Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
Welcome to this introduction to mindfulness meditation – what it is, why it’s been practiced around the world for hundreds of years, and most importantly, why so many people continue to make meditation a part of their daily lives to relieve stress and anxiety, build caring relationships, and simply create an oasis of silence and reflection in the midst of daily demands.
So, what is mindfulness meditation? The description we like to use is gentle, curious awareness of the present moment.
Consciousness is like a mirror. It reflects back to you what is here, what you experience, without embellishment or purpose, without judgment or resistance. It’s a way to rest in a safe, compassionate place with an “I’m here, come what may” attitude, to participate fully, intimately, and lovingly in your life as it is.
With some mindfulness exercises, you can discover firsthand how often you can:
- Think about the past or the future instead of being with what is happening in and around you right now.
- Listen to a critical, resistant, or unfriendly inner dialogue instead of observing yourself non-judgmentally and kindly.
- He is not particularly conscious at all, but unconsciously jumps from one thought and emotion to another.
Mindfulness meditation guides you step by step to notice these habits (which we all have!) and lead you to an increasingly direct and curious relationship with all of your life, as it is.
Consciousness is like a mirror. It reflects back to you what is here, what you experience, without embellishment or purpose, without judgment or resistance.
Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation
Over the past few decades, there has been a great deal of interest in studying the benefits of meditation. We now know that people enjoy a wide range of measurable physical, mental and emotional changes from regular exercise.
- Some of the physical benefits include better sleep, decreased heart rate, and less anxiety. Mindfulness meditation has been shown to activate the parasympathetic nervous system – the relaxation and healing system in your body.
- Mental benefits include calming a busy mind, improving problem solving and focus, and increased creativity.
- People who practice mindfulness meditation also have a good understanding of their emotions. They are more adept at riding the waves of changing emotions for their own good and reacting to situations in ways that improve connection and understanding with others.
All of these positive changes interact and reinforce each other to provide an inner core of well-being and resilience that you can draw upon in everyday situations.
People who practice mindfulness meditation also have a good understanding of their emotions. They are more adept at riding the waves of changing emotions for their own good and reacting to situations in ways that improve connection and understanding with others.
Begin by becoming aware of your breath
Let’s take a look at a long-standing practice in the meditative tradition: bringing awareness to the breath. There are hundreds of breathing exercises, but they can basically be divided into two types: breath awareness and breath manipulation.
During breath-awareness meditations, you carefully observe your breath as it is, without trying to change it in any way: shallow or deep, warm or cold, loud or quiet?
Breath manipulation, on the other hand, uses different techniques to change the breathing pattern: improve mental focus, increase energy, or reduce anxiety. Many of these breathing exercises are easy to learn, but powerful and often immediate.
This article focuses on the practice and benefits of breath awareness: practicing precise and sustained attention to the breath.
So, why is breathing awareness an essential practice?
Watching your breath calms your nervous system
Paying attention to your breath sends a clear message to your brain and nervous system: “You are safe. You can rest and recover!” Your brain has evolved to detect external threats, so when we turn our attention inward to the breath and body, it turns off your brain’s danger detection system and turns on your healing system.
He is always with you
Learning where your attention is directed at any given time and being most interested in the present moment is a fundamental skill in mindfulness meditation. Wherever you are, you are breathing. So you can use your breath as an anchor to the present when you want to practice a little mindfulness. No props or meditation apps required.
The simple act of paying attention to your breath sends a strong message to your brain and nervous system: “You are safe and you can relax.”
Your breath and your mind mirror each other
If you pay attention to your breathing, you may notice that the quality of your breath reflects the quality of your mind. Slow, deep breaths are often accompanied by clear, calm thinking. Shallow, rapid breaths can alert you to a busy or even anxious mind. Breath manipulation exercises take advantage of this connection by showing you how to slow your breath to help calm your mind. In breathing awareness practices, if you begin to simply notice this intimate connection, you can gain powerful insight into the mind-body connection.
The breath brings the moment
Since mindfulness meditation is about being aware of what is happening now, breathing is the perfect tool here as well. Your thoughts and emotions may take you to the past or the future, you imagine what was or what could be, but your breath will always be in the present.
The breath is fine
Many people who practice mindfulness, both beginners and experienced practitioners, sometimes find it challenging to turn their attention inward. Your breath can show you the way. It can guide you from the attention-grabbing things on the surface of your attention, to the physical sensations and sounds of your breath, to the subtlest and quietest experiences and states.
Please take a few minutes to complete the following steps:
- Pay attention to your breathing as much as possible.
- When your attention wanders, gently bring it back to your breath.
- Be sure to do steps 1 and 2 in a non-judgmental way.
Your thoughts and emotions may take you to the past or the future, you imagine what was or what could be, but your breath will always be in the present.
1. Listen
- Close your eyes and take a few full, relaxing breaths, letting your body relax a little more with each exhalation.
- When you are ready, begin to let your attention focus on your breath. Do your best to observe and feel all four parts of your breath: the inhalation, a short pause, the exhalation, and another short pause.
- Remember that it’s okay if your attention wanders from your breath. Start again and follow your breath for as long as you can.
2. When your attention wanders, return to your breath
- You can be sure that your attention will wander from your breath at some point: to the strain on your back, the irritation from an argument with your spouse, or the idea of a new creative project.
- It is important to know from the beginning that these are all part of meditation, not the path to it. A meditation practice is just that: a safe place to practice mindfulness and learn different ways to respond to everyday experiences.
3. Respond in a curious, non-judgmental way
- This may be the easiest step to describe, but for many of us it is the hardest! No matter what grabs your attention, no matter how troubling or trivial, when you notice you’re not paying attention to your breath, be as curious and non-judgmental as possible. Mindfulness is a non-criticism zone.
- Why is this so important? Just as a critical comment from a friend can upset you or make you feel a little withdrawn, your inner dialogue can have the same effect. The internal environment you create for yourself and learn to stay in will have a huge impact on your well-being and resilience.
Tips for Mindfulness meditation
How to sit
Choose any sitting position on the floor, cushion or chair that feels comfortable and alert. You can lie down if that’s best for you.
How long to sit
If you are new to mindfulness meditation, start with 10-15 minutes. Whatever time you choose, do your best to stick to it, even if your mind is telling you to do something more interesting! And you will improve faster if you meditate for a shorter period of time, more often: instead of sitting for an hour once a week, sit for shorter periods of time several times a week.
Pay attention to the daily task
A great way to remember to practice mindfulness and feel how it can change your reactions to everyday situations is to connect it to your daily routine, such as sitting down to eat breakfast or getting ready for bed. You can make this activity a mindful moment to practice nonjudgmental awareness.
Rate your state
How does a mindfulness meditation practice affect you? One way to answer this question is to check in quickly before and after you sit down. Before you start, close your eyes and rate your state on a scale of 1 to 5: 1 being bad / nervous / anxious and 5 being really great / relaxed / happy. And do the same when you are done meditating. Noticing positive changes enriches your practice and strengthens your motivation.
Conclusion
Mindfulness meditation is essentially the practice of learning to trust life. Despite your ideas about what is wrong or right at any given moment, or about yourself or others, you repeatedly practice letting your life as it is touch you.
When you sit in the non-judgmental awareness of the present moment, you treat yourself and your life with great care and respect. In practice, you trust your life and experiences more than your beliefs, concerns, or past challenges.
This is the beginning of a wonderful and powerful journey of compassion and self-discovery. This website is designed to provide you with many options to start or continue your journey.
