyday life. In great

civilizations of the past – the Chinese, Greeks, Hindus, Maya, Egyptians, etc. – we often know

little about everyday life, but have extensive literature written about and even physical structures

built for their ecstasies – temples, circuses, arenas, theaters – places people went to experience

life in a more concentrated and intense form. In these arenas, reality is experienced in a way

that is different from everyday life, but peak moments can also be found within normal

experiences. What is needed is something that completely engages, requiring total focus on the

20

task at hand. During this process the body and even one’s own sense of identity disappear from

consciousness, so that the concept of existence is temporarily suspended. Though this sounds

mystical, it is rooted in neuroscience – our capacity to focus on multiple stimuli simultaneously is

limited, and when we are fully engaged in a task we physically do not have the brain power to

monitor bodily feelings, side thoughts, hunger, and other things that normally preoccupy the

mind. Csikszentmihalyi noted that nearly everyone described this experience as a “spontaneous

flow” of consciousness so he decided to name the phenomenon “flow.”

Figure 5: High Level of Both Challenge and Skill Leads to Flow

Interesting to note is that there are common conditions that lead to flow in people. With flow,

happiness is not something that spontaneously happens, but is brought about by setting and then

reaching challenges curated by each individual person. When a challenge is conquered, it leads

a person to a peak experience, a highlight that they remember vividly. The challenge level must

be high enough (relative to an individual’s skill level) that the person is engaged but not

21

overwhelmed, something that is difficult but achievable for which one must strive. The activity

does not have to be meditative practice or martial arts, but can instead be anything that piques

an individual’s curiosity – playing a musical instrument, playing a sport, spending time with good

friends, even cooking or reading a good book. When these conditions are present, they create a

positive feedback loop where a person’s skill level is bolstered by their complete engagement,

which makes them feel better about their abilities, further increasing their engagement. An

Olympic figure skater Csikszentmihalyi interviewed described this feeling by saying “It was just

one of those programs that clicked. I mean everything went right, everything felt good… it’s just

such a rush, like you feel it could go on and on and on, like you don’t want it to stop because it’s

going so well. It’s almost as though you don’t have to think, it’s like everything goes automatically

without thinking… it’s like you’re on automatic pilot, so you don’t have any thoughts. You hear

the music but you’re not aware that you’re hearing it, because you’re a part of it all.”

(Csikszentmihalyi, TED 2004)

In flow, a person is fully engaged in an activity, so that all other feelings and thoughts are

forgotten and even time seems to melt away. In a sense, flow meshes with Albert Einstein’s

theory of relativity: “Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit

with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That’s relativity.” (Einstein,

goodreads.com) Jokes aside, anyone can find flow by doing something they are passionate

about. The easiest way to achieve flow is to approach life from an autotelic standpoint – to look

at the world as an ever-increasing series of challenges to be overcome rather than as a bunch of

problems to be fixed or avoided. Happiness can be found within oneself, by working at a task

22

until technical mastery is achieved. At this state, one can act fluidly and naturally, to

spontaneously create and live in the moment. For example, a peak experience often recounted

by expert skiers is the first time they conquered a steep slope – after spending countless hours

practicing, fumbling, and trying to improve, they finally “got it” and were able to gracefully

conquer the descent. Things that were once threatening become enjoyable challenges, and a

sense of ecstasy and exhilaration takes over.

Figure 6: Expert Skier in Flow

The flow state is not something that just happens when a person is doing something enjoyable;

rather, there are common conditions – “flow triggers” – which can be utilized to encourage flow.

These include setting clear goals for success, receiving immediate and continued performance

feedback (whether internal or external), and balancing challenge with skill level. With these

conditions in place, the practitioner experiences a merging of action and awareness, loses

23

consciousness of distractions, and does not worry about failure. Self-consciousness disappears,

the sense of time becomes distorted, and the activity becomes an end in itself.

While flow and mushin have the same effect in practice, their philosophical origins contrast quite

sharply. Csikszentmihalyi’s work on flow is rooted in Freudian psychology. Freud said the self

has three parts: the Id, the Superego, and the Ego. The Id is nature, the instinctual and animalistic

drives that keep us alive. The Superego is nurture, the environment we grow up in and the

pressures and values imposed on us by society. The Ego is our own consciousness, which has the

ability to take control over the other two parts. (“Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi,” pursuit-of-

happiness.org) Flow is a developed capacity of the Ego to keep the Id and Superego in check –

mastery over the natural chaos of the mind. In Zen thought, mushin is reached by accepting the

natural chaos so that one may work in harmony with it. Both have the same end goal of being

fully present in the now – total engagement, leading to swift action independent of conscious

thought.

