What benefits does meditation give us in life? What is it for? A very powerful mindfulness meditation technique.

There is no mysticism in the book; in an accessible and entertaining form, the author sets out the simplest and most effective techniques for a daily set of exercises.

Description

Meditation according to Andy Puddicombe's system is, first of all, a tool for improving the quality of life. It not only reduces stress levels, helps get rid of anxiety, irritability, insomnia, but also helps you realize that life is wonderful. In addition, the state of mindfulness that meditation teaches often allows one to find solutions to life's most difficult challenges and problems. There is no mysticism here; in an accessible and entertaining form, the author sets out the simplest and most effective techniques for a daily set of exercises. They don't require any special knowledge or preliminary preparation, step by step instructions provide an opportunity to master meditation techniques on your own. And most importantly, in order to take advantage of the undoubted advantages of this technique, just ten minutes a day is enough.

There is no mysticism in the book; in an accessible and entertaining form, the author sets out the simplest and most effective techniques for a daily set of exercises. They do not require any special knowledge or prior training; step-by-step instructions make it possible to master the meditation technique on your own. And most importantly, in order to take advantage of the undoubted advantages of this technique, just ten minutes a day is enough.

About the author

Andy Puddicombe is a certified clinical meditation consultant and former Buddhist monk. He studied meditation around the world and returned to the UK in 2004 to found Headspace. His goal was clear and simple—to demystify meditation and make it acceptable and accessible to ordinary people.

Today we’ll talk about what mindfulness meditation is. Or, in other words, meditation of the witnessing consciousness, the observer.

What is this, scary and incomprehensible?

To begin with, I will say in a nutshell that Indian philosophical schools divided into orthodox and unorthodox.

Orthodox schools adhere to the philosophy of the Vedas. I think many people know about the “Vedas” or at least have heard something.

Unorthodox schools do not take as a basis "Veda". Such schools include, for example, Buddhism, which is based on Bhagavad Gita.

This article will talk about the practice of meditation of the orthodox school of Indian philosophy, namely - Vedanta. In Vedanta there are many intertwinings with Buddhism.

So, Vedanta is a path of self-knowledge, the goal of which is to disidentify from mental attachments and concepts that limit our awareness.

In simple words: the mind is not you.

We are used to thinking that the mind and I are one and the same, one whole and indivisible, but this is not true. In this understanding of the mind, this Indian philosophy is similar to Buddhism and also, to a high degree, to scientific knowledge.

Our brain is a rather complex structure with a huge variety of neural networks and connections, with billions of cells interacting with each other and knowing how to act, where to send a signal to which area of ​​the brain.

Here the question arises, and who controls these processes?, who is the conductor of this symphony orchestra? Science also asks such questions, but the answer to them has not yet been found. There's no such place in our brain or somewhere else, from where the control of all processes would be recorded.

The question remains open.

The school of Buddhism and Vedanta answer these questions in their own way, but their essence is that we and the mind are not the same thing. We can say that awareness of this solves many life problems, destroys restrictions and attachments. Well, think for yourself, when you understand that your problems, in general, are not yours, your experiences are also not yours, so why worry at all?

Mindfulness meditation allows us develop the observer state, the witness, helps us to weaken our identification with individual consciousness.

By practicing meditation according to the philosophy of Vedanta, we learn to observe impartially and calmly, to be aware of all thoughts and events, and not to evaluate them as bad or good, pleasant or unpleasant, causing suffering or joy. You simply calmly observe the activity of the mind, without reacting in any way to the thoughts that arise.

That is, you will learn to perceive the mind, or the place where our thoughts come from and where they go, as something that is not you, as an object that can simply be observed. You are not trying to change anything or evaluate anything, you become just a bystander.

There are a lot of meditation practices and they can all be used in different ways and in various places. With a deep understanding of the essence of meditation and high level mastering meditative techniques, you can meditate while walking, while talking, eating, and so on.

Mindfulness meditation is the development of a state of constant awareness that you are not your thoughts and your mind.

Your “I”, to which you are accustomed, seems to disappear and dissolve.

You calmly accept the constantly flowing stream of thoughts, you understand that these are just thoughts, they are not good or bad, they are just the way they are. There are no assessments of events, circumstances, and accordingly there is no fear of them. When you lose your temper or are afraid, this is the result of your perception of one or another aspect of the world around you, but this is only your assessment. If you drop this, you also drop the problems that are caused by your perception.

The mind is always calm and impartial. He is unchangeable and nothing can ever take him out of this state.

Therefore, while meditating, you are not creating some new state, but simply observing what already exists, for an already existing condition. And this observation has no conclusions, no judgments, no evaluations.

How to learn to be calm?

