If I haven’t said it enough times, I am SO EXCITED that you are in this course and I am thrilled that we are starting our journey together! I truly am looking forward to working with you and getting to know you over the next several weeks.
In this first lesson, we’re diving in to what mindfulness is… and what it’s NOT. And it starts with this video from me!
Video Highlights/Summary:
Mindfulness is our ability to attend to the present moment, with curiosity and without judgment. It’s a simple concept, but not necessarily easy to do! And that’s why we’ll be learning several practices that can help us train our attention and become more aware of the judgmental tendencies of our minds.
Mindfulness is not thinking of nothing, it’s being aware of our thoughts. It’s not being happy all the time, it’s being with whatever we are experiencing in the present moment. It doesn’t mean we’re so caught up in the present that we cannot plan for the future — it simply means we bring our awareness to any activity we engage in, including planning.
Mindfulness is also not (or doesn’t have to be) religious. Mindfulness has its origins in contemplative and religious traditions, but it can also be a completely secular practice. Since my background is in public education, my “style” of teaching mindfulness is very practical, down-to-earth, and not at all religious.
Finally, mindfulness is not zoning out — it’s zoning in. It’s not necessarily relaxation, either! You very likely will find that mindfulness practices leave you feeling calm and peaceful, but it’s important not to bring any expectations to our practice. Some days our practice will be amazing. Some days we will be restless and irritated. Mindfulness means we allow the practice to be what it is. It will be different each and every time!
What is Mindful Awareness?
Mindfulness teacher Shinzen Young describes mindfulness as three attentional skills working together:
These are the skills we will work on cultivating throughout the course! Parenting — and life in general! — is truly a lot easier when we can focus our attention where we want it, when we know what we’re thinking and feeling when we’re thinking and feeling it, and when we can meet our experiences without judging, clinging, or pushing.
Mindfulness? Meditation? What’s the difference??
We will be using both of these terms in this course, so let’s get clear right from the start on what they mean!
We can think of mindfulness very broadly. It is both a practice (such as formal seated sessions where we observe the breath), and a way of being (such as bringing your full attention to playing with your kids or pausing to observe your reaction to an event with openness and curiosity).
Mindfulness meditation is a very specific form of meditation. Meditation can mean lots of things, and it can be practiced for a variety of purposes (for calming down, for engaging in prayer, or for attaining nirvana and liberation). Mindfulness meditation is typically performed as seated meditation, though you could also be lying down, standing, or walking. (Byron Katie says that there are really only four basic postures —sitting, standing, lying down, and walking. The rest is story.) In mindfulness meditation, we train our attention to focus either on a single object (what we call an anchor, which you’ll learn more about in the other lessons this week), such as the breath or the body, or we focus on whatever happens to come into our awareness.
I will use the word “mindfulness” broadly, to refer to both the formal practices as well as the manner in which we live every moment of our day. When I use the word “meditation,” I will be referring specifically to seated practice.
You will find a lot of resources that provide suggestions for how we can bring mindful awareness to activities throughout the day — washing dishes, folding laundry, or driving to work. These are wonderful practices!
I strongly believe, however, that in addition to those mindful moments, we should have a formal seated practice. It’s in moments of intentional stillness and silence that we can truly begin to observe the habits of our mind. It’s in formal practice that we develop insight into the fleeting nature of our thoughts and emotions (observing what is often called “the monkey mind.”) In fact, this form of mindfulness practice is referred to as vipassana, or “insight” meditation. “Insight” doesn’t mean nirvana or an epiphany — it’s simply insight into the workings of the mind.
I hope this explanation makes sense — if you have any thoughts or questions, please share them below!
As I said in the video, I will encourage you to try to find just five minutes a day for a seated practice. In the other lessons for this week, you will find specific instructions for meditation, as well as a guided meditation from me.
Questions, comments, insights? Please comment below!
Thank you for such a clear explanation of mindfulness Sarah.
And for emphasising that it’s important not to put ourselves under pressure to do these practices. I like the “I got to do it” idea…I will certainly use that!
I have to admit that watching the video while folding the washing was probably not the best way to start my mindful practice – it’s so hard not to multitask when there’s so much to do!
LOL. With multitasking, it’s mainly when we try to do two cognitive tasks at once that we struggle. Folding laundry, washing dishes, etc. can be lovely practices to be fully present with, but they are also ones that don’t require a lot of cognitive load…. so folding laundry while listening to a mindfulness video is, I think, perfectly acceptable! 😉
Thanks Sarah for allowing me to not be too hard on myself!
I am just now getting to read and watch the video!! Loved it. 🙂