24

Body

The body is our vehicle of action and the mind its control center. The mind processes stimuli,

posits action, and sends signals to the body to tell it what to do. However, the relationship

between mind and body is not purely one-directional: the body can exert great control over the

mind – take note the uncomfortable example of having a stomach ache and needing to urgently

use the restroom. No matter what the mind wills the body to do, it cannot override powerful

impulses from the body telling it otherwise. Or take a more upbeat example. Try smiling if you

are feeling down and your mood will actually improve whether you want it to or not. The power

of the body to supersede impulses from the mind can be harnessed to great effect to influence

mood and sense of self. A commonly cited example of this in modern culture is the runners’ high

– after exercise, one feels a sense of euphoria through the pain of pushing the physical limits of

their body. In the realm of physical exertion, perhaps the best example of manipulating the body

to shape the mind is the practice of yoga.

Yoga

Yoga developed over 5000 years ago as a physical and mental exercise intended to improve

health, personal well-being, and longevity, and to produce a sense of heightened self-

understanding. Yoga means “to join or yoke together,” in the sense that it unites the mind and

body into a harmonious experience. (“General Yoga Info,” americanyogaassociation.org) Yoga

did not originate as a religious practice, but in fact some of its structure was incorporated into

Hindu practices which evolved much later. The three main aspects of yoga are exercise,

breathing, and meditation. Physically strenuous movements in yoga force the practitioner to live

25

in the present moment by engaging the mind on what the body is doing rather than on emotions

or outside thoughts. Csikszentmihalyi says “The similarities between yoga and flow are extremely

strong; in fact it makes sense to think of yoga as a very thoroughly planned flow activity. Both

try to achieve a joyous, self-forgetful involvement through concentration, which in turn is made

possible by a discipline of the body.” (Csikszentmihalyi, 105) Breathing enables the yoga

practitioner to control their energy level – faster breath speeds up the nervous system, while

slower controlled breathing patterns calm the mind and provide an intentional distraction from

the challenge experienced by the body. Combining controlled breathing with physical strain

enables the mind to enter a meditative state because distracting voices are silenced.

Figure 7: Yoga Practitioner Performing Lotus Headstand

26

The ultimate goal in yoga is to purge negative energy from the body so that it may be refreshed

and reborn. Yoga classically follows an eightfold path called ashtanga (meaning “eight limbs”):

yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. (Carrico, Yoga

Journal) Translated into English, these steps mean restraint, observance, physical exercise,

breath, preparation for meditation (withdrawal of the mind from the senses), concentration,

meditation (the ability to focus on one thing or nothing indefinitely), and absorption (realization

of the essential nature of the self). Yama and niyama are internal forces, ethical standards to live

by. The five yamas are, in English, nonviolence, truthfulness, nonstealing, continence, and

noncovetousness, and the five niyamas are cleanliness, contentment, heat (spiritual austerities),

study of the sacred scriptures and of oneself, and surrender to God. A typical yoga class begins

with asana and pranayama, and builds up to dhyana – involving a series of increasingly difficult

poses which challenge the body and lead the conscious processes of the mind to be silenced.

This is itself a form of mindfulness meditation, with the goal of focusing purely on the body and

the breath. At the end of a session, all physical activity ceases and practitioners rest with eyes

closed and muscles relaxed. In this meditative state the goal is to achieve total liberation from

the self, a state of clarity and absence of thought.

Pranayama translates literally to “life force extension,” and yogis believe control of the breath

can rejuvenate the body and extend life. Practiced on its own, pranayama serves as a form of

meditation that can be practiced by anyone anywhere. Yoga meditation balances with the Zen

ideal, but rather than producing spontaneous action, it seeks to produce spontaneous calm.

After meditation, the goal is to slowly reawaken the body and mind, refreshed and ready to face

27

the world. From a physical standpoint yoga restores harmony in the body by releasing built-up

negative energy. Holding poses causes stiff joints and tendons to release, muscles to relax and

be strengthened. Continued practice builds better knowledge and awareness of the self and of

one’s abilities.

Effects of Physical Exertion

Physical exercise in general has lasting effects on our mood. Evidence shows this may be an

evolutionary advantage, as getting positive feelings from exerting oneself and working hard have

obvious implications for productivity. Physically straining the body is risky as it increases the

potential for injury and depletes personal energy stores. However, it also presented our hunter-

gatherer ancestors with the potential benefits of freshly-caught meat to feast on, better-built

shelters to live in, and better physical fitness and the potential to do things better in the long run.