If a person can feel and realize that he is not “his” mind, “his” thoughts, “his” feelings, “his” emotions, but he is a constant observer, or a witness, as it were, of himself, then calm and clarity immediately come .

You begin to understand that you are not what you thought before, that you are more than just a body with its worries. That we are something that connects us with all living beings on the planet, with the entire Universe.

We have a choice: to identify with that which is eternal, or with that which arises and disappears without a trace.

This is difficult to understand and no less difficult to realize later through meditative practices.

If we see and feel this world one way or another, this does not mean that this is how it really is. In general, we quite rarely question our worldview and simply live the way everyone else lives. And the first step to understanding the world is to accept the fact that we don't know anything about him.

Thinking rationally and logically is, of course, good, but this world is much more complex than can be put into the framework of our reasoning and conclusions, which are the essence of our accumulated experience of life. And nothing more. Only our experience, only our life. It is too narrow to rely entirely on these rules and accept them as the basis of a worldview.

Watch the movie “Home. The story of a journey" and director Yann Arthus-Bertrand, which expand our view of the world, help us understand that what we see before our eyes is only part huge world. And building principles and beliefs only on your own, very narrow experience is not entirely correct.

This limits us.

Always remain open to something new and be willing to change your worldview and views on the world, because this is normal, this is a normal process of our development. But many believe that they have already learned everything and can only teach, but they themselves are not able to learn and hear an alternative opinion and, in principle, do not perceive information that does not agree with their patterns and beliefs.

I ask you to abstract yourself and what you know and just assume that you know nothing and that everything is possible and everything can happen. Set aside skepticism and mistrust.

We pay a lot of attention to our thoughts, they occupy our head and do not allow us to live in peace. The practice of meditation to develop awareness helps us calm down and simply observe the flow of thoughts, without evaluating them in any way, without dividing them into significant and unnecessary.

“It’s incredible the importance people attach to thoughts they can’t remember two seconds later.”

Stephen Wolinsky

The mind does not divide, as we do, thoughts into serious or stupid. They're all the same. Absolutely everything. If you identify the mind with yourself, with your body, then this division occurs automatically.

Mindfulness meditation allows you to put all your thoughts on the same page, both about the fly and about the loan repayment and the timing of the business project. Get an answer to the question “How to learn to be calm?” impossible in the form of one word or sentence. To do this, it is important to practice meditation and awareness will penetrate your essence step by step and life will become easier, problems will become smaller and it will be easier to solve them.

Everything is not as important as you imagine. We rush through life so quickly that we don’t even see life itself, we don’t understand that we are living.

The main goals of our life lie in the knowledge of our spiritual, non-material nature. In spiritual development.

And the most interesting thing is that by opening your soul, material life will also open up for you from a different perspective and from a different angle, and everything in it will change for the better.

And sometimes it is difficult to explain how this happens, sometimes it is difficult to believe in it, since it does not fit into our rational form of understanding of the world.

But remember - everything is possible!

Holy scriptures say that in order to get something, you must first give it up. And if you give very much great value the idea of ​​money, for example, may only push it away from you. But learning not to want them is very difficult, for this you need a lot of inner strength, a spiritual foundation, I would say. Therefore, the idea that your thoughts are not your thoughts and should not be attached to them makes sense.

“To get to the point of tasting everything, don’t want to taste anything in anything,
- To get to the point of having everything, do not want to have anything in anything.
- To get to the point of being everyone, don’t want to be anyone and nowhere.
- To achieve knowledge of everything, do not want to learn anything about anything.
- In order to get to what you have no passion for, you must go through what you have no passion for.
- To get to what you don’t know, you must go through what you don’t know.
- To get to what you don’t have, you must go through what you don’t have.
“To get to what you are not, you must go through what you are not.”

If you think about yourself: “I am good”, “I am bad”, “I am insecure”, “I am ugly”, then this is exactly how you imagine yourself and based on these beliefs you go through life. And if you think. that you are ugly, then you leave yourself no chance to see that someone liked you. If you consider yourself insecure, then it limits you in making many important decisions.

The meaning of the practice of witnessing consciousness meditation.

From the one you take to be you, you move into the one who observes him.

Identifications and attachments prevent us from living life to the fullest, to be everything at the same time, and not see only what is under our feet in the direction that we have set for ourselves with our attachments and patterns. They prevent us from directing our efforts and attention to our spiritual nature and learning to live with our souls.

A person can be in a state of inner peace and happiness, which is possible only when he is separated from beliefs and evaluations.

Witness consciousness- lack of idea "I exist". By accepting this idea, you automatically accept all other ideas associated with your existence. About who you are, what you need, and so on.

If you throw away the principle "I exist", then you are separated from everything else. And life’s problems and experiences no longer seem so important, insurmountable to you and do not occupy your entire mind.

