Posted by Click aquí para ver este post en español
Hey Life Warriors!
In previous articles we have looked at the benefits of daily meditation (link to article)… But why should you meditate daily? Because it is a workout for your mind (the spiritual workout). Ok, cool but why should I train my mind? Why living in the present moment is so important? This is a more complex issue that we are going to try to clarify and for this we will resort to the very fashionable concept of Mindfulness.
Here are some of my favorite definitions of the term Mindfulness:
“Intentionally bringing attention to the internal and external experiences occurring in the present moment” (Ruth Baer, 2003).
“Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and without judgement” (Jon Kabat-Zinn, 1994).
If we were to highlight the key points of this trend:
– Attention – Focus: therefore, the opposite of multitasking.
–Living in the present moment: in the present is where experiences occur, while worries and negative thoughts are often related to painful events in the past or anticipation of the future. By being in the present, we are happier.
– Without value judgements: it is important to distinguish between reality and beliefs. When we start to value our experiences, everything is tinged with these stored beliefs and this has a great impact on the emotions and the perception of the experience. It is for this reason that two people may have different experiences of the same event.
Where does the practice of meditation fit into Mindfulness?
Through daily meditation, we will train our mind to be focused – in the present moment – without judging our meditation experience.
And what benefits can I get if I am consistent with daily meditation?
Mindfulness, and specifically meditation exercise as part of mindfulness training, has been shown to be effective in the treatment of stress, depression, pain, improved mental clarity, professional performance and sports performance, and so on. But, being practical and I speak in first person when I say this, daily meditation has made me aware (realise) when I have “mentally left” a conversation, a dinner with friends, an important meeting, an unforgettable family moment… and thanks to mental training, I return my attention to the present moment and without reminding myself not to judge it, that is, to pass the experience through the filter of my beliefs.
So where do we start to introduce the habit of meditation?
We promise to do a specific post about this in the near future but for now, as an appetizer, we leave you with 3 different options that you can try:
– Down Dog App, it has free and paid versions. It provides you with different guided meditations every day (https://www.downdogapp.com)
– Chris Wolford’s Meditation Course on Udemy for 14,99€ (https://www.udemy.com/course/mindfulness-teacher-training)
– My favourite, the 8-week Mindfulness for Stress Reduction course from Inhabiting Time with Rafael de Silva (https://habitareltiempo.com)