Researchers at the University of Arizona tested the theory that cursorial mammals – humans and

other animals which habitually run long distances – produce endorphins during moderate to

heavy aerobic activity, while animals which are more sedentary do not. The study measured

levels of endocannabinoids (eCBs), which are endogenous neurotransmitters that activate brain

reward circuitry during and after exercise, and came to the following conclusion (Raichlen et. al.,

Journal of Experimental Biology):

We show that humans and dogs share significantly increased exercise-induced

eCB signaling following high-intensity endurance running. eCB signaling does not

significantly increase following low-intensity walking in these taxa, and eCB

signaling does not significantly increase in the non-cursorial ferrets following

28

exercise at any intensity. This study provides the first evidence that inter-specific

variation in neurotransmitter signaling may explain differences in locomotor

behavior among mammals. Thus, a neurobiological reward for endurance

exercise may explain why humans and other cursorial mammals habitually engage

in aerobic exercise despite the higher associated energy costs and injury risks, and

why non-cursorial mammals avoid such locomotor behaviors.

Call of the Wild

While modern society provides us with the luxury of not having to chase down our food, many

people still actively seek out the experiences that kept our ancestors sharp. Born out of the safe

confines of civilized life is a movement to push the realm of human capability, both with and

without the aid of technology. People have always been explorers and fighters, from ancient

warriors to the pioneers of yore to astronauts of the space age to the technical innovators of

today, so this drive is something that unites us as human. Until the 1800s there existed a clear

physical frontier – a line between civilization and the rugged forces of untamed wilderness. As

humanity expanded all over the globe, this literal frontier gave way to a societal and technological

frontier, with the rise and fall of empires and the development of machines that made nearly

anything possible. The modern world (at least for people in developed nations) is a great place

for its high standards of health, food availability, and security, though something important is

missing for many people – nothing to satiate the primal fear driver which is necessary to maintain

vitality and strength. In “The Value of Wilderness,” Roderick Nash wrote of this lack of disorder

(Nash, 24):

29

The wilderness is different. For one thing, it simplifies. It reduces the life of those

who enter it to finding basic human needs and satisfactions, such as

unmechanized transportation, water, food, and shelter. Civilization does not

commonly permit us this kind of self-sufficiency and its dividend, self-confidence.

A hike of ten miles has more meaning in this respect than a flight of ten thousand.

Wilderness also reacquaints civilized people with pain and fear. Surprising to

some, these are ancient energizing forces – springboards to achievement long

before monetary success and status were even conceived. The gut-level fears

associated with survival drove the wheels of evolution. At times, of course, they

hurt and even killed, but we pay a price in achievement for entering the promised

land of safety and comfort. For many it is horribly dull. They turn to crime or

drugs or war to fill their needs for risk and challenge. Others find beds in mental

institutions the only recourse. Wilderness recreation is a better alternative.

Wilderness recreation takes many forms, ranging from endeavors as tame as hiking through the

woods or going fishing, to as wild as BASE jumping, big wave surfing, and free soloing (rock

climbing without a safety harness or any other gear). The concept of the frontier has come full

circle with the advent of extreme sports – a more potent form of exploration, pushing the

definition of what is physically possible with the forces of nature as the final arbiter. Many people

describe extreme athletes as “adrenaline junkies,” but in fact their drive stems from something

deeper – from seeking the experience itself – seeking flow, seeking mushin, seeking to connect

30

with the life force, seeking that essence which is hard to describe in words but innately defines

the human experience.

Traditionally, people (men especially) have looked to sports as a way to pit one person against

another, in the arena of combat. Civilizations glorified those who could reach peak experience

by defeating opponents in competition. This tradition began with the ancient Greeks and their

Olympic Games and carried through to the gladiator competitions of the Roman Empire, but

faded away for a thousand years during the dark ages. Beginning in the late 1800s, as

industrialization rose into full swing and global Euro-centric empires were built, a renewed

interest in the old-school Greco-Roman ideal grew. The modern Olympic Games were

established, along with the rise of professional sports such as soccer, football, baseball, hockey,

boxing, and wrestling. Throughout the 20th century, these sports and their best athletes held the

spotlight as the ideal to which young men strove. However, as technological interference

increased both in sports and in daily life, a new movement emerged which sought to reconnect

with mankind’s longtime battle with the forces of nature. The allure of extreme adventure sports

lies in the fact that practitioners are truly living on the edge – one small mistake could mean

death, just like in prehistoric times.