Few people can achieve perfection in this practice and for this you need to be inspired by it and give your whole life. But for ordinary person who wants to learn how to cope with stress and constantly overwhelming thoughts, these meditative practices will greatly help to live. And how deep to go into this is everyone’s business.

“Everything you know about yourself keeps you separated from yourself. This knowledge should be discarded because it is not you.”

Don’t be lazy to take 5 minutes of your time to get acquainted. Perhaps these 5 minutes will change your whole life.

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Any of us can live, feeling every moment, deeply understanding every spoken word and being aware of our every action and the actions of other people. Any of us can live, receiving from life the same pleasure that sages, philosophers, spiritual teachers and even psychologists so often talk about. But not everyone can boast of this skill, because the majority, even thinking about such things, still continue to live “automatically,” by inertia. This is akin to how a small boat is tossed from side to side by the waves of a raging ocean and gusts of heavy wind.

However, this is far from an evil fate and not an inevitable fate prepared for man. With desire and a certain amount of persistence, he can change the situation - get rid of restrictions, prejudices and fears, learn to boldly and adequately evaluate himself, others and what is happening around him, draw conclusions from all this and improve his life. Perhaps this is due to awareness.

What is mindfulness?

Before we talk about why and how to gain mindfulness, it is worth clarifying what it is. From a psychological point of view, mindfulness is a state in which a person monitors his current experiences, focusing on the present moment and without being distracted by thoughts about the past or future. It represents the ability of consciousness to introspect (internal observation) of its activities. This means that individual experiences are perceived by the person directly and as they are. In most cases, awareness is aimed at internal states, such as intuition or sensory perception of events occurring in the external world.

Philosophy also has a lot of interesting things to say about mindfulness. For example, Rene Descartes, who became one of the first to study consciousness from a scientific point of view, formulated the famous formula “I think, therefore I am.” And by thinking he understood everything that a person does consciously - through introspection. From here we can draw a simple conclusion: man exists, i.e. lives only when he is aware of himself and everything that happens around him. In addition, religions (for example, Buddhism) and many spiritual teachings also talk about mindfulness. The development of this ability in one form or another is devoted to the work of such famous people like Osho, George Gurdjieff, Carlos Castaneda, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Victor Pelevin, Sri Aurobindo, Porfiry Ivanov, Peter Uspensky. Many amazing books have been written on this topic by world-famous authors (Mark Williams, Danny Penman, Michael Chaskalson, Laurence Levasseur, Richard Moss, Eckhart Tolle and others).

Thus, the topic of awareness worries a huge number of people, and not only those who have devoted themselves to spiritual quests, but also those who simply want to develop and improve their lives, achieve goals and personal growth, to better understand themselves and the people with whom they communicate. . But let's talk in more detail about whether it needs to be developed at all and what it gives. You can start with this video.

Do you need to be aware and why?

The state of mindfulness looks very attractive, but before you begin to develop it, everyone must decide for themselves whether they have the courage to lead a conscious life. This presupposes a sober view of things, a complete rejection of self-deception, a clear understanding of one’s actions and actions, and responsibility for all their consequences. To become a person who has all these qualities, you need to be truly brave. And only if a person is ready to remove " rose-colored glasses“and see the true world and the true self in it, we can talk about the development of awareness. Otherwise, nothing will come of it, and he will return to such pleasant illusions and self-deception. Are you ready to pay this price? If yes, read on.

What will awareness give you?
We can talk about this endlessly, but we will try to give the most convincing arguments (by the way, read our article “Mindfulness and its benefits”). So, a conscious person becomes more responsible, and not only in relation to his loved one, but also in relation to those around him. He begins to think about his words, actions and reactions, and make them such that they do not harm absolutely anyone, thereby turning a chaotic existence into a harmonious life.

Being aware, a person solves many life issues much more effectively and copes with problems and difficulties, adequately and impartially analyzing all their aspects. In addition, mindfulness gives you the ability not to be afraid of failures and troubles, but to enjoy life, paying attention to its seemingly most insignificant manifestations, such as a breath of wind, the first snow, summer rain or sunrise. Of course, relationships with loved ones become something very important and valuable. Ordinary people turn out to be dear to the heart, and feelings that have lost their former passion flare up with renewed vigor, revealing many new facets. But let's not dive into the lyrics.

The development of awareness is the key to understanding what is happening around and inside us, the path to recognizing false strategies and beliefs, a tool for identifying unconscious mental reactions, the ability to make more sober conclusions and not distorted by internal states, and effectively plan your actions.

Most people either do not suspect or do not attach importance to the fact that their behavior is determined by mental reactions based on views, concepts, beliefs and attitudes formed in the course of life. They become a prism or even a distorted mirror through which we look at life, the world and other people. But, unfortunately, we see not what actually is, but a projection distorted by our perception.

