Mindfulness meditation, also known as insight meditation is a practice which starts by developing an ability to focus on the breath and the sensations associated with breathing. It soon becomes noticeable that maintaining a steady awareness on the breath for any length of time is difficult to do. Often our attention will wander away from the breath and move to various thoughts, emotions or body sensations. So part of mindfulness practice is to simply cultivate patience and generosity towards this tendency of the mind.
With practice, the mind settles and develops a balanced awareness which allows us to notice the transitory nature of thoughts and emotions. We can investigate with friendly curiosity whatever is encountered during practice whether it is body sensations, thoughts or emotions with a sense of equanimity. This increases calmness through steady concentration, and insight, through reflection. We become less driven by our reactions to the contents of the various modes of mind, less caught up. By developing this ability for self-observation we improve our chances of responding to experience less impulsively and more effectively.
It’s not easy to notice what is going on in the mind because it brings us into direct contact with our anxieties, our judgments, and our vulnerabilities. We come to see the often automatic nature of thinking which can take us into worrying about the future or reliving the past. But as we adopt this hospitable and compassionate present moment directed noticing we come to see what approaches are helpful and which cause problems. This does not imply passive resignation, but on the contrary the skill to act wisely and effectively when required.
Grounded more and more in mindfulness the mind is free to respond skillfully to any given situation. When we can rest calmly with our vast array of feelings and thoughts, we are able to live fully and openly, caring for ourselves, for others and the world in which we live.
There are many retreat centers worldwide that provide places for those interested in sustaining a mindfulness practice.
For further information visit: www.dharma.org and www.spiritrock.org
For programs using mindfulness-based approaches visit www.umassmed.edu/cfm and www.mbct.com
For an informative and general overview of Mindfulness, please visit www.Mindfulnet.org