31

Figure 8: Heeding the Call of the Wild

In his book The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance, Steven

Kotler describes the “rich environment” of the outdoors as being full of triggers for flow (Kotler,

104):

(The outdoors is) a combination platter of novelty, unpredictability, and

complexity – three elements that catch and hold our attention much like risk.

Novelty means both danger and opportunity. To our forbearers, a strange scent

in the wind could be prey or predator, but either way it paid to pay attention.

Unpredictability means we don’t know what happens next, thus we pay extra

attention to what happens next. Complexity, when there’s lots of salient

information coming at us at once, does more of the same.

32

In fact, most of us have some familiarity with complexity triggering flow. If you’ve

ever stood before a vast canyon and felt awe – well, awe is a state of total

absorption and the front end of flow. When sucked in by the incomprehensible

complexity of geologic timescales and epic beauty, reality pauses, if only for a

moment. And in this moment, we taste the pinpoint focus, loss of self-

consciousness, and time dilation that are deep zone companions.

Action and adventure athletes taste these experiences so often because nature is

jam-packed with novelty, unpredictability, and complexity. Rivers are living

entities. Same with the mountains and the waves. The Alaskan snowpack morphs

on a moment-to-moment basis; the swells of Teahupoo lurch to their own

rhythms. In places where anything can happen, a wandering mind is a dangerous

mind; thus rich environments automatically tighten focus and drive flow… And for

those of us who want to take advantage of this fact, yet have no interest in action

and adventure sports? Simple: seek out complexity, especially in nature. Go stare

at the night sky. Walk in the woods.

Shinrin-Yoku

While adventure athletes use the forces of nature to find mental clarity by pushing themselves

to the edge in chaos, anyone can enjoy the benefits of nature by immersing their senses in the

great outdoors. Scientific research has proven that spending time outdoors, even just to relax in

a park or sit outside watching the sunset, provides extensive and lasting health benefits. An

33

increasingly popular custom in Japan is the practice of forest therapy, known as shinrin-yoku in

Japanese. This concept is based on the idea that humans evolved in the natural world, and that

by exposing ourselves to nature we can reduce stress and health ailments that are increasingly

prevalent in our modern, technology-focused, urban (and unnatural) lives. Shinrin-yoku literally

means “forest bathing,” and scientific studies involve sending test subjects into either a forest

setting or an urban setting and measuring corresponding physiological parameters such as heart

rate, blood pressure, and salivary cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

The important aspect of shinrin-yoku is that it is a relaxing process. It involves nature watching

and relaxation, rather than strenuous hiking or vigorous physical activity. Studies have shown

that taking a leisurely stroll through a forest setting for as little as half an hour, once per week,

or even strolling around for a while and then laying down for a peaceful, zoned-out nap, has

noticeable and significant benefits on physical and psychological health. Forest therapy as a

science is a new field, and studies are in progress to prove it can be used to lower blood pressure,

fight depression, cure physical ailments such as back problems, and even prevent cancer.

Forest bathing is effective because it induces a meditative state in practitioners. As people

have become more “civilized,” physical processes such as running from predators or building

shelters have declined in importance and mental processes such as critical thinking and

reasoning skills have risen to dominance. Especially in urban areas, people tend to ignore the

needs of their bodies in the hustle and bustle of modern life, relying on technology to take care

of the base tasks of life.

34

Figure 9: Man Practicing Shinrin-Yoku in Japan

By immersing the body in a more primitive setting, it enables people to turn their brains off for a

while and reawaken, in multiple fashions. On an external level, breathing in friendly microbes

and natural compounds in the air is healthy because they protect against inflammatory disorders

and boost production of natural-killer immune cells. On a mental level, parasympathetic nervous

activity (subconscious regulatory processes) is enhanced while sympathetic nervous activity

(conscious thought processes – thoughts and worries) is inhibited. This improves mood as well

as creativity and cognition. On an experiential level, being in the environment most comfortable

and natural to our ancestors elicits deep-seated feelings of calm, reduced fatigue, and increased

35

vigor. (Park et. al., “The Physiological Effects of Shinrin-Yoku”) Tests of shinrin-yoku comparing

city versus forest settings showed that taking a stroll through an urban environment slightly

increased stress levels, whereas strolling through a natural environment greatly reduced stress

and improved mental clarity.