For example, a person, unconsciously obeying his habits and beliefs, instinctively perceives people with distrust and aggressiveness. There may be a negative experience behind his back, or someone may have inspired him that people cannot be trusted. This is the distorted mirror through which he sees and evaluates even good people. Similar and modified situations can be observed in other areas of life: someone gets angry when they interrupt him, someone feels offended when they make fun of him, someone curses life when obstacles come his way, etc.

The well-known behaviorist formula “stimulus-response” works here, when the human psyche mechanically responds to external stimuli. And such emotional impulses, automatic reactions and reactive actions make up our lives. It’s no wonder that every now and then there are “negatives,” “whiners,” “evil people,” and distrustful people who are tired of life and don’t believe in anything good and bright. By placing ourselves in a position of dependence on momentary emotions and reactions, we begin to live like robots or unconscious organisms. We lose the ability to adequately perceive phenomena and events, are guided by ineffective behavioral strategies and patterns, are unable to analyze even our own actions and reactions, and become slaves to emotions and habits.

Moreover, we can say with regret that a person who lives unconsciously will constantly repeat himself in his thoughts and actions, being deprived of the ability to change himself, situations and life in general. Acting stereotypically, as he is used to, he may come to the conclusion that life is pain and nothing can be changed. And even if he wants to change everything and begins to take drastic measures for these changes, behavioral automatism will still act over and over again, leading to the same result.

The reason for all this is our unfortunate prism, which distorts our view of the world. But this is not a reason to give up, because this prism can be changed - through the development of awareness in every thought, in every word, in every reaction, in every action. Then negativity and dullness will be replaced by positivity and bright colors, automaticity will be replaced by tracking, mechanistic actions - by thoughtful steps, emotional and unconscious perception - by balanced and conscious. And we invite you to start making these changes with us.

A little experience in mindfulness

To begin, feel awareness right in this moment. Look at yours right hand and try to feel everything that you feel in your fingertips, in the phalanges, in your palms. Feel the blood pulsating in your hand; if possible, try to feel subtle vibrations, as if slightly pressing on your fingers and palm. Spend 3-5 minutes on this activity, and only then continue reading. For the past few minutes you have been practicing awareness of your hand. Remember how before that you just read, but didn’t pay any attention to the hand - you didn’t notice it, as if it didn’t exist. But now you have fully experienced it. And a similar technique can be used anywhere and anytime: when you are walking in the park, driving to work, washing dishes, typing on the computer. The subject of awareness can be the wind and the rustling of leaves, raindrops on glass, hand movements, the sound of hitting keys, etc.

Actually, in the same way you need to be aware of your thoughts and actions, reactions and emotions, desires and urges to do something, both alone with yourself and when communicating with other people. You just need to look, listen, feel, touch as carefully as possible. At the same time, you don’t need to analyze anything, because as soon as you start doing this, thoughts will immediately begin to swarm in your head. This is called internal dialogue, and it interferes with concentration and awareness. This practice presupposes a proper attitude towards the very fact of attention and presence in the notorious moment “here and now”. Mindfulness can be compared to a flashlight that everyone has, but no one turns on. But when we press the button and become aware of what is happening, the light of this flashlight illuminates certain areas of darkness and shows the direction to move.

We would like to warn you that when you just start using your “flashlight”, it will shine, as they say, barely, and you will need to make a lot of effort so that it does not go out. But as you practice, the “charge” will become more and more powerful, and your awareness will begin to spread to everything that surrounds you. We think that they will agree with us on this wise mentors, such as Krishnamurti, Gurdjieff or Osho - mindfulness and its development takes pride of place in their numerous works. Now is the time to move from the short mindfulness practice we gave you to get a little experience into a thorough one. The exercises and techniques presented below will help you better understand how to gain awareness and develop this quality in yourself. And if you practice at least once a day, very soon it will become a natural part of your life, and you will begin to notice amazing changes in it and see things that you have not seen before.

Mindfulness practice

We won’t argue that it’s so easy to just suddenly get up and get up conscious person Not everyone can do it (if there are such people at all). However, with the help of small steps you will be able to rise to a level from where you are pure form you can watch whatever you want.

Extreme care

Be attentive to everything you have to deal with: your feelings and sensations, actions performed, observed phenomena and objects. Strive to notice even the smallest details - this will allow you to always notice important elements. For example, according to Osho, awareness can be developed by keeping an “observer’s diary” in the early stages. This is a small notebook where you should write down everything that relates to the bodily sphere, the area of ​​​​emotions and desires. You can start by recording what you feel when you do some movement, how your muscles work, whether your breathing changes. This also includes everything that comes into view, for example, when watching people through a window. Just remember that you should not be distracted by extraneous thoughts, i.e. gently be as focused as possible on what is happening now, and not allow intense internal dialogue.

