Meditation is discovery. It is not a fixed destination. Your head is not vacuumed free of thoughts, completely undistracted. It is a special place where every moment is memorable. When we meditate, we venture into the workings of our mind: our sensations (air blowing on our skin or a pungent smell wafting into the room), our emotions (love this, hate that, desire this, loathe that) and thoughts (wouldn’t want to). (It would be weird to see an elephant playing a trumpet).
Meditation has been a part of our human lifestyle for thousands of years. Many of the modern meditation techniques can be linked back to Eastern traditions. The term “meditation” refers to a practice of focusing or clearing your mind using a combination of mental and physical techniques. This can be an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Depending on the type of meditation you choose, you can meditate to relax, reduce anxiety and stress, and more. Some types of meditation involve maintaining mental focus on a particular sensation, such as breathing, a sound, a visual image, or a mantra, which is a repeated word or phrase. Other forms of meditation include the practice of mindfulness, which involves maintaining attention or awareness in the present moment without making judgments.
Do you need to clear your mind or focus on one thing? Here is the Mindful definition of Mindfulness.
Mindfulness meditation asks us to suspend judgment and unleash our natural curiosity about the workings of the mind, approaching our experiences with warmth and kindness, for ourselves and others.
Here’s how to tune into mindfulness throughout your day:
The basics of a mindfulness practice
- Set aside some time. You don’t need a meditation cushion or bench, or any special equipment, to access your mindfulness skills, but you do need to set aside some time and space.
- Mindfulness meditation gives us a time in our lives when we can suspend judgment and let go of our natural curiosity about the workings of the mind, approaching our experiences with warmth and kindness – for ourselves and others.
- Observe the present moment as it is. The purpose of mindfulness is not to quiet the mind, or to attempt to achieve a state of eternal calm. The goal is simple: we strive to pay attention to the present moment, without judgment. Easier said than done, we know.
- Let your judgments pass. When we notice judgments arising during our practice, we can make a mental note of them and let them pass.
- Return to observing the present moment as it is. Our minds often get carried away in thoughts. Therefore, mindfulness is the practice of returning to the present moment again and again.
- Be kind to your wandering mind. Don’t judge yourself for any thoughts, just practice recognizing when your thoughts have wandered and gently bring them back.
That is the practice. It is often said that it is very simple, but that is not necessarily easy. The work is to just keep doing it. The results will increase. Although the practice of meditation is thousands of years old and comes in various forms from around the world, modern science has only begun to study the practice in detail in recent decades. Many experts agree that it can be an important part of a healthy lifestyle.