Peaceful nature scenes are innately comforting because humans originated in the wild. Nature

scenes involving flowing water, places to seek refuge, and birds and other animal noises set the

mind at ease because they are filled with signals of plenty and safety. A study on shinrin-yoku

made the following conclusion (Park et. al., 23):

From the perspective of physiological anthropology, human beings have lived in

the natural environment for most of the 5 million years of their existence.

Therefore, their physiological functions are most suited to natural settings. This

is the reason why the natural environment can enhance relaxation. The results of

the physiological experiments conducted in this study yield convincing answers

explaining the relationship between the natural environment and the relaxation

effects in a human being (e.g., decrease in blood pressure and pulse rates,

inhibition of sympathetic nervous activity, enhancement of parasympathetic

nervous activity, and decrease in cortisol concentration levels in human beings).

Breathing in fresh air, seeing vibrant greenery, feeling the wind on one’s skin, and walking around

have significant effects on people’s heart rate and mood, leading to decreased levels of the stress

hormone cortisol and a clearer, calmer mind. Spending time outdoors exposes the body to

36

natural pathogens which strengthen the immune system and reduce the prevalence of allergies,

and exposure to sunlight reduces incidence of depression as well as blood pressure levels. In

effect, nature immersion has the same benefits as meditation (and more) but in a way that

anyone can achieve, even without concentrated mental effort.

37

Implications

A critical shift occurring in American culture is an increased interest in meditation and

mindfulness, leading these concepts to become much more mainstream than they used to be.

There are many drivers behind this movement, but a major force is actually technology – huge

developments in the fields of psychology and neuroscience have been made possible by advances

in brain-analyzing technology which enable a much more comprehensive understanding of how

we work. The confluence of modern technology with old-school mantras is leading to exciting

developments that can potentially revolutionize the way people take care of themselves.

Ultimately this can, and hopefully will, have transformative effects on the healthcare and fitness

industries – if people are able to incorporate more holistic viewpoints with the benefits of

technology instead of leaning too heavily on one or the other, a much more robust future is

possible.

Learning mindfulness is a skill that can benefit everyone because it enables us to master the

forces that drive and carry us through life. Intrinsically the mind is control. While often we have

no control over the external forces of life, we can control everything that goes on inside our heads

– our hopes, fears, desires, and ambitions. Aristotle said the human mind was like a chariot. Our

passions and appetites (emotions and instincts) are the horses – necessary to make the chariot

move but inherently dangerous. Reason is the charioteer which keeps the horses in control and

guides the chariot so it does not crash. In both Eastern and Western philosophy, reason evolved

in humans as a way to find order in the natural chaos of the universe. Intentional mindfulness

builds a stronger charioteer, enabling us to understand and accept what we cannot control, and

38

to take charge of what we can. Though it is important to step back and look at the big picture,

when trying to accomplish something specific the best way to be productive is to narrow one’s

focus to the task at hand. An important factor in achieving Zen is understanding its relationship

with time (Lott, “Off-Beat Zen”):

The emphasis on the present moment is perhaps Zen’s most distinctive

characteristic. In our Western relationship with time, in which we compulsively

pick over the past in order to learn lessons from it and then project into a

hypothetical future in which those lessons can be applied, the present moment

has been compressed to a tiny sliver on the clock face between a vast past and an

infinite future. Zen, more than anything else, is about reclaiming and expanding

the present moment. It tries to have you understand, without arguing the point,

that there is no purpose in getting anywhere if, when you get there, all you do is

think about getting to some other future moment. Life exists in the present or

nowhere at all, and if you cannot grasp that, you are simply living a fantasy.

Regardless of how one chooses to describe the concept of engaging with the present moment –

as a philosophical merging into oneness with the forces of life or as a scientific phenomenon

where our entire brainpower is focused on one task, reaching this state can have lasting and

profound effects which spill over into other aspects of life. Meditation plastically shapes the

brain, rewiring it to be calmer and more rational. Achieving peak experiences gives us a sense of

accomplishment, raising spirits in the moment and also creating positive memories which inspire

further progression in the long run. These peak experiences can be found doing any activity you

39

find interesting and have worked hard to master, be it cooking, soccer, reading a book, solving

difficult problems, or playing an instrument.