Non-judgmental perception

Strive to perceive reality as it is in itself - without evaluation, analysis and projection of past experience onto it. There is no need to try to change anything, and there is no need to even think about it. By trying to “bend the world under you,” you will succeed in only one thing - exhaust your strength. This will have a negative impact on the psyche, emotional state and even well-being. Become an observer - a person who looks at what is happening with detachment. This will give you the opportunity to adequately weigh the pros and cons and accept right decisions in any situation. In addition, non-judgmental perception will release the lion's share of mental energy necessary for a deep understanding of oneself, ordering one's thoughts and comprehensively improving life.

Full acceptance

In the life of any person, a lot of events happen every day, and not all of them are joyful and positive, but the practice of mindfulness is the complete acceptance of any events, regardless of their pole. “Turn on” awareness every day as soon as you feel irritation, anger, anger, disappointment, resentment, melancholy, sadness, joy, delight and any other emotions. Learn to “hear” yourself, but accept everything that happens smoothly. Become a tracker - monitor your thoughts and emotions in relation to people and situations. But the main thing is to perceive everything that happens to you solely as a comprehensive experience. It can concern both you personally and someone else. Those. what happened between you and another person is not at all necessary for you - he may need it, and whether he understands it or not is none of your business.

Reverse attitude

The point of this recommendation is that you are not reacting to things the way you “should.” For example, someone was rude to you, and you developed a dislike for this person. But evaluate not the person, but the reasons why he did this, as well as the act itself. Take his side to understand what compelled him to take such actions. Perhaps you yourself were not entirely correct; such an outside view will allow you to see yourself from a different angle. The opposite attitude is also necessary for situations. For example, you are angry. But what does this give? Is anything changing? Are you feeling better? Most likely not. Therefore, look at yourself from the outside, and try to see all the comedy of your anger - depending on how angry you are, you yourself may feel funny, at the same time it will be easier to realize that this emotion takes a lot of energy.

The same goes for joy. Of course, this is good and even wonderful. But joy also takes away energy, and you need to approach any such moments without fanaticism, understanding that, as the inscription on King Solomon’s ring said, “this too shall pass.”

Mindfulness Meditation

Meditation plays a vital role not only in many spiritual teachings and esoteric schools, but also in psychotherapy. And this is no coincidence, because it helps to put thoughts in order, to step back from the outside world for a while, to delve deeper into the inner and the world around us. And in our case, we strongly recommend practicing mindfulness meditation. Choose a time each day to do this activity. Turn off all your gadgets, phones and laptops to minimize exposure to the outside world. There are many meditation techniques, but we will talk about the simplest one.

Go to your favorite place(room, roof of a house, bench in a park, clearing in the forest, etc.), sit or lie on your back and try not to think about anything other than the fact that you are here and now. Let your thoughts go with the flow, don't dwell on them and don't judge them. This very easy mindfulness practice will energize you and restore your mental balance. Yes, and don’t forget to pay attention to changes in your state before and after meditation. Write them down in your journal. These recommendations alone will be enough to understand how to begin to develop and gain awareness. But we want to offer you several more exercises for developing awareness, each of which is aimed at a specific area: intuitive, mental and emotional.

Development of awareness in the intuitive sphere

The first exercise is performed very simply, although, based on modern trends, it is somewhat unusual. All you need is a day without using your phone, tablet, TV or computer. It is also better not to plan anything for this day. All your actions should come from intuition. You need to pay attention to what it says inner voice, stay focused on your internal state as often and as long as possible, try to do everything with maximum concentration in order to realize the influence of habitual reactions and patterns. The main task is to learn to trust intuitive feelings. It is not at all necessary to sit locked up within four walls. You can walk, go shopping, communicate with someone, but the influence external factors should be kept to a minimum. The exercise can be done once a week.

Development of awareness in the mental sphere

The second exercise will help you get rid of fears before any endeavors, learn to see different ways to achieve goals and options for self-realization, and also get rid of perfectionism. The point is that you plan your future (even going out to buy bread), relying not on past experience, but on goals and desires that are relevant to you now. Before starting any business, tell yourself that you are embarking on an exciting experiment. There is no need to perceive a new task as something that must be completed at any cost. Repeat several times that a new one is just waiting for you interesting experience, and there is no need to do this task right away in the best possible way. With this approach, you will become easier to relate to your affairs and responsibilities and learn not to attach excessive importance to them. Accordingly, when doing things, it will become easier for you to concentrate and be aware.

