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From Suffering Loneliness To Appreciating Solitude: A Mindfulness Way 

Samikannu Peter Jeganatha PILLAI

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Samikannu Peter Jeganatha PILLAI

Born in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India in 1964. My academic formation in English, Philosophy, Theology and Spirituality took me all over India, namely Chennai, Kolkata, Pune and New Delhi till 2005. In 2005 went to Universidad Pontificia de Comillas Madrid to licentiate in spirituality. My personal search has led me to practice Vipassana meditation since 1994. Since then I have been teaching and practising Vipassana meditation. At present I am doing a doctoral thesis on “Mindfulness for reducing suffering in physical pain” in the faculty of Psychology in the University of Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. I run a Mindfulness Centre in the city of Oviedo where I teach and train annually around three hundred persons in mindfulness.


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Abstract

From Suffering Loneliness To Appreciating Solitude: A Mindfulness Way

“Usually we regard loneliness as an enemy. Heartache is not something we choose to invite in. It's restless and pregnant and hot with the desire to escape and find something or someone to keep us company. When we can rest in the middle [through meditation practice], we begin to have a nonthreatening relationship with loneliness, a relaxing and cooling loneliness that completely turns our usual fearful patterns upside down” - Pema Chodron (2000), Buddhist nun and teacher.

Byenhancing an individual’s corporalconscience we can reduce one’s feelings of loneliness. Numerous studies have shown that the regularpractice of mindfulness helps in reducing loneliness. Mindfulness focuses oncultivating attitudes of non-judgement patience, beginner’s mind, trust,non-striving, acceptance and letting go, all this in a compassionate opennesstowards oneself and the others.

Purposefully cultivating these attitudes isfacilitated in short and long sessions of meditation and formal and informalpractices of mindfulness. Paying attention to your moment-to-moment experience in a non-judgementalway creates a healthy connection with yourself. This connection expandsoutside of yourself to become aware of the inter-connections that exist whilenot focussing exclusively on the lack of social connections. Mindfulness is asimple technique which all human beings are capable of learning if one is readyto spend three quarter of an hour daily.

The benefits of mindfulness areimmense in the fields of physical and mental health.
Simply for living ahealthy life mindfulness is the way.