Mindfulness of Breath, Body, Sounds, Thoughts, Feelings and Choiceless Awareness Review
Recall from last week that mindfulness meditation isn't about having a particular type
of experience:
- Sometimes your mind may be relatively quiet and it seems easier to stay focused and mindful, and watch and observe your experiences without getting caught up in or pulled by them; other times you might be very restless or distracted and your mind is all over the place jumping from one thing to the next, or you get lost in thought or emotion
- Sometimes your body sensations, or your thoughts, or your feelings may be particularly prominent; other times you may be much more aware of a different aspect of your experience
- Sometimes 20 or 30 minutes may pass quickly; other times five minutes can seem to last forever
it's important to remember that mindfulness meditation isn't about having a particular type of experience:
- You're not trying to keep your mind completely blank
- You're not trying to maintain an unwavering concentration on a single object
- You're not striving for anything:
- there's no good or bad
- right or wrong
- success or failure
- All of your experiences are equally valid
Mindfulness meditation is simply about noticing whatever your experience is from moment to moment, and accepting that
experience non-judgmentally.
Regardless of for how long you've been meditating:
- There will always be
times when you're relatively distracted and it seems like you mind is constantly wandering
- There will always be times when your mind is agitated and won't settle down and your thoughts keep racing
- There will always be times when you get impatient or frustrated or annoyed
and judgmental with yourself
And when this happens, simply be mindful of your experience:
- Acknowledge that you're distracted, or agitated, or frustrated
- Bring your awareness to what it
feel likes to be distracted, or agitated, or frustrated
- Notice how you're reacting to being distracted, or agitated, or frustrated
- Assume a stance of gently investigative attention and curiosity to whatever your experience is: to your thoughts, feelings and body sensations
Most importantly, bring a kindness towards yourself and your experience. Treat yourself and your experience non-judgmentally and with acceptance.