Everything You Want To Know About Mindfulness Meditation

Summary:

Are you feeling stressed or seeking ways to improve your well-being? Learn how to reduce stress and anxiety and get better at life with mindfulness meditation.

Are you feeling overwhelmed and stressed on a daily basis? Do you want to improve your mental and emotional well-being but can’t find the right solution?

Mindfulness meditation might be the answer you’re looking for.

By combining mindfulness with meditation, you can unlock a powerful tool for personal growth and positive change. This ancient meditation technique is proven to help reduce stress, alleviate anxiety and depression, and promote overall contentment with life.

And the best part? It’s simple and flexible enough to fit into even the busiest of schedules. And here’s how you can learn to start using this tool:

By practicing it regularly, you can learn to be present in the moment and cultivate a deeper sense of inner peace and happiness—all from within.

What is Mindfulness Meditation?

At its core, mindfulness meditation involves intentionally observing your thoughts, emotions, and sensations in the present moment without judgment or distraction. The ultimate goal is to bring this heightened awareness into your daily life.

According to Emily Fletcher, meditation teacher and trainer of Mindvalley’s The M Word Quest, the purpose of this practice isn’t to get good at meditating but to get good at life. And doing it on a daily basis can help cultivate a sense of inner peace and happiness that can positively impact all aspects of your life.

So what exactly is the difference between mindfulness and meditation? Here’s a closer look:

Mindfulness: Ringing your awareness into the present moment.
Meditation: An umbrella term for practices that allow you to access altered states of consciousness.

While mindfulness can be a part of meditation, not all forms of meditation are mindfulness-based.

That’s why, according to Emily, meditation alone isn’t enough. If you want to manage stress in the moment, increase your focus, improve your overall well-being, and even spice up your sexual life, mindfulness is key.

Emily Fletcher on how to do mindfulness meditation — Emily Fletcher, trainer of Mindvalley’s *The M Word* Quest

The Origin & Meaning of Mindfulness Meditation

This spiritual practice has been around for thousands of years. Though its exact origin is unknown, instructions for it have been found in the ancient texts of nearly every major religion, including Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as Judaism and Christianity.

Buddhism has played a significant role in helping us understand the origins of mindfulness meditation. As part of the belief system, it’s important to cultivate a non-judgemental awareness of yourself, your feelings, your mind, and your surroundings. This distance and observation can be trained through a series of mindfulness meditations.

For many religions, it was used as a way to step back from the world and connect with your spiritual self, as well as to realize and understand the connection between “self” and “other.”

Today, the meaning of it has shifted away from its religious connotations. Instead, it has been adopted by psychologists, healthcare professionals, life coaches, and mentors as an effective way to deal with the stresses and illnesses of the modern world.

The Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation has numerous spiritual, emotional, and physical benefits. This meta-analytic review has concluded that mindfulness-based therapy can alleviate anxiety and depression, as well as prevent or cure illnesses linked to long-term stress.

Here are a few ways that this practice can improve your health, according to science:

In short, mindfulness meditation can help you become a calmer, healthier, and happier person.

How to Do Mindfulness Meditation

Before you start practicing, it’s crucial to understand that the goal of meditation of any kind isn’t to get rid of your thoughts.

As Emily explains in her Quest on Mindvalley, your thoughts aren’t your enemies. Rather, they allow you to become aware of them and return to your meditation technique.

Here are the basic steps to do mindfulness meditation for beginners:

Find a quiet place to sit comfortably.
Set a timer for the desired length of your meditation session.
Close your eyes.
Take a few deep breaths, releasing any tension in your body as you exhale.
Breathe naturally, focusing your attention on your breathing.
When your mind wanders, simply notice the thought and gently bring your focus back to your breath.
When the timer goes off, slowly open your eyes.
Take a moment to notice how you feel before getting up and continuing with your day.

Emily recommends starting with just a few minutes of meditation each day and gradually working up to longer sessions.

12 Tips to Get Started With Mindfulness Meditation Today

The following tips can help you get started with mindfulness meditation and maintain a regular practice:

1. Do it today

It’s one thing to read about meditation; it’s another to actually meditate. And it starts with your commitment to practice mindfulness meditation.

2. Set aside time

If you think you don’t have spare time, consider the spaces in between your daily tasks where you typically browse the internet, scroll through social media, or watch TV. You’ll find at least 10 minutes to devote to mindfulness.

3. Find a quiet, solitary environment

A noise-free space is extremely conducive to mindfulness, especially for beginners. So finding a solitary room dedicated to your meditation practice is crucial.

Eventually, your mind will instantly get into the right state as soon as you find yourself in that special place.

4. Set a timer

Setting a timer will help you stay focused on the process and prevent you from wondering how long you’ve been meditating. Start short and increase your meditation time gradually.

5. Get comfortable

Unlike traditional meditation, mindfulness meditation doesn’t require physical discomfort. So get as comfortable as possible, and if you start feeling discomfort, change your position.

Falling asleep? It’s not a problem.

According to Emily, you’re giving your body rest that’s five times deeper than sleep. “As long as you aren’t falling off your chair, you’re doing good enough,” she adds.

6. Find your breath

Before starting your meditation, close your eyes and notice your breath. Tuning into your natural breathing signals your brain that you’re getting calm, relaxed, and focused.

Don’t force your breath. Experience its natural movement.

7. Observe without judgment

Getting distracted, anxious, and utterly bored is part of the process. Observing your states like clouds passing in the sky will eventually train your brain to detach and observe them instead of judging and reacting.

When an emotion or thought comes up, acknowledge what you are thinking or feeling and gently return to your breath.

8. Allow yourself to fail

Gelong Thubten, professional meditation teacher and trainer of Mindvalley’s Becoming More Loving Quest, explains that when you meditate and your mind wanders, self-judgment happens. “Within seconds, our plan to meditate fails, and your mind goes all over the place,” he says.

This is why meditation becomes a very harsh and stressful experience for so many people. But it’s only because of the attitude. Instead, you can allow yourself to fail, seeing failure as a human condition.

So when your mind gets distracted, see it as a chance to grow stronger and master your mind.

9. Return to your breath

When your mind starts to wander, return to the rhythm of your breath. When you do so, the more you’re mastering your mind.

This is how you learn to let go of stress and negativity in your daily life and return to your peace of mind.

10. Practice every day

Remember that you’re practicing meditation to get better at life, so consistency is key. By practicing mindfulness meditation every day you’re building one of the most rewarding habits in your life, which will give you long-lasting benefits across the board.

11. Start and/or end your day with mindfulness

Starting your day off with a morning mindfulness meditation is a good way to get it off on the right foot. It will prime your brain for the day ahead.

And when you do it before going to bed, it will help your brain detach from all daily activities and unwind naturally.

12. Take your meditation into the day

The ultimate goal of your meditation practice is to make mindfulness your default state. By practicing tiny, microscopic moments of awareness throughout the day in any situation, you’re rewiring your system.

Here are some ways you can incorporate it into your day:

While standing in line, instead of checking your phone, bring your awareness to your feet and feel the ground.
While working in the office or from home, feel the chair 10-20 times a day for a few moments each time.
Brush your teeth or wash your hands mindfully.

The more you practice it, the more natural it become.

Full Article Here: https://blog.mindvalley.com/mindfulness-meditation/