Extrinsically, factors which affect the body also affect the state of the mind. Intense physical

exercise releases chemicals into the brain which make us feel good – a natural reward for working

hard, to promote survival in times when life was hard. Practices such as yoga promote flow by

forcing the body into poses which challenge the practitioner physically and mentally. Spending

time in wilderness puts us in tune with our more primal emotions. Chaos and disorder are the

natural state of the universe, and experiencing them actually promotes internal harmony by

putting internal stresses into perspective. Some people actively seek out dangerous adventure

sports because it throws them into the chaos and reconnects them with the primal emotion of

fear that puts all senses on full alert. Extreme sports overload the information processing power

of the brain by flooding the senses, causing worries to be washed away and forgotten. More

relaxed immersion in the natural world has the same effects on the body as meditation or yoga

(depending on the physical intensity level), without requiring concerted effort. There are many

ways to build harmony into our lives, and they all can lead to living a more thoughtful life. The

important factor is to find something that personally gives you joy and to work hard to make it a

meaningful aspect of your life.

40

Works Cited

“Albert Einstein Quotable Quote.” Good Reads. Goodreads Inc., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.

<http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/370132-put-your-hand-on-a-hot-stove-for-a-

minute>.

Bessler, Robert D. “Monkey Mind - A Mental Affliction.” Expansive Expressions. WordPress, 4

Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.

<https://expansiveexpressions.wordpress.com/2013/10/04/monkey-mind-a-mental-

affliction/>.

Bodiford, M. “Zen.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2014. Web. 5 Oct.

2014. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/656421/Zen>.

Carrico, Mara. “Get to Know the Eight Limbs of Yoga.” Yoga Journal. Cruz Bay Publishing, 28

Aug. 2007. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. <http://www.yogajournal.com/article/beginners/the-

eight-limbs/>.

Carroll, Aaron E. "The Placebo Effect Doesn’t Apply Just to Pills." The New York Times 6 Oct.

2014: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/07/upshot/the-placebo-effect-doesnt-apply-just-

to-pills.html?_r=1&abt=0002&abg=1>.

Chodron, Thubthen. “Monkey Mind, The.” Guide to Buddhism A to Z. Buddhisma2z, 1995.

Web. 2 Oct. 2014. <http://www.buddhisma2z.com/content.php?id=274>.

Cleary, Thomas, trans. The Five Houses of Zen. Dragon ed. Boston: Shambhala, 1997. Print.

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. “Flow, the secret to happiness.” TED 2004. Feb. 2004. Lecture.

41

Colzato, Lorenza S., Ayca Ozturk, and Bernhard Hommel. “Meditate to create: the impact of

focused-attention and open-monitoring training on convergent and divergent thinking.”

Frontiers in Psychology 3.116 (2012). Web. 20 Nov. 2014.

<http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00116/full>.

Cooper, Belle Beth. "From OM to OMG: Science, Your Brain, and the Productive Powers of

Meditation." Fast Company 4 Sept. 2013: n. pag. Fast Company. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

<http://www.fastcompany.com/3016649/work-smart/from-om-to-omg-science-your-

brain-and-the-productive-powers-of-meditation>.

“General Yoga Information.” American Yoga Association. American Yoga Association, n.d.

Web. 2 Oct. 2014. <http://www.americanyogaassociation.org/general.html>.

Hanley, Kate. “A Beginner's Guide to 8 Major Styles of Yoga.” Gaiam Life: Your Guide to Better

Living. Gaiam, 2014. Web. 2 Oct. 2014. <http://life.gaiam.com/article/beginners-

guide-8-major-styles-yoga>.

Heil, Nick. “Paleo Fitness: The Workout that Time Forgot.” Outside Magazine 16 Dec. 2010: n.

pag. Outside Online. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

<http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/strength-and-power-training/The-Workout-

that-Time-Forgot.html>.

“History of Psychology: Contemporary Foundations.” Annenberg Learner. WGBH Educational

Foundation, 2001. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.

<http://www.learner.org/series/discoveringpsychology/history/history_nonflash.html>.

Joyce, Christopher. “'Wired to Run': Runner's High May Have Been Evolutionary Advantage.”

NPR. NPR, 7 May 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.

42

<http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/05/07/151936266/wired-to-run-runners-high-

may-have-been-evolutionary-advantage>.

Kenner, Ali. “Invisibilities: Provocation - On Making Breath Visible.” Cultural Anthropology: n.

pag. Cultural Anthropology. Web. 23 Nov. 2014. <

http://www.culanth.org/fieldsights/342-invisibilities-provocation>.

Kotler, Steven. The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance.

New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2014. Print.

Lambert, Craig. “The Marketplace of Perceptions: Behavioral economics explains why we

procrastinate, buy, borrow, and grab chocolate on the spur of the moment.” Harvard

Magazine Mar.-Apr. 2006: n. pag. Harvard Magazine. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

<http://harvardmagazine.com/2006/03/the-marketplace-of-perce.html>.

