Mindfulness meditation is a form of meditating in which distracting thoughts and feelings are not ignored but acknowledged and observed without passing judgment. The purpose is to detach from them and gain insight and awareness. This meditation method has been practiced for approximately 2500 years. With this background, you will find out more about what mindfulness meditation is, how to start a mindfulness practice and how it is good for stress reduction. This will help you decide whether it is worth doing at all.
What is Mindfulness Meditation?
Mindfulness meditation plays a central role in the teaching of Buddhist meditation where it is affirmed that “correct” or “right” mindfulness is the critical factor in the path to liberation. It differs from concentration in one important way. Where concentration involves the practitioner focusing their attention on a single object, in mindfulness meditation practice every aspect of experience is welcomed and appreciated.
People practice this kind of meditation to get back in touch with the present moment as well as to reduce the extent with which they feel controlled by unpleasant thoughts and negative memories. This is why you need to start a mindfulness practice.
How Do You Start a Mindfulness Practice?
Before starting a mindfulness practice, you need to know the kinds of mindfulness practices you can do before selecting the type you can start with. There are many kinds of mindfulness practices available. The following ones are just a few. They include mindfulness awareness of your breathing; being mindful of sounds; eating mindfully; sitting meditation; beginner’s mind and mindfulness of thoughts. Each of these is done by following a set pattern. For example, when practicing mindfulness awareness of your breathing you should follow the following steps.
- Sit comfortably and relaxed while ensuring that you maintain a straight posture.
- Close your eyes.
- Focus your attention on your breathing as you take in and release air.
- Now bring your attention to your belly as it rises up and down while you are breathing.
- Continue to focus your attention on the full experience of breathing.
- Anytime you notice your mind wandering away from your breathe, simply bring it back without accusing yourself.
- Continue as long as you would like!
Now that you know how to start a mindfulness practice; let’s see how this spiritual practice helps in reducing stress.
Is This Spiritual Practice Good for Stress Reduction
The average human being is always thinking of many things all the time. This can bring considerable stress to the body. This is why mindfulness is an amazing tool for stress management and overall wellness because it can be used at virtually any time and can quickly bring lasting results.
When you bring your thoughts back whenever they wanders away, you are allowing your mind to free itself. As you continue doing this over time, you might find your mind quieting, and the thoughts becoming less stressful. This is why health practitioners are seriously recommending mindfulness meditation as a way of reducing stress.
Mindfulness meditation has helped people to achieve concentration and focus very quickly. You have seen what mindfulness meditation is, how you can start a mindfulness practice and how it can help in reducing stress. Whenever you feel your mind thinking of unnecessary things that may disturb your mind you can try to use this type of meditation to easily calm yourself.