Development of awareness in the emotional sphere

The third exercise is aimed at changing your relationship with your Self and the surrounding reality. It also develops the ability to accept and understand, to see the essence, and not minor details. The task is this: make a decision that over the next week, in response to any grievances and irritation, you will mentally send them to the “initiator” at least ten sincere kind words. Record all your thoughts like: “He’s back with his stupid jokes,” “What a ridiculous hat,” “She’s tired of being late,” or “They’re behaving like sheep,” etc. As soon as you notice such a thought, immediately remember your mindfulness practice and mentally respond in a positive way: express compliments, look for positive aspects, find evidence of your own wrong. Having formed a positive thought, send it to the person who caused the negativity. In addition to this, you can use another technique - give this person a bouquet of flowers in your imagination to make him feel good.

These are just a few ways to become more mindful in your life. You don't have to apply everything at once. It is better to go towards the goal little by little, but constantly, observing your characteristics and the changes that are taking place. If you learn not to just “kill” the alarm clock with your hand in the morning, but to notice how beautiful it is outside at such an early hour and to thank life for a new day; if you don’t just answer calls, but listen to the voice and listen carefully to what you say and what they say to you; If you start not just closing your eyes before going to bed, but remembering your day in every detail and analyzing what and how you could have done better, you will already put aside automatism, many fears and insecurities, although you may not even realize it.

Mindfulness begins with a small corner illuminated by the light of an old flashlight, but fueled by your desire and intentional practice, you yourself will begin to glow from within with an invisible light that will attract other people, success, luck and good events to you. And to make it easier for you to gain awareness, we have made a small selection of books on this topic:

• Danny Penman, Mark Williams "Mindfulness. How to find harmony in our crazy world";
• Charles Tart "Practicing Mindfulness in everyday life»;
• Osho “Mindfulness today. How to do meditation. Part of your daily life?
• Eckhart Tolle "The Power of Now";
• Laurence Levasseur "50 exercises to develop the ability to live in the present."

And in conclusion, another wonderful exercise to develop awareness from cultural scientist, philosopher and famous lecturer Ilya Kurylenko. Practice mindfulness, friends, be attentive to yourself and the world around you, learn to see magic in ordinary things. We wish you happiness and amazing discoveries on your path!

If you don’t want to go through or are too lazy (in vain), read on:

It is important to make meditation a habit. Here are some good tips:

1. Start with 2 minutes in the morning

In order to develop a permanent habit, start small - otherwise that part of your inner “I” that accepts change with hostility will eventually let it go.

2. Designate a “trigger”

Do you brush your teeth in the evening? Great. And in the morning? Fabulous! This is what I mean. The desire to go to bed automatically makes you go to the bathroom and brush your teeth. Your parents (or your dentist girlfriend) taught you this. You have to teach yourself to meditate, and it is very easy. Use a moment that repeats every day, such as waking up. Or lunch break. Or a car ride after work. The trigger to start meditating should be something you do regularly.

3. Find a secluded place

Experienced Zen monks can meditate in the middle of Times Square. Beginners should look for more comfortable conditions.

A quiet place will help you avoid being distracted by loud noises. Your brain will not subconsciously expect anxiety, and as a result, it will be easier for you to direct your attention inward. Suitable workplace in the office with the sign "Do not disturb", and a bench in the park. In fact, the location itself does not play a big role. All that matters is whether you feel safe here and whether you are protected from external irritants.

4. Make yourself comfortable...

The most strict adherents of meditation, of course, will insist on the lotus position, a kapok pillow and arms bent in a mudra gesture.

But in reality, what matters in meditation is not the external, but the internal—namely, your perception. So don’t rush to buy meditation pillows and change your business or training suit, jeans, T-shirt for something “correct” (if you want, you will always have time to do this in the future).

Sit in a chair and lean back—or don't lean back. A sofa will also do. But it’s still worth turning off the TV - it will disturb us.

5. Still, start with two minutes.

If you begin your acquaintance with meditation with a course in some ancient monastery, you may be forced to meditate for half an hour. This time period is called the minimum by many meditation manuals.

But for almost all beginners this is clearly overkill. In a maximum of ten minutes your legs will itch or become numb. The further you go, the more restless you will be, and thoughts will flash before your mind's eye faster than usual. This is very, VERY frustrating.

Then it all depends on what kind of person you are. Someone will give up meditation once and for all, thinking that “it’s not for me.” And someone will say to themselves: “We must endure!” - and, in order to finally overcome himself, he will meditate twice as much, i.e. a whole hour.

Both are bad. Meditation should not be a struggle or a test of willpower. Mindfulness should be fun and enjoyable, not stressful.

It's like running. If you start too fast or push yourself to run extra long distances, your body and spirit will quickly do everything possible to make excuses and relieve you of the heavy load. Start small and your chances of sticking with this good habit will increase.

