This week I was editing an interesting book on how "mindfulness" activities like yoga and meditation have become hugely popular in America but in the process have been ruthlessly stripped of their traditional Buddhist underpinnings so that they'd be more palatable to U.S. consumers.
The author, a sociologist and a very good writer (the two don't always go together), described how a network of highly educated, wealthy and well-intentioned "contemplatives" have adapted these practices and brought them into businesses like Google and -- yes -- Monsanto, schools, health care offices, and even the military. The author did her best to translate some of their free-flowing, jargon-laden and not strictly grammatical explanations.
My point in mentioning this that one practical suggestion for maintaining mindfulness during the day is to pause regularly and pet your cat. Judging by the amount of Clarence and Tina hair on my keyboard, I think I have that one covered!
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