Lambert, Craig. "The Science of Happiness: Psychology explores humans at their best." Harvard

Magazine Jan.-Feb. 2007: n. pag. Harvard Magazine. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

<http://harvardmagazine.com/2007/01/the-science-of-happiness.html>.

Lieberman, Fredric. “Zen Buddhism and Its Relationship to Elements of Eastern and Western

Arts.” Zen Buddhism and Its Relationship to Elements of Eastern and Western Arts.

UCSC, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2014. <http://artsites.ucsc.edu/faculty/lieberman/zen.html>.

Lott, Tim. “Off-Beat Zen: How I found my way out of depression, thanks to the writings of the

English priest who brought Buddhism to the West.” Aeon Magazine 21 Sept. 2012.

Web. 27 Nov. 2014. <http://aeon.co/magazine/philosophy/tim-lott-zen-buddhism-

alan-watts/>.

43

Malinowski, Peter. “Meditation and creativity: some first evidence.” Meditation Research.

Meditation Research, 5 May 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://meditation-

research.org.uk/2012/05/meditation-and-creativity-some-first-evidence/>.

Max, D. T. “Happiness 101.” The New York Times 7 Jan. 2007: Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/magazine/07happiness.t.html>.

McGreevey, Sue. “Meditation may help the brain 'turn down the volume' on distractions:

Enhanced control of alpha rhythms may underlie some effects of mindfulness

meditation.” News Releases. Massachusetts General Hospital, 21 Apr. 2011. Web. 28

Nov. 2014. <http://www.massgeneral.org/about/pressrelease.aspx?id=1357>.

McRaven, William H. "Life Lessons from Navy SEAL Training." The Wall Street Journal 23 May

2014: n. pag. The Wall Street Journal. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

<http://online.wsj.com/articles/william-h-mcraven-life-lessons-from-navy-seal-training-

1400884791>.

Mercola, Joseph, Dr. “How the Buteyko Breathing Method Can Improve Your Health and

Fitness.” Mercola. Mercola, 24 Nov. 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.

<http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/11/24/buteyko-breathing-

method.aspx>.

“Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.” The Pursuit of Happiness. Pursuit of Happiness, Inc., n.d. Web. 28

Nov. 2014. <http://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/mihaly-

csikszentmihalyi/>.

Nash, Roderick. “The Value of Wilderness.” Environmental Review 1, No. 3 (1976): 12-25.

44

Naval Health Research Center. U.S. Navy, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.

<http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhrc/Pages/default.aspx>.

Nestor, James. Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us about

Ourselves. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2014. Print.

Nguyen, Thai. “10 Reasons Solitude & Silence is More Important Now than Ever.” Elephant

Journal. N.p., 10 Nov. 2014. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

<http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/11/10-reasons-solitude-is-more-important-

now-than-ever/>.

Park, Bum Jin, Yuko Tsunetsugu, Tamami Kasetani, Takahide Kagawa, and Yoshifumi Miyazaki.

“The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest

bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan.” National Center

for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 02 May 2009. Web.

24 Nov. 2014.

Petr, Václav. “Zen Philosophy and the Nature of Time.” Časopis Národního muzea, Řada

přírodovědná 169.1-4 (2000): 119-22. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.

<http://www.mprinstitute.org/vaclav/Zen2.htm>.

Raichlen, David A., et al. “Wired to run: exercise-induced endocannabinoid signaling in humans

and cursorial mammals with implications for the 'runner's high.'” Journal of

Experimental Biology (2012): Web. 29 Nov. 2014.

<http://jeb.biologists.org/content/215/8/1331.full>.

“Real Prosperity.” Zen Koans. AshidaKim, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2014.

<http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/78realprosperity.html>.

45

“Sensorimotor Learning Group (Wolpertlab).” Computational & Biological Learning Lab,

Department of Engineering. University of Cambridge, 2009. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.

<http://cbl.eng.cam.ac.uk/Public/Wolpert/WebHome>.

Smith, Kelly. “Monkey Mind.” Meditation Class. Clemson University, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.

<https://sites.google.com/site/buddhistmeditationclass/2-monkey-mind>.

Soho, Takuan. “On the Way: The Mind of No-Mind.” Daily Zen. Daily Zen Journal, Mar. 2002.

Web. 27 Nov. 2014. <http://www.dailyzen.com/zen/zen_reading0203.asp>.

Steimer, Thierry, PhD. “The biology of fear- and anxiety-related behaviors.” Dialogues Clin

Neurosci 4.3 (2002): 231-49. US National Library of Medicine. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181681/>.

