This month the word mindfulness seems to be everywhere. We’re all seeing it in our own lives and in the news, but most of us have never heard it spoken of by name. When we think about mindfulness, we think about it in the context of the moment. We imagine that mindfulness requires meditating on self and other, not meditating on the past or the present.
These days, however, the word mindfulness is being used not just to describe meditation, but also to describe a whole range of activities and thoughts. These days, mindfulness is used to describe any type of thought or activity that is focused on “listening” to ourselves and to our surroundings, and that doesn’t involve thinking about past or future.
There is a subtle distinction between meditation and mindfulness. We might look at a meditation teacher and think they are meditating, but that is not quite accurate. Most meditation practitioners use the word meditation to indicate a kind of concentrated effort aimed at developing a skill or skill set. To do this, you have to sit quietly and focus on your breath, counting your inhalations and exhalations.
When you are practicing mindfulness, you are focused on what you are doing with your breath. These are the two most important things you can do with mindfulness. You should be doing something else during your day, but it is not meditation. Many people focus on meditation when they are not doing any sort of work. They go to the woods, meditate, talk to trees, etc. This is not what is called mindfulness, and it is very different from meditation.
Meditation is a state of being that is different from the awareness of the breath. While I don’t believe in a scientific definition of meditation, I believe that we can all learn and use the techniques in practice. Transcendental meditation is a practice where your focus is on the present moment and you are not afraid of the things that are going on around you. Many people use this to escape from society and the world, and it is used to enhance other practices.
A bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. If you know too much about something, you will be more likely to kill yourself. If you know too little, you are more likely to go to jail.
It’s very tempting at times to take things literally and to think you’re doing something that is transcendental, but in fact the practice of mindfulness is about focusing on the present moment, on your breathing, on your feelings, and on your surroundings. This is not a mental training program or a therapy session. It is the practice of the practice of meditation.
Well, that’s not what’s going on in Deathloop. Instead of focusing on your breathing, you’re focusing on your actions. Your movements, your facial expressions, your thoughts, and your body. You’re trying to control your thoughts, which is why you’ve been watching a video of a cat do the funniest things.
Mindfulness meditation is like meditation in that you’re focusing on your thoughts and body at the same time. In traditional Tibetan Buddhism, this is called “mindful breathing.” In the modern context, mindfulness meditation is the practice of focusing on the present moment and breathing in and out, rather than focusing on the past and the future. Mindfulness meditation can be practiced in a variety of ways, including sitting, walking, reading, or listening.
For years, the word “meditation” was synonymous with meditation. Now we have the concept of “meditation as therapy.” A recent article in the New York Times cites research that shows that mindfulness meditation can reduce stress and improve mood. And the fact that people find meditation so relaxing actually helps it become more popular than traditional forms of therapy.
