Mindfulness Meditation
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness means to deliberately pay attention to whatever you are experiencing right now. It
is a way to focus on the present instead of thoughts of the future or past, and helps us stop
running on auto pilot. Through mindfulness you become the observer of your experience:
thoughts, feelings, and sensations in the body, without judgment or trying to change the
experience.
What is mindfulness meditation?
Mindfulness meditation means to practice mindfulness and to use what we learn from it to
remain mindful and aware. In particular we become aware of our:
 Thoughts- especially automatic thoughts.
 Feelings: sadness, anger, etc.
 Behavior: aggression, withdrawing, etc.
 Physiological changes: fast breathing, weight in stomach, pins and needles, nausea.
Mindfulness meditation means to simply observe what is happening to us in those four areas,
particularly with difficult emotions or in difficult situations. The aim is more to become familiar
with how the mind works and its habit patterns, so that we can start responding (choosing how
we want to respond) instead of reacting (have an automatic, habitual response) to our thoughts,
feelings, and experiences in our life.
What are the benefits of mindfulness?
Your mind is like any other part of your being, there are benefits from understanding how it
works and you can train it to work better. Specifically a mindfulness practice has the following
benefits:
1. Calm mind – mindfulness helps your mind stay in a clear, neutral state, instead of
swinging from agitation to lethargy based on stressful experiences.
2. Flexible mind – the ability to shift your mind and choose your focus, rather than having it
bounce from different topics or worrying.
3. Self-awareness – being aware of the contents of your mind and understanding the typical
patterns of your mind.
4. Acting rather than reacting – Becoming less reactive (e.g. when you are angry) and
choosing how you will act.
How does it work?
While most of what we achieve is by “doing”, mindfulness achieves its ends by “not doing,”
simply by observing. It seems to achieve its success by allowing us to see our thoughts and
emotions for what they are. Thoughts like “I must be stupid” are subtle and we generally believe
them uncritically. By being mindful of our thoughts we gradually get the idea that they are just
thoughts that we are having and there is no need to believe them. Similarly with a feeling like
“anger” we start to realize that it is a feeling that is currently strong within us but no more than
that, we currently have anger, but it doesn’t define us and it will pass. We stop identifying with
the thoughts and emotions. Our mind ceases to be in the control of strong feelings and thoughts
and slowly comes under our own control.
Example: Practicing Mindfulness Meditation
1. It is important to create the right environment for Mindful Meditation. If possible find a place
that is quiet, where you will not be disturbed; a place that can be your healing place.
2. Sit or lie down with your back straight but not stiff. If you’re lying down, put something under
your head if you need it so your head is not tilted up or down. You can also put something under
your knees if that is more comfortable.
3. You can start this process by first focusing on your breath
to become aware of your breathing.
Feel the breath come it and out.
Let your belly expand as you breathe in.
4. Become aware of your thoughts.
Watch as they come and go. Observe your
thoughts as if you were an outside observer watching
someone else’s thoughts. Notice the speed of your thoughts.
5. Start to let your thoughts float away. Don’t ignore them, judge them, or try to stop them, but
each time a thought comes up just let it go, as if it could just float away.
6. As you let each of your thoughts float away, let you mind peaceful and empty of thoughts.
Just feel your breathing.
7. Don’t worry that thoughts keep coming into your mind, this will happen. Just gently, lovingly
send them away. If you get distracted and find yourself lost in thought, just acknowledge it with
“thinking,” and return to focusing on the breath.
8. Allow yourself to remain calm like this for at least 10 to 20 minutes. If this process is difficult
for you, you can start with fewer minutes and build up.