By Jesse M. Gonzalez | [email protected]

In late May, a group of curious individuals got together to rejoice in a process and technique that has been around for thousands of years: mindfulness.

Brilliant Miller, a man on a quest to spread the knowledge received from committed mindfulness to others while continuing to learn the perpetual truths of reality had concluded his teachings with another event called May Mindfulness Morning, assisted by Steve Klingler.

“The people who participate in Mindfulness Morning do so because it serves them well and they cherish the friendships found there,” Klingler said just before the event.

The event, which intends to repeat monthly with another meeting June 25, began with a brief discussion led by Miller in which those who wished to speak and share their thoughts relating to mindfulness and its history could do so—and the topic of the meeting was technology and its place in a mindful life.

Those in attendance related to the history, before electricity, when work ended when the sun went down and one could be undistracted from cell phone usage and artificial lighting, which is argued to harm the process of mindfulness. Some said that technology has enabled a clearer pathway in which to learn mindfulness more tacitly as the information is more easily obtained.

The topics of each meeting can be diverse, but they all revolve around the process of mindfulness, something that most communities can appreciate.

“I hope to give those who wish to listen the knowledge to lead a more fulfilling, more spiritual life,” Miller said. “A knowledge that can be used to improve relationships—with family, friends, spouses—a knowledge to improve the overall quality of life, a more peaceful life.”

After the discussion, Miller rose, politely instructing everyone to rise as well. “Everyone, if you may, close your eyes, close your eyes and for a moment, do a mental scan of the body beginning with the feet and then slowly raise the attention higher up the body until you get to the top of the head.”

After a few moments, Miller told everyone to slowly open their eyes and to sit down, and the next part of the meeting: introduce one’s self followed by a word that comes to mind to describe the moment and then a description of something to be acknowledged about the self. A ball was passed around to represent a turn to speak.

“At first, this began as a way for me to talk, to speak my mind, to find peace with myself and I asked if others would join in and listen and to speak themselves if they wished to do so,” said Miller. “It wasn’t planned, it was spontaneous.”

The benefits of practicing mindfulness are many and millions around the world immerse themselves in the peace and clarity that it can bring for a better life.

Benefits include a greater level of peace, decreased depression and stress, increased attention and focus, decreased anxiety, and it has even been known to improve the ability to deal with physical illnesses.

“Mindfulness has given me greater access to my intuition and creativity. Creating some space and some stillness has made me become more receptive to my higher self,” Miller said.