Mindfulness and Meditation

Here’s how they work and why they are so beneficial

Let’s start with meditation.

Meditation is a way of altering our state of mind and mood so we can become more tranquil and centered in the core strengths of our inner life. By exercising our attention and attitude with easy steps, a more tranquil and detached state of awareness can be achieved for both the body and mind.

One of the first phases of mediation is to gently redirect our thoughts to become more aware of the peaceful quietness that already exists within us. The initial use of meditation is ideal for those who seek a haven of peacefulness to rest and recover from the tensions in our outer life. This inner meditative state is also a place for healing mental and emotional disturbances as we release anxieties, disappointments, and irritations into this peaceful state.

Resting our attention in these inner states of awareness as a regular exercise is an effective way to help us cope with the stress of our daily activities and build greater confidence.

Benefits of a regular meditation practice

  • Stay Calm: Be more effective in pressure situations like exams & sports.
  • Creative Thinking: More original and innovative thinking and problem solving.
  • Excellent Memory: Retain new information and recall stored information better.

Mindfulness: an essential aspect of effective meditation

Mindfulness is a state of awareness that allows us to make sense of what is happening to us. Many people find that life seems to come at them so fast that they only have time for replaying their habitual response to these events. Mindfulness is a practice of becoming detached from our usual state of mind and mood so we can review our choices of response.

In our ordinary waking state, our automatic habits and reactions tend to dominate. While this frame of mind is essential most of the time, we also need to review what we are doing and whether some improvements would be useful. This self-examination requires us to step outside our usual involvement in the world of sensations and action to become the thoughtful observer of our life.

Mindfulness is a way of using a detached perspective to evaluate our own behavior and attitudes to detect where we waste time, fail to serve our bests interests, or allow petty feelings to escape our control and undermine our mature intentions and abilities.

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Mindfulness in Active Meditation

Mindfulness is used in all of the exercises and meditations in Active Meditation. In this manner, mindfulness provides these benefits:

 

  1. It leads to a more expanded frame of mind that is detached from our usual attitudes, beliefs, and mindset. This allows the meditative practices to bring up new and more insightful ways to view old problems and current distress. Mindfulness can help us find a broader and more complete view of our issues and problems, helping us to discover what we may have missed in our previous analysis. This can lead to revising our previous judgments about where we assume we are limited or stuck in continual frustration.
  2. When mindfulness is combined with the active meditations, it becomes possible to mobilize the support of our Higher Self to supply the healing force of compassion, hopes, and courage. These qualities can add substance to the new perspectives and healing possibilities we have perceived.
  3. Mindfulness in Active Meditation can assist us in recognizing and removing our blind spots where we assume we are helpless to do more to cope with ongoing distress. The more expanded view of ourselves that occurs in mindfulness permits us to see how we can sabotage our well-being by unwarranted pessimisms or fears.
  4. Mindfulness in Active Meditation allows us to recognize and correct the many limiting beliefs we formed when we were naïve and inexperienced. These are beliefs such as being inadequate and unworthy. These assumed weakness are often accepted as permanent even after we have grown well beyond the time when they seem valid.

 

The extraordinary benefits of mindfulness are incorporated into every Active Meditation exercise. Mindfulness is used to expand our perspective and detach from our current mindset and beliefs. This opens us to experiencing a more comprehensive and insightful view of our current situation. When this is combined with the Active Meditation exercises it becomes possible to add the support and influence of our Higher Self.

Here is a great video that explains some of the excellent benefits of mindfulness meditation:

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Further Reading

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