I already wrote a bit about Mindfulness on some previous blogs, and over the next few weeks I will go a bit deeper. Firstly, I do believe that we all can and should be more aware in our day to day life to get out of the ‘stress treadmill’ we often find ourselves in. Secondly, I started a Mindfulness Course and would love to share my main “take-aways” with you. Quick and easy food for thought that can be used by everybody.
So for today, let’s have a quick look into thoughts and what they mean for a mindfulness meditation.
Would you agree that most of us tend to think that meditation often means to not have any thoughts at all, to have a stillness in our mind?! But that is not how our mind works, it is trained to think! So if you go into mindfulness meditation
the goal is not to be relaxed, thought-free but
to be fully aware of what is happening in that precise moment!
As per Jon Kabat-Zinn (*) mindfulness is
- Paying attention
- On Purpose
- In the present moment
- Non judgemental
That counts for our thoughts, emotions and body sensations. After all they are all linked, connected and influence one another! The good and the bad, the happy and the sad ones.
What we should avoid during meditation is to follow through on any thoughts, we should acknowledge them for what they are and then let them go. Think of thoughts like a soap bubble. See the bubble coming, acknowledge it and then pop it. And when a bubble floats back into the mind again acknowledge it and then pop it and so on.
Those “thought bubbles” will always come but by time and on certain days the stillness in between them may get longer. And this stillness, this awareness is what brings us really back to the present moment.
Have a nice day and
Hopefully nice thoughts
AK
(*) Jon Kabat-Zinn is internationally known for his work as a scientist, writer, and meditation teacher engaged in bringing mindfulness into the mainstream of medicine and society. Founder of MBSR ( mindfulness-based stress reduction).