“Meditation means awareness, alertness, watchfulness, witnessing. Witness your actions, witness your thoughts, witness your feelings.” – OSHO
“Mindfulness”, more than just a buzzword, it has really become something of a movement within our present society. However, Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist Meditation; and therefore, while it seems to be something relatively new to those of us here in the US, it really has a long history which dates back over 2500 years, directly to the Buddha. 
But, what is Mindfulness?
The famous Zen Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hahn, says:
“I like to define ‘Mindfulness’ as the energy which helps us to be there 100%.”
And Jon Kabat-Zinn, professor of Medicine & creator of The Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and the man who probably most helped to promote mindfulness here in the US, through his Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course (MBSR), defines it as: “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present, and non-judgmentally.”
Therefore, at its most basic level, like all meditation, Mindfulness is a “mind-training tool”. We are using it to essentially train our minds to be more attentive, aware, & non-judgmental of the emotions, thoughts, & sensations which are arising in the present moment.
Ultimately, mindfulness rests upon 3 pillars:
- Concentration
- Awareness
- Non-judgment/Non-identification
The first thing we do when beginning a mindfulness practice is start to cultivate mental concentration & focus by bringing our attention or awareness to the breath. We are going to allow our breathing to be relaxed & natural, and try to stay aware (be mindful) of the breath.
Mindfulness is not zoning or spacing out. To be “mindful” of something, means to be totally present to it. Therefore, mindfulness is sitting with awareness, attention, & alertness. Relaxing is fine, and definitely a by-product of mindfulness, but we want to stay alert because we are working towards a practice in which we are going to carefully observe our present moment experience.
So, just allow the breath to go in & out naturally. Don’t force the breath, and don’t think you need to make it longer or shorter. If your breathes are short – fine; if they are deep – that is fine too. If they are fast – that is fine; if they are slow – that’s fine. Let your breathing be however it is, and just observe; keeping your attention on the breath.
It is sometimes helpful for a beginner to try to feel that tactile sensations of the breath as it goes in & out of the nostrils or by the rise & fall of the abdomen. Another technique, which others find helpful, is – counting the breaths.
For example: You can count every breath – inhalation “1”; exhalation “2”; inhalation “3”; exhalation “4”; etc… up to “10”; and then return & start again from “1”.
or
You can count each entire breath cycle – inhalation & exhalation “1”; next inhalation & exhalation “2”; etc… up to “10”; and then return & start again from “1”.
During this step the only promise you make with yourself is that whenever the mind wanders you bring your awareness back to the breath (and if you’re counting you start again from “1”).
Please understand that it is natural for the mind to wander; so be gentle with yourself. If during your meditation you find yourself off in thought 100 times – that’s ok – just bring yourself back to the breath. Starting over is NOT failure. For, so long your mind has had free-reign to go where every it wants. The Buddhist’s call it our “Monkey Mind”. And so, it’s going to take some time to retrain the mind to concentrate.
Now, if we go to a meditation retreat we will work on this first step of being mindful of the breath for a few days in order to generate & build up our concentration and focus. But, the point is to refine our attention so that we can progress to the next step which is really the main practice of mindfulness — and that is witnessing fully & directly whatever life brings to us.
Therefore, the 2nd step of mindfulness is to move our focus from the breath to whatever it is that arises in the present moment – thoughts, feelings, smells, sounds, pains, etc.. – without clinging to what’s pleasant, pushing away what’s painful, or adding onto anything. All we are going to do is JUST OBSERVE – BE MINDFUL OF WHATEVER ARISES WITHOUT JUDGING.
What this mindful observation does is awaken us to the truth that EVERYTHING IS IMPERMANENT. All is change. Thoughts come & go, feelings & sensations arise & pass away, etc… This realization helps us to view & live life from a more balanced perspective.
The other thing mindfulness does is helps us to see what we are adding onto our experiences. Our habitual reactions have been a thought arises, or a feeling arises, and we add onto it. For example: as we are meditating the thought arises “that we are hungry” next thing you know we start adding on “Oh, I feel like pizza.”; then ‘no, I feel like sushi”; then we add “I think I’ll go to the restaurant down the street.” OR we are meditating and we hear a siren and so we start thinking or adding on to the sound “Oh, was that a firetruck or police car?”; “sounded like a firetruck”; “Oh, it was heading north.”; “I wonder if it is that old house on whatever street?” — and before you now it we have added a whole story to the experience & are off wherever the mind takes us.
What we learn from this is that: the mind has really been the master of us, and what we need is to become the master of it.
We also realize that as thoughts, feelings, sensation arise, what we have habitually done, is try to hold on to all our pleasurable experiences & push away every unpleasant one. And ultimately, this has only caused us more unhappiness & suffering.
For, again – ALL IS CHANGE – EVERYTHING IMPERMANENT. We cannot hold onto pleasure forever & neither can we hold off all the unpleasant things in life.
Now if we learn how to be mindful of our experiences, without judging them, we will actually enjoy the pleasurable moment more fully; because rather than trying to hold on to them, & diluting the experience by thinking “This feels good. How can I keep this feeling from leaving?”, we can just be with the moment & experience it more deeply. In the same manner, by understanding that everything is impermanent, we know that the unpleasant times will come & go too. Therefore we won’t be so overwhelmed by them when they do come along.
An acronym often taught for the observation step of mindfulness is: R.A.I.N.
- RECOGNIZE: Be mindful of what you are experiencing.
- ACCEPT: Be open to whatever arises. If you are experiencing boredom, anger, pain, a smell, a sound, etc… whatever it may be us it as the point of mindfulness.
- INVESTIGATE: Instead of running away or trying to cling to what’s happening – just observe it with unbiased interest. Ask yourself “What is this feeling that has arisen?” – If it’s anger – then ask, “Why am I feeling angry?”; “What is anger?”; investigate to see if it’s manifesting itself in any part of your body – maybe when you get angry you realize that your jaws clench, or a part of your body gets tense.
- NON-IDENTIFICATION: You are not the thoughts, feelings, sensations, etc… that arise within you. There is a witness/observer behind these things; and that is who & what we truly are. Thoughts arise & pass away; feelings arise & pass away; etc… These things are not you so you don’t have to identify with them. There’s an aspect of the mind that is watching and mindfulness meditation gets us in touch with that witness.
So, remember that mindfulness meditation is not about fighting or suppressing thoughts or anything else which may arise. Mindfulness is about being attentive, aware, and fully present to whatever may happen in the moment. It’s allowing whatever it is to be; and just witnessing/observing it without judgment & criticism.
Therefore, like all meditation, mindfulness is a way to discover our true self. It’s a way to ‘Know Thyself’ and become friends with our self. So, we shouldn’t be afraid of this inner journey. In fact, it’s the greatest journey we can take. It does take some effort & dedication, but a consistent daily practice will help us to develop inner calmness & non-reactivity of mind. And this will ultimately help make us happier & more compassionate human beings.
Good luck on your journey. And may your days always be filled with love, happiness, & peace,
~ Anthony
