Mindfulness¶

Mindfulness is basically a simplification of life that temporarily discards, yet does not permanently dismiss, all ideas of past or future. It is an act of taking control over the mental state and choosing what things or details to pay attention to instead of allowing thought after thought to pile up in a huge mess of emotions, thus allowing life to pass by.

Your inner growth is completely dependent upon the realization that the only way to find peace and contentment is to stop thinking about yourself.

Awareness is merely a factor that aids in attaining mindfulness, but its presence does not directly correspond to an act of mindfulness.

Instead of taking quick breakfast listening radio or reading, living in autopilot mode, mindfulness requires the effort of allocating the entire consciousness to the current moment. The main difference lies in the key factor: purposefulness. So taking time to eat, deliberately paying attention to what his five senses perceive and to the corresponding responses of his body.

Mindfulness in the World Today¶

The past was a fleeting moment, the future is imaginary and merely an anticipated thought, and the present is the trust, most important instant lived. Sad to say, numerous people who exist in the present are not living in it. They are more preoccupied with thoughts of the past or plans of the future, which causes a lot of anxiety and detachment from the present time.

There is no shortcut or easy way of living in the present. It takes time, effort, and practice to get the hang of it. The key word here is “participation”. It should be kept in mind when performing tasks or even when idling about. Do not attempt to fix or change anything that may be considered unacceptable; just completely surrender to the moment as it happens.

Benefits¶

There are four recurring components that are present in most mindfulness scientific analysis:

Body awareness, refers to shifting the entire focus on a certain bodily sensation or activity.
Attention regulation, is the act of concentrating on a certain object or sensation and returning to the initial focus when distracted.
Regulation of emotion: attention is apportioned to the act of accepting a particular stimulus in a more optimistic manner (a technique called reappraisal). Mindfulness meditation is capable of lessening the reactivity of emotions and in regulating downbeat, pessimistic thoughts.
Change of self-perception. Be positive on the actions we are doing.

It usually takes about twenty minutes for the mind to get in the “zone” and settle down. Professor emeritus Kabat-Zinn proposed a minimum of 45 minutes of engagement in mindfulness meditation each day, at least 6 times a week.

The Art of Meditation¶

The practice of being mindful can be performed with three different methods: formal and informal meditation (the basic platforms in achieving mindfulness) and non-meditational maneuvers.

The basics¶

Take things into perspective: drift away from past or future thoughts during meditation as they are what preoccupy the mind most of the time and can deter the entire therapeutic process.
Be Emotionally Unreactive: act of being nonjudgmental. Practice being passive with each observation. When this happens during meditation, just notice these ephemeral thoughts, acknowledge them, and then let them go without shifting the emotional state to match the thoughts.
Consider the Right Approach: It is vital for one to maintain an accepting attitude. When practicing mindfulness, keep in mind that there is no such thing as a “right” or “wrong” way of thinking. Do not distress if something unwanted happens or when something that was expected did not come about. Just allow whatever arises to happen and accept the current reality. The informal approach to mindfulness involves living life in slow motion and performing a single task at a time. Doing so will allow one to pay full attention to the activity at hand and involve all the senses.

Select a scenario¶

It may be more systematic to pick a time of day (be it morning, noon or evening) and a certain activity (such as the trip to work) that is both safe and conducive for narrowing concentration whilst amplifying the focus on the world around.

Incorporating Mindfulness to Everyday Activities¶

Once the scenario has been established, delve deeper into the mind. Notice the traffic of thoughts that flows through and observe each one. Where do they go? What are they about? Is the mental state calm or is it about to reach a disorganized frenzy? Examine without attempting to alter these thoughts or contest their validity or righteousness. Perceive them as mere mental events that come and go, instead of seeing them as challenges that need to be won or mistakes that have to be corrected. Do not be self-critical and come into terms with the self. Taking a passive approach takes practice and a lot of patience.

This is an ongoing process. When the mind begins to wander once more, simply redirect the flow towards the present. Acceptance makes the mind more at ease.

A More Formal Approach¶

The formal approach makes use of various meditation techniques. All efforts, though varied in means, are directed towards a single goal and that is to reach a state of relaxation while maintaining focus and sharpness of the mind and without having to analyze or judge what is perceived. This is an act of shifting from a scattered focus to a more concentrated yet broader one.

Basic Meditation¶

Look for a peaceful, quiet area to sit, either on a comfortable chair with proper posture or on the ground with legs crossed. Keep the eyes shut and concentrate on a single act such as deep, steady breathing or repeating a single word or a mantra silently.

Sensory Perception¶

Utilize the five senses and engage in a moment-to-moment experience. Stay with that thought. Begin by practicing deep breathing. Notice each tingle, each tic, and each sensation that streams through upon breathing in and out. Continue with the activity without losing connection with the senses. Stay aware of each movement and proceed with full deliberation, savoring every moment. When thoughts begin to stray, refocus on breathing before continuing with the task at hand.

Bodily Sensations¶

Stop and detect bodily sensations. Some occur one at a time, whereas others may happen simultaneously. Is there an itch? Does any part tickle? Is there a tingling sensation? Just observe and think nothing more.