In the case of meditation, start with two minutes, and after a week slowly move to 5-7 minutes. After another week, go out for 10 minutes. In the third week, take the 15-minute plank. And a month after the start of classes, hit the 20-minute mark.

6. Focus on your breathing.

In theory, it doesn't matter what you focus on. You can look at the second hand of your wristwatch, laptop keyboard or left knee.

What matters is that you are focused on something.

But the problem is that a person will quickly get tired of looking at the arrow or the knee - and he will be distracted by something else. For most people, monitoring your breathing works best.

Close your eyes. Take a breath. Feel the movement of air in your nose, then in your neck. Watch how your stomach rises and falls.

If thoughts overwhelm you and you can’t concentrate on breathing, open your eyes and look at something stationary (for example, at a section of the floor). Just watch, don't focus on it, don't make any effort. Exhale and return to observing your breathing.

Counting your breath can also help, as it gives you something to focus on. Inhale - one, exhale - two, inhale - three. When you get to ten, start over. If you lose count, also go back to one. By the way, one famous book on meditation is called: “Back to one”.

If your mind gets distracted—and it definitely will—don't beat it or yourself up. It's completely natural. Just return to your breathing again and again.

At first it will be difficult for you, you will feel strange. But the more you practice mindfulness meditation, the better you will get at it. Training is a great power.

How to reach the next level

Sitting down and observing your breath is a great start, as it will already add more mindful activities into your day. But after some time after starting training (for example, after a month), awareness can be extended to other areas of your life.

When you feel tension (stress), give yourself a minute, take two or three conscious breaths, and then become aware of what is happening.

Go for a walk and instead of thinking about what happened today, direct your attention to yourself: the sensations in your legs and throughout your body, what you see and hear.

Try this exercise: When eating, just... eat! While eating, do not read anything, turn off the radio/TV. Just be aware of what you are doing. You are eating.

You can do anything consciously. Clean up your desk, take your child to school, fix your bike.

Mindfulness and meditation are not so much methods as they are attitudes. Attitude towards yourself. To a partner, children, other people. To the world.

People who strive to improve spiritually, intellectually, physically are interested in various practices that can realize these tasks. Meditation is the most famous and widespread practice that can help a person achieve peace of mind, learn to detach from stress, improve emotional and physical health, as well as bring many other positive changes into your life.

Why does a person need meditation?

A person's life is rarely simple and carefree. Most often, people have to overcome various trials and difficulties. Overcoming them, a person often experiences conditions such as: stress, anxiety, anxiety, irritability. In this state, it is difficult to enjoy life, cope effectively with daily tasks, and achieve success in various aspects of life. The practice of meditation allows a person to achieve a state of consciousness in which he becomes able to take complete control of his thoughts, emotions, and sensations. Ability in right moment put aside unnecessary emotions that prevent you from achieving your goal, control yourself in any situation, lead normal life without stress and anxiety - this is an incomplete list of what meditation gives a person.

How to learn meditation?

You can learn meditation in several ways: with the help of books, a teacher, or on your own. The most important condition for you to learn this practice is regularity.

Having decided to master the practice of meditation, you need to schedule a time when you can be left to your own devices, and no one or nothing will distract you. The ideal time for meditation is considered to be the time of sunrise and sunset. The temperature in the room should be comfortable as well as your clothes; you should not experience any discomfort during meditation. Think about a position in which it will be comfortable for you to meditate; it is good if you train yourself to meditate while sitting on a chair with a straight back or in. It is not entirely recommended to meditate while lying down, as there is a risk of falling asleep during it. The optimal duration of meditation is 20 minutes.

The essence of any meditation is to bring your mind to a state of peace, but they lead to this state in their own ways. We will look at two meditation techniques, concentration and mindfulness.

Concentration meditation

The purpose of this meditation, as mentioned above, is to bring the mind to a state of peace. Your task while performing this technique is not to be distracted by thoughts and sensations that arise. Thoughts cannot be turned off, they will appear, there is no need to resist it. Let them appear, let them go. Images and sensations may also arise, the meaning of which you want to understand and appreciate. If we talk in simple words: you need to learn to stop thinking during meditation, learn to achieve internal and external “silence”. The main sign that you have succeeded in this practice will be the ability to turn off your active mind for at least a few seconds. How to achieve such a state?

Choosing an object to focus your attention on

By concentrating your attention on something, it is easier to disconnect from thoughts. You can start your meditation by focusing on your breathing. Fix your attention on the sensations of inhalation/exhalation. Breathe deeply, evenly and calmly. Record the feeling of air entering your lungs and coming out again. As you concentrate on your physical sensations, you will begin to relax.

