What is Mindfulness Meditation?

Most of us are not clear about the meaning of Mindfulness meditation. We have a single picture of meditation in our minds- of someone sitting in a lotus position with their eyes closed and hands on their knees in some mudra, fully concentrating on their inner self.

This is one kind of meditation but it’s not the only way you can do it. Meditation can be mindfulness.

The practice of being mindful at all times, at all places and in all circumstances. It is being in the present moment. Keep scrolling to know how I practice mindfulness.

How To Practice Mindfulness/Meditation?

There are two ways in which I practice:

• Observing Your Breath:

No matter where you are, what time it is or if you’re sitting, standing or lying down, you can be mindful of your breath. Because our mind is monkey-like, thoughts will come and go. One important thing to keep in mind is not to be hard on ourselves.

Watch all those thoughts as if you’re the audience to this movie of your thoughts. Let them come and go in front of you. Remember to gently bring back your observation on your breath. Even if you do this for a few seconds every now and then, it’s going to help you. You can replace “breath” with any other tool, such as a candle, a mantra, or an object. But with your breath, you can practice meditation anywhere and anytime.

• Immerse Yourself Fully In What You Are Doing At A Particular Time.

For example, if you’re watering the plants, completely take in the sensations that surround you - the temperature of the water, it’s sound, the smell of flowers, damp soil, insects and birds flying around, the color and the feeling of different leaves, notice how the water droplets disperse the sunlight on the leaves, fill your mind and body with the joy of nature.

If your thoughts wander, gently bring them back and try not to miss the joy of the present moment. Replace this activity with any other mundane one such as cooking/ironing/cleaning and you can do the same with it.

Try practicing deep breathing before starting. It helps in activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System, centering the mind and achieve a more stable state. Since meditation and mindfulness are not really different, please read this article as a basic guide.

For further reading on this topic, go here.

To practice the Pain-body healing meditation by me, go here.