Deborah Schoeberlein David: The Meaning of Living Mindfully
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In this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, our host Daniel Aitken interviews mindfulness author Deborah Schoeberlein David. They begin by discussing how her book Living Mindfully came to be, and go on to the importance of understanding mindfulness deeply as it becomes increasingly popular. Deborah reflects on the difference between mindfulness and meditation in modern terms, how to have a more meaningful experience of mindfulness, and the debate around what mindfulness is. She brings up the importance of morality in mindfulness and shares what she thinks it actually means to be mindful in everyday life–for example, when going to the movies. Deborah then tells us about the experience of being with her father during his death in summer 2015, how her practice helped her during that time, and how the experience was both “extraordinarily painful and absolutely fine.” We hear how her father’s death was a profound teaching for her. Finally, we learn how to have a flexible, resilient, useful mindfulness practice; Deborah’s take on what mindful parenting really means; and the danger of trying to “force” mindfulness on children.
About the Interviewee
Deborah Schoeberlein David, MEd, has more than twenty-five years’ experience teaching youth and adults, developing interactive curriculum, training teachers, providing parent education seminars and implementing sensitive programming, both in K-12 and professional settings. Her first book with Wisdom was Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfully.