Tartakovsky, Margarita, M.S., ed. “Practices to Calm an Anxious Mind.” World of Psychology.

Psych Central, 22 Feb. 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.

<http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/02/22/3-practices-to-calm-an-anxious-

mind>.

Tartakovsky, Margarita, M.S., ed. “Sport Psychology and Its History.” World of Psychology.

Psych Central, 15 July 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

<http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/07/15/sport-psychology-and-its-

history/>.

Taylor, C. Barr, MD, James F. Sallis, PhD, and Richard Needle, PhD. “The Relation of Physical

Activity and Exercise to Mental Health.” National Center for Biotechnology Information:

Public Health Reports 100.2 (1985): 195-202. National Institute of Health. Web. 12 Oct.

46

2014. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1424736/pdf/

pubhealthrep00100-0085.pdf>.

“The Connection between Mind and Body.” Bravewell Collaborative. The Bravewell

Collaborative, 2012. Web. 2 Oct. 2014. <http://www.bravewell.org/

integrative_medicine/philosophical_foundation/mind_and_body_connection/>.

Watts, Alan. The Way of Zen. New York: Pantheon Books, 1957. Print.

Williams, Florence. “The Nature Cure: Take Two Hours of Pine Forest and Call Me in the

Morning.” Outside Magazine Nov. 2012: 79-92. Print.

Williams, Florence. “The Science of Conquering Your Greatest Fears.” Outside Magazine Nov.

2014: n. pag. Outside Online. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

<http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/science/The-Science-of-

Conquering-Your-Greatest-Fears.html>.

Wolpert, Daniel. “The real reason for brains.” TED Global 2011. July 2011. Lecture.

Wright, Anthony, PhD. “Chapter 6: Limbic System: Amygdala.” Neuroscience Online. The

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.

<http://neuroscience.uth.tmc.edu/s4/chapter06.html>.

“Zen Buddhism.” Religions. British Broadcasting Corporation, 2 Oct. 2002. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.

<http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/subdivisions/zen_1.shtml>.

Images:

Figure 1: Odysseus in the Heat of Battle: “Odysseus.” Sunday Feature. BBC, n.d. Web. 4 Dec.

2014. <http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/640x360/p0112c9v.jpg>.

47

Figure 2: Yin Yang Symbol: “Yin Yang.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.

<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ commons/thumb/1/17/Yin_yang.svg/1024px-

Yin_yang.svg.png>.

Figure 3: fMRI Brain Scan Before and After Meditation: “Calming Mind Brain Waves.” Fast

Company. Fast Company, Aug. 2013. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.

<http://f.fastcompany.net/multisite_files/fastcompany/imagecache/inline-

large/inline/2013/08/3016649-inline-calming-mind-brain-waves.jpg>.

Figure 4: Zen Enso – Symbol of Enlightenment: “Enso Zen.” The First Morning. WordPress, Mar.

2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.

<http://thefirstmorning.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/enso_zen1.jpg>.

Figure 5: Balance Between Challenge and Skill Level Leads to Flow: “Challenge vs Skill.”

Wikipedia. Wikimedia, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.

<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Challenge_vs_skill.svg/1

000px-Challenge_vs_skill.svg.png>.

Figure 6: Expert Skier in Flow: Jorgenson, Blake. “Thrill-Seeking in British Columbia.” The Best

Adventure Photography: Exposure 2014. Outside Online, 20 Mar. 2014. Web. 1 Dec.

2014. <http://http:/media.outsideonline.com/images/exposure-james-heim-skiing-

ipsoot.jpg>.

Figure 7: Yoga Practitioner Performing Lotus Headstand: “Lotus Headstand.” Pinterest.

Pinterest, n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2014.

<https://www.pinterest.com/pin/462463455458143278/>.

48

Figure 8: Heeding the Call of the Wild: Munsey, Charlie. “Buckle Up on Oregon's North Umpqua

River.” The Best Adventure Photography: Exposure 2014. Outside Online, 17 Dec. 2009.

Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <http://media.outsideonline.com/images/munsey-kayak-drop-

oregon.jpg>.

Figure 9: Man Practicing Shinrin-Yoku in Japan: “Forest viewing and walking.” National Center

for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2 May 2009. Web. 2

Dec. 2014. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/core/lw/2.0/html/tileshop_pmc/

tileshop_pmc_inline.html?title=Click%20on%20image%20to%20zoom&p=PMC3&id=279

3346_12199_2009_86_Fig1_HTML.jpg>.

49