Mindfulness Meditation, Four Easy Steps

Mindfulness meditation is becoming aware of the present or being in the present

. Mindfulness meditation can also be described as being aware and not resisting our thoughts, feelings, sensations and surroundings. A person practicing mindfulness meditation should allow all external and internal things that come into your awareness to pass through without judging and also cultivate a sense of peace, love and expectancy. The idea is to cultivate a sense of expectancy and perfection in the unfoldment of the moment one is experiencing.

The joy of practicing mindfulness meditation is the ability to release our preconceived ideas of the expectations of the world and people around us. This allows our feelings to flow from us without the need to hide them from others and even ourselves. This cultivates a sense of wonder and appreciation for the simple things in life. This could be the smile from a friend the beauty of the clouds in the sky of just the peace of taking a walk. These simple things tend to be the stuff that true long term happiness is comes from. Sure a new car will create a sense of happiness and excitement, but the car will fade and we begin looking for the next thing on and on. This type of happiness which in many situations is desirable, but not lasting in the long run. Material happiness also produces a sense of always chasing the next thing, which leeds to anxiety, depression and unfulfillment. It is no wonder that drug manufactures make so much money off sleeping pills, anxiety drugs and antidepressants. We always look for the happiness and peace to come after a certain thing is accomplished or item purchased. Strange this happiness never comes and we always have that one more thing to do.

Simple techniques for the practice of mindfulness meditation are below.

Step one - Mindfulness meditation

Sit in a comfortable position with the spine straight, but not rigid. You can sit on a chair, your bed or the floor. The important thing is to sit in a upright posture that you will be able to maintain for a period of about 20 minutes. You never want to lay down as it will be to easy to fall asleep. Once you are in a comfortable position, resist the urge to move around, scratch itches and the like. This will take a little practice and become very natural in time.

Step two - Mindfulness meditation

It is not necessary and even not desirable to try and control your thoughts. You should allow the thoughts to come and go without judgment or trying to make some sort of meaning out of them. Just let them flow through your mind like the water flowing in a river. Become of your breath and the rising and lowering of your chest, any sensations you may feel. The important thing is to keep your mind in the present and not be thinking about what you need to do tomorrow or the next day.

Step three - Mindfulness meditation

Breathing is extremely important in mindfulness meditation. You should let your breath be calm and natural. Most people have fallen into a habit of breathing only with the top half (chest area) of their lungs. One should develop the a normal everyday breathing habit of first bring the air into the bottom half of the lungs. When this is done the stomach will expand with each inhalation and fall with each exhalation. After you breath in using the bottom half, next go to the top half of the lungs with the breath. As you go through your day become aware of your breath and how you are breathing. You will find that you most likely take short shallow breaths. With a deep fuller breath you can eliminate a whole host of problems, including anxiety, stress and tension.

Step four - Mindfulness meditation

This step in mindfulness meditation can be difficult for many. The idea is to practice non resistance. With this we mean that if you stub your toe for example you should let the pain pass through you and it will quickly dissipate. What most people do is give the pain complete attention and tense there body. Have you every seen a young child who has fallen and skinned his knee. So many times the child is not in pain until the mother rushes over concerned that the child is hurt. Once the child sees the mother doing this, the child suddenly feels the pain and screams bloody murder.

Non resistance in mindfulness meditation applies to both physical and psychological pain. The idea is to let the pain pass through, do not put so much importance on what you are feeling and it will vanish sooner then you could of imagined.

by: Paul Andrew Todd

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