Have you ever heard of mindfulness? If you are new to the practice of meditation, then mindfulness is a great place to start!
Definition
The term mindfulness has been created to define a set of meditation practices that are common among many different religious and spiritual traditions. While the most direct source of this spiritual practice comes through the Buddhist tradition, parallel versions appear in every major world religion. Additionally, mindfulness has become popular in a generic form which does not specifically tie it to a particular metaphysical worldview. The practices that I will describe here are generic in this sense. They even have great potential for simple relaxation and stress reduction, even if no spiritual goal is intended by the practitioner.
How to Practice
Exercise #1: Sitting Meditation
- Sit in a well-lit, comfortable place with minimal noise and distraction. Try to choose a place where there is little likelihood that you will be interrupted. Mindfulness really isn’t a “spectator sport.”
- Assume a comfortable position. For instance, sit in a straight-back chair with feet firmly on the ground. Your hands should be resting on your knees, and you should try to maintain your posture without slouching or resting your back on the back of the chair. You could also sit on the floor in the popular cross-legged posture. Whatever position you choose, make sure that you can sit comfortably for 15-20 minutes without having to rearrange your body too often. You might set a timer, so you are not perpetually looking at the clock.
- Begin paying attention to your breathing as it flows in and out of your nose. Try not to breathe through your mouth for this exercise. You do not need to hold your breath. Just breathe naturally, but focus on breathing consciously.
- Gently close your eyes. If you find that your mind wanders, that’s fine. Just bring your attention back to your breath whenever you become aware that you started thinking about something. If you find that your mind wanders a lot, then you might try counting breaths. You might try counting to five for each in-breath and each out-breath. If you have to remind yourself to focus on your breath every few seconds, you have NOT failed. You’re not trying to “empty your mind;” just focus on your breathing.
- At the end of the sitting, you might say or do something to help punctuate the time. For instance, I’ll end by quietly saying the word “Here” to remind myself that I am always right here in the present no matter where my thoughts might go.
- You might feel like you are doing a whole lot of nothing, and, if so, great! That’s really the point of this spiritual practice. You are learning to simply be.
- If you stick with this practice, you’ll likely notice an increasing calm in your attitude — a willingness not to have to be doing constantly. Try it out, and see how you like it.
Exercise #2: Sitting Meditation (Variations)
- Following the same general steps as above, you can add some variety to your practice in a few ways. Such as:
- After you have learned how to concentrate on your breathing, expand your attention a little. Instead of simply focusing on your breath, be attentive to your entire body. What are you feeling as each breath goes in and out?
- Another possibility is to focus through what you hear. As you breathe in and out and have your eyes closed, what do you hear? You might also try this variation with some soft, soothing music, preferably without words.
- If you find the earlier variations to be easy, you might try actually sitting with your thoughts or feelings as a focus for your breathing. Notice a thought or feeling as it arises, let it come close, then consciously let it go — like a passing cloud in the sky. For instance, you might be worried about how to pay rent this month. Let that worry arise. Hold it in your mind for a moment (Don’t try to solve it!). Feel the tension and worry that it causes you. Try to identify where you might feel that tension in your body. Then, let the thought “float” away like a cloud. If you find it difficult to let thoughts go in this manner and you begin to obsess about something, then simply go back to being attentive to your breathing.
- Here’s the hardest variation (in my opinion): Just sit. Don’t be attentive to thoughts, feelings, sensory information, or even breathing. Simply be. This state of sitting meditation is called choiceless awareness. Don’t start with this one, and don’t be discouraged if this variation proves quite difficult. Honestly, when I typically try this variation, it often becomes choiceless unconsciousness, now with snoring, so don’t be too hard on yourself.
Resources
Hanh, Thich Nhat, The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation (Boston: Beacon Press, 1987).
Kabat-Zinn, Jon, Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness (New York: Bantam Books, 2013).
Kabat-Zinn, Jon, Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life (New York: Hyperion Books, 1994).
Siegel, Ronald D., The Science of Mindfulness: A Research-Based Path to Well-Being, The Great Courses (Chantilly VA: The Teaching Company, 2014). DVD.
Smalley, Susan L. and Diana Winston, Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness (Cambridge MA: Da Capo Lifelong, 2010).