As a Beginner, we always struggle to find answers to some questions, when planned to begin Meditation. And these questions are unimportant and are basics of Meditation. What is Mindfulness Meditation? How to start #Begin Mindfulness Meditation?
Today, with a small story of one of my students, I would like to share with you how you can become a Mindful teacher from a Meditation practitioner.If you wish to begin your Mindfulness practice, you must read carefully to understand.
A student from Canada come up with these questions and sharing that how has he planned to start Meditation.
“O teacher — I have arranged some stuff to begin my practice. I bought some meditation books, a meditation mat, meditation music, meditation pants, meditation nest, meditation beads, meditation chair, meditation cushion and meditation pillow. Not only I bought these stuff, I also watched some meditation videos, heard some meditation music for relaxing mind and body, meditation for stress & anxiety control music, downloaded a meditation app and after all my arrangement I came to you to ask: how to begin my mindfulness training?
Do you really think that there are different types of Meditation? Is there any meditation for Depression? Meditation on Sleep? Meditation techniques for students, women, seniors and old age people? Is mindfulness really beneficial? If YES, How? I am very confused and Mindful!”
I was really impressed with his passion, excitement and arrangement, but little thought that, once he will come to know that artificial kind of stuff and meditative tools are helpful but cannot make profound effects if he doesn’t accept that Mindfulness is everywhere these days, but it’s often poorly defined. To me its central and defining characteristic is self-observation. When we’re unmindful, there’s no self-observation going on. The lights are on, but nobody’s home.
Thoughts, feelings, speech, and actions are all functioning, but there’s no inner observer, and so there’s no evaluation going on. Without evaluation, there’s no mechanism for recognizing that certain thoughts are causing us or others suffering. And so we’re really nothing more than a complex bundle of instincts and habits. Those instincts and habits can do amazing things, like drive a car (ever “woken up” to find you’ve driven somewhere and have no recollection of the journey?) or read a book (I often would find that I’d read several pages of a bedtime story to my kids and not paid attention to a single word I’d said.)
His innocence was pretty fascinating and little disturbing, so I decided to help him understand #Mindfulness. He may get hurt, be distracted and say “Oh, why I did all this?” and may lead him to 1000 of thoughts.
What is Mindfulness?
To start helping him to understand what Mindfulness is, this is what I told him…
Mindfulness is an active journey towards clearing the full space of thoughtful mind. Mindfulness is being aware, focused, an observer in present moments. Research shows that we spend on average 59% of our time in distracted thinking, and these thoughts are often detrimental to our well-being and happiness. In many cases, compulsive thoughts create out-of-control states of depression and stress.
And what is true for being kind is true for being patient, curious, courageous, accepting, appreciative, reflective, and for practicing other skillful qualities. With mindfulness, we’re free to choose to be different.
I gave him another example of suffering within happiness and made him understand it: you can start your #Mindfulness meditation practice with awareness, focus, observation and being present. It will lead you to unrealistic towards realistic and when self-observation is taking place, we notice the effects of particular thoughts, words and actions. And so we’re able to make adjustments. We might notice that a certain train of thoughts is causing us to feel anxious or depressed or angry. We might realize that the train of thoughts isn’t even true. And we might decide to let go of it.
Today, he has completed our Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training and become a certified #MeditationInstructor. So you can be the next! Learn for self and share the wellness of others. Om Mani Padme Hum! Mindfulness Meditation in 2018.
By Sarvottam Kumar
Meditation Courses at Mantra Yoga Meditation School
Become a Meditation Instructor by joining one of our Meditation Teacher Training Courses:
- 200 Hour Yoga Meditation Teacher Training – Learn more
- 100 Hour (10 Days) Meditation Certification Training – Learn more
You can also join one of our Meditation Retreats in Rishikesh:
- 15 Day Yoga Meditation Retreat – Learn more
- 7 Days Meditation for Beginners – Learn more
Free free to email us at namaskar@mantrayogameditation.org for any doubt, question or additional information you would like to have.