Emotions¶

Pay heed to recurring emotions. Allow them to naturally occur and acknowledge each one. Try to verbally name each emotion as they transpire such as “happiness,” “anxiety” or “insecurity.”

Urge Surfing¶

This involves a closer view of the self and can be done throughout the day. Continue with daily activities and observe if sudden urges occur. Take note of the timing and the intensity of the urge as well as its trigger. Notice the way the body reacts as the crave emerges. However, do not feed these urges, especially the harmful ones. Practice self control and replace this thought with another.

Example applies to chores: With mindfulness, you examine first the array of plates and utensils laid out before you. Carefully, pick up one plate, realizing how heavy it is in your non dominant hand. The coldness of the water passes through your fingertips as you hold the dish under the tap to wash off the leftover sauce. You notice the slightly irritating squeak made by wiping the plates dry and, in that very instant, realized that you had injected a hint of evaluation. You immediately corrects yourself and brings the mind back to a state of nonjudgmental mindfulness.

Zen¶

Do things one step at a time. One of the best guiding principles of Zen lifestyle is preventing multitasking. In the world of high technology, people are becoming more excited to do more than they can manage at a time. There’s a Zen proverb that goes, “When walking, walk. When eating, eat."
Whatever you’re doing, do it slowly and deliberately. The other common problem that people are facing today is rushing through things from time to time. It’s simply because they want to accomplish more things at a time, but the truth is if you take time in doing a certain thing, you’ll get better results. This is because when you’re not in a rush, you’ll be able to focus on the task at hand and see clearly what needs to be done.
Do less. Zen monks are not lazy, but they don’t also have a list of hundreds of tasks to do in a day. So that gives them more time to concentrate on whatever they chose to do.
Allow breaks between your tasks. In this principle, you will be able to learn how to manage your schedule. Don’t imprison yourself in a tight schedule. Take a break after and before doing each task. This way, you’ll have time to relax your mind and prepare yourself for another task at hand.
Finish your work. Don’t proceed to another task when you are not yet finished with the one at hand. When you did your work completely, you’ll be able to be more focused on your next task.
Develop rituals. Ritual is a way of giving importance to your work or to anything that you are doing, including eating and running. Create a ritual for food preparation, for eating, for going to exercise, and for everything that you do daily.
Assign a specific time for each task that you want to accomplish for the day. You should set a particular time for eating, for taking a shower, for dressing up, and more. You can do this for your daily routines and your work activities.
Spend some time in sitting. One of the most important things for Zen monks is their time for meditation, which is mostly done by sitting in a quiet place. The act of meditation is a practice to be present. You can do this in any way you like, as long as you achieve inner peace and calmness.
Practice smiling and serving others. Zen monks spend their lives in serving other people, from both inside and outside the monastery. Serving others will teach you how to be humble and it will help you realize that you are not just a selfish creature. You can start serving within your family circle and friends. Also, smiling can improve the lives of those who are around you.
Make cooking and cleaning a part of your meditation. Cleaning and cooking can sometimes become boring chores because they seem like just a part of your daily routine. But when you turn them into a part of your meditation session, you’ll become more mindful in doing it
Focus on what’s necessary. You are not required to live exactly like a Zen monk, who is contented with basic clothing, shelter, and tools. But somehow, you must learn how to live only with what’s really important for you. Living with all the unnecessary things can only clutter your life and lead you to careless lifestyle.
Live in a simple way. If you are living only with the necessities, then you could achieve a simple lifestyle. Essential things may differ in every individual. There is no particular law regarding to what should be important for all of us. It’s up to you to think about these things and learn to keep them and let go of those that are not important.

Six Principles to help being Zen¶

Don’t compare yourself with others. you will end up suffering. You will always find someone who is better than you in many ways. stop comparing and you’ll become more respectful and appreciative of others.
Stop judging other people. This is opposite of comparing, because in judging, you are deemed to see the worst in others. You feel like you are better than most and you are likely to refuse any kind of help and lesson from other people who are concerned with your welfare.
Stop worrying for the things that are not yet happening. Worry is a product of fear and the need to control situations. When you are constantly worried about things, you are not only suffering by yourself but you are also creating heavy burden in other people who are surrounding you.
Stop blaming others. Blaming is one way of protecting yourself from being judged. It is also easier to blame rather than accept responsibility for the mistakes you’ve committed. When you blame others, you cannot look deeper into the situation to find a solution to the problem. So instead of putting the blame on others, try to be reasonable and see what went wrong and be responsible enough to resolve the problem.
Don’t compete with others. Competition is fun when you’re just playing for the game and not for the results. But when you begin to be concerned about the results, you will begin to increase your ego and do everything to prevent others from getting ahead of you. Just be competitive in a way of improving yourself, not in being indifferent to others.
Learn to laugh. The easiest way of living is not to take things too seriously. There are certain things in our lives that require focus, diligence, and attention but those should not stop you from having fun. Additionally, when you are enjoying what you do, you will hardly feel bad about your life.