I will start by explaining what mindfulness is. Mindfulness is the person’s ability of being aware of their thoughts, feelings and behaviors, as they happen moment by moment, without judging them. When you practice mindfulness you see things as they unfold at the present moment. You don’t rewind in your mind things that happened. You just watch the events, without resisting or fighting them, just accepting them. Accepting things that are, at least uncomfortable, is difficult at the beginning, but it becomes easier and more natural with practice and time. Awareness or conscious awareness are used interchangeably with mindfulness.
Why would somebody develop mindfulness?
When you have mindfulness you see things as they really are, because you don’t attach any meaning to them. Things that used to bother you won’t bother you anymore. You will relate better to people. You will accept other people the way they are. Your weaknesses or inadequacies will not weigh on you. You will learn to laugh at them. Your tendency to get angry, or sad or anxious about persons or things will decrease or disappear with time. As a result, you will find peace and happiness. Buddhists say that eventually you will find “liberation” and that, when you get there, you will see that it was worth every moment of dedication.
Mindfulness can not be forced, neither can it be rushed, but it can be cultivated. It happens at its own pace, at its own time.
One way to develop mindfulness is through meditation. When you meditate you notice your thoughts, impulses, sensations and feelings much clearer. You look at them without judging or attaching any meaning. This, by itself, develops awareness. The more you meditate, the more you develop mindfulness.
In addition to meditation, you develop mindfulness by applying it to real life situations. This is more difficult, because, during the day to day events, you don’t have the same stillness of mind that you do during meditation. During the daily routine, we normally get carried away by the stream of thoughts, things to do, preoccupations, feelings, and other things.
A good way that I found to bring awareness to my daily routine is by applying it in small steps and during certain specific activities. I focus at one particular aspect of the things that I experience. For example, during some mornings, as I am preparing to go to work, I watch my body sensations. On other mornings, I watch my thoughts.
You don’t need to force it and you don’t need to be eager to catch all the aspects of your experience at the same time. Awareness involves watching a thought (or feeling, sensation, etc) from beginning to end. You won’t be able to do this if you try to catch everything at the same time.
Sometimes it may be difficult to practice awareness when it involves watching thoughts or feelings that are unpleasant. This may even generate more discomfort. At other times, you may wonder if you are really progressing with your awareness practice or if it is worth pursuing it. This discomfort and resistance tend to vanish with time.
When I feel bad for some reason, I watch the feelings in my body. I notice where the discomfort is, if it stays in one place or if it moves. I notice that it makes watching easier, if I close my eyes during the process. I keep watching my discomfort and eventually it disappears.
It is my belief that the more we develop mindfulness, the better life will be for us. This is not an overnight process. It may take several years until considerable personal improvement is obtained. On the other hand, the collective experience of those who practiced it during thousands of years in the east shows that it is well worth it.
I will start by explaining what mindfulness is. Mindfulness is the person’s ability of being aware of their thoughts, feelings and behaviors, as they happen moment by moment, without judging them. When you practice mindfulness you see things as they unfold at the present moment. You don’t rewind in your mind things that happened. You just watch the events, without resisting or fighting them, just accepting them. Accepting things that are, at least uncomfortable, is difficult at the beginning, but it becomes easier and more natural with practice and time. Awareness or conscious awareness are used interchangeably with mindfulness.
Why would somebody develop mindfulness?
When you have mindfulness you see things as they really are, because you don’t attach any meaning to them. Things that used to bother you won’t bother you anymore. You will relate better to people. You will accept other people the way they are. Your weaknesses or inadequacies will not weigh on you. You will learn to laugh at them. Your tendency to get angry, or sad or anxious about persons or things will decrease or disappear with time. As a result, you will find peace and happiness. Buddhists say that eventually you will find “liberation” and that, when you get there, you will see that it was worth every moment of dedication.
Mindfulness can not be forced, neither can it be rushed, but it can be cultivated. It happens at its own pace, at its own time.
One way to develop mindfulness is through meditation. When you meditate you notice your thoughts, impulses, sensations and feelings much clearer. You look at them without judging or attaching any meaning. This, by itself, develops awareness. The more you meditate, the more you develop mindfulness.
In addition to meditation, you develop mindfulness by applying it to real life situations. This is more difficult, because, during the day to day events, you don’t have the same stillness of mind that you do during meditation. During the daily routine, we normally get carried away by the stream of thoughts, things to do, preoccupations, feelings, and other things.
A good way that I found to bring awareness to my daily routine is by applying it in small steps and during certain specific activities. I focus at one particular aspect of the things that I experience. For example, during some mornings, as I am preparing to go to work, I watch my body sensations. On other mornings, I watch my thoughts.
You don’t need to force it and you don’t need to be eager to catch all the aspects of your experience at the same time. Awareness involves watching a thought (or feeling, sensation, etc) from beginning to end. You won’t be able to do this if you try to catch everything at the same time.
Sometimes it may be difficult to practice awareness when it involves watching thoughts or feelings that are unpleasant. This may even generate more discomfort. At other times, you may wonder if you are really progressing with your awareness practice or if it is worth pursuing it. This discomfort and resistance tend to vanish with time.
When I feel bad for some reason, I watch the feelings in my body. I notice where the discomfort is, if it stays in one place or if it moves. I notice that it makes watching easier, if I close my eyes during the process. I keep watching my discomfort and eventually it disappears.
It is my belief that the more we develop mindfulness, the better life will be for us. This is not an overnight process. It may take several years until considerable personal improvement is obtained. On the other hand, the collective experience of those who practiced it during thousands of years in the east shows that it is well worth it.