You can also choose other objects to concentrate your attention, for example:

• Image, think about which image is right for you. It could be fire, a candle flame, sea ​​waves etc.
• Point between the eyebrows. Close your eyes and imagine this point. Concentrate on it.
• Darkness, black screen.
• Breathing, you can continue to concentrate your attention on breathing throughout the meditation.

When thoughts or sensations come during meditation and distract you from the object of concentration, do not resist them, just let them go. Of course, it will not be easy to achieve a state where you can turn off your thoughts and still remain conscious, even for a short time. But when you manage to do this, even for a few seconds or a minute, you can consider that you have succeeded. With each workout this time will increase.

Conscious meditation teaches one to perceive reality as it is, helps a person get rid of suffering through awareness and understanding of the reasons for its occurrence. As a result of the practice of conscious meditation, a person’s sensitivity and intuition increases, the mind becomes calm and balanced, a person becomes able to make correct decisions, act correctly, find harmony and happiness, this is a list of what meditation gives on a psychological level. On physical level mindful meditation has beneficial influence on the psychosomatic state of a person: relieves depression, sleep disorders and appetite; normalizes blood pressure; helps get rid of alcohol and tobacco addiction; helps fight chronic pain.

How Mindfulness Meditation Works

All these positive changes will occur due to the fact that the mind will be cleared of the “dirt” that is formed when we evaluate and react to external and internal stimuli in the form of events, thoughts, feelings, images, etc. For example, an event occurred that we do not like, then we develop a reaction to this event in the form of negative feelings (anger, fear, resentment, etc.). As a result, we suffer and think about how to avoid it. Even positive reactions can cause suffering. For example, as a result of not being able to access our attachments. Attachments are something or someone to which we feel a strong attraction.

There are a lot of situations in life that cause negative feelings in us (situations at work, problems in the family, etc.), as well as attachments (comfort, food, sex, alcohol, cigarettes, the person we love, etc.). d.). Our main attachment is our ego, the image of our “I” and God forbid, if someone encroaches on what belongs to our “I”, a storm of emotions and feelings arises in us and will cause the most severe suffering.

Often this all happens to us on an unconscious level. That is, a person may not realize why he feels bad, where these feelings come from. The reasons that caused these conditions remain at the subconscious level and poison our lives, affecting our feelings, mind, and health. Therefore, it is very important to keep our mind balanced.

So, conscious meditation allows you to learn how to get rid of this mental trash and prevent it from reappearing. This is achieved through impartial observation of one’s feelings and lack of reaction to stimuli from the internal and external world.

You need to start mastering mindful meditation by choosing a method of doing it, there are only three of them:

The first way is awareness of the actions of the body, mind, heart. Awareness of the body's actions means focusing one's attention on its movements. When we make any movements, we are not aware of them, we do them purely mechanically. When performing your daily actions, record your movements, what does this mean? For example, when moving your hand, try to be aware of this movement. When you take a shower or bath, feel and be aware of the contact of the water with your body. Awareness of the action of the mind simply means observing the thoughts that appear in our head. Pay attention to them without judgment. Also with emotions, there is no need to judge what is good or bad, this is not the purpose of this practice. Just being a witness to what is happening around you, accepting the present moment as it is, that’s the point. Dedicate 40-60 minutes daily to awareness of the above actions. Over time, such training will bring tangible benefits in everyday life.

The second way is awareness of breathing. Observe the rise and fall of your abdomen as you inhale and exhale. Watch how the inhalation raises the stomach and the exhalation lowers it. As you become aware of these movements, your mind and heart become calm and emotions disappear.

The third method is also based on awareness of breathing, but unlike the second, attention is fixed on the point of entry of air. Feel the air entering your nostrils, feel the coolness at the point where the air enters.

Choose from these three ways the most suitable one for yourself, i.e. the one that is easiest for you to do.

Mindfulness meditation can be done while sitting or while walking.

Performing the practice while sitting: Find a comfortable position in which you can remain for 40–60 minutes without changing it. Keep your back straight and your breathing should be even. The position can be changed only in case of urgent need. Observe how, at the point above the navel, inhalation and exhalation raise and lower your belly. If during practice any interference arises, in the form of a feeling, thought, irritant from the outside world, switch your attention to this interference, then switch back to breathing.

Walking: You will need to be aware of the movement of your feet as they touch the ground. You can walk in a straight line or in a circle. Lower your eyes and look at the ground, a few steps ahead. Direct your attention to how each foot touches the ground in turn. If an obstacle appears, become aware of it, and then turn your attention back to your legs. Completion time 20-30 minutes.

As we see, there are many reasons that can prompt a person to begin mastering the practice of meditation. But each person still has their own, albeit similar ones. Why he needs meditation, he will answer for himself as a result of regular training.