MINDFULNESS MEDITATION
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a form of meditation that helps you see things as they really are. It teaches you to be compassionate with yourself and to observe without criticism or judgement.
When you practice mindfulness, you will learn to look at things without your ego so that you no longer take things personally. You will be able to detach from the thoughts that create unhappiness, stress, or anxiety, and be able to process those thoughts with ease. Eventually, you will be able to notice the negative thoughts as soon as they appear and let them float by so that they no longer control you.
Over time, mindfulness brings about long-term changes in mood and levels of happiness and wellbeing. Scientific studies have shown that mindfulness not only prevents depression but that it also positively affects the brain patterns underlying day-to-day anxiety, stress, depression and irritability.
Life has its ups and downs; its peaks and valleys; and its good and bad, but mindfulness allows us to manage life’s obstacles more efficiently and without the self-induced prolonged suffering that many people experience.
Mindfulness increases your ability to live your best life as it is a constant companion of awareness. Living your life in the present will enable you to enjoy freedom over unwanted mental states such as jealousy, envy, greed, fear, frustration, hate, and worry, and you will be rewarded with a freshness of the mind.
Incorporating mindfulness into everyday life has many benefits, I've listed just a few of them here.
Looking for scientific research on mindfulness? Here's what the researchers at Harvard Business Review found.
Misconceptions of Mindfulness
Mindfulness meditation can conjure up many different things for people so let’s dispel some common misconceptions:
- Meditation is a religion.
Mindfulness is not a religion. It is simply a method of mental training. Many people who practice meditation are themselves religious, but many atheists and agnostics are keen meditators too. - You need to sit in lotus position.
The correct posture of sitting meditation can be customized to your preference and ability and you can meditate anywhere. The goal is to bring mindful awareness into all aspects of your life. - Mindfulness meditation is time-consuming.
Just 10-30 minutes of sitting in daily meditation is highly beneficial because the lasting effects of mindfulness can carry you throughout the day. - Meditation is complicated.
Your practice is yours alone and cannot be compared to anyone else’s practice. There may be days when meditation feels difficult but there is always a valuable lesson to be learned during these times and therefore you will have benefited psychologically. - Mindfulness meditation will put you in a trance.
In fact, mindfulness meditation is the exact opposite, it enables you to be fully present, it is mental alertness.
