How to practice mindfulness? So far, the best way I've found is meditation. Meditation is a great way to start a new day, deal with stress, and live in the present.
“To meditate is not to struggle with difficulties. To meditate is to observe them.”Tit Nat Khan
It's no secret that I think meditation is a great way to start a new day, deal with stress, live in the present, and so on.
But what many do not realize is that meditation is perhaps the most important thing in working on everything else.
I recently wrote about four habits that develop other habits - maybe you remember the second one: being aware of negative thoughts.
How do you learn to do this? It's very simple: practice. How to practice mindfulness of your thoughts? So far, the best way I've found is meditation.
Let's see why it is so convenient to change your own habits through meditation and how to learn how to meditate.
How meditation relates to habits
When we do not know anything about our thoughts and desires, which imperceptibly arise in the depths of the subconscious, they have power over us. They control us, and we cannot interfere. But if you learn to watch them, you can loosen their grip.
Meditation is just the practice of observing such thoughts, consciously treating them throughout the day.
I have dozens of examples from my own life, I will give only a few of them:
1. When I quit smoking, I constantly wanted to take a drag at least once, and the desire was so strong that it was very difficult to fight it. At the same time, excuses came to mind like: "Just think, I'll smoke just one - there won't be any harm from one cigarette" or "Why bother making yourself suffer so much?" It is not worth it!". These impulses would prevail over me if I allowed them; but I watched them. Didn't do anything, just watched. They grew, got stronger, and then they left, and everything was fine.
2. When I started jogging, I wanted to stop if it wasn't easy. But I realized that only one part of me wants to stop - because it is afraid of any discomfort. I watched this frightened little man who made me flee from difficulties, and did not allow him to seize power over him.
3. When I write, I no, no, and I want to do something else. If I do not track this impulse, then I obey it and put things off for later. If I am aware of him (and all the excuses that accompany him), then I can stop for a moment, watch him, and then let him go and return to my business.
Likewise, I changed my diet, clutter habits, was able to run a marathon, and more.
But all this would have been impossible if I had not learned to be aware of my desires, to observe the justifications of myself and to keep track of the thoughts that I am not capable of anything.
How did I learn observation and awareness? Through meditation. All you need to do while meditating is to be aware of your own thoughts, to get distracted from everything else, to completely surrender to your thoughts and the present moment, which is beautiful in its simplicity.
How to develop a habit of meditation
It's quite simple, the main thing is to do it.
1. Start with two minutes daily. If you want to get used to it, you need to start small. You can meditate for five minutes if it is not difficult for you, but all you need to do at first is two minutes.
2. Select a time. Not specific hours and minutes, but the approximate time of day - for example, immediately after waking up or after lunch. Meditate right after what you already do regularly - drinking your morning cup of coffee, brushing your teeth, having lunch, coming home from work.
3. Find a quiet place. Sometimes it is best to meditate in the early morning, before no one in the house has woken up and started making noise. You can find a secluded spot in the park, on the beach, anywhere else. In fact, it doesn't matter at all where - the main thing is not to be disturbed there for a few minutes. Is that a couple of passers-by in the park.
4. Sit comfortably. Don't put too much emphasis on how you sit, what you sit on, what you are wearing, and so on. Personally, I like to sit on the floor with a pillow under me and my back against the wall - my body is not flexible at all. But if you feel comfortable, you can sit with your legs crossed. You can sit on a chair or sofa if you're uncomfortable on the floor. Zen practitioners often sit on the zafu, a round pillow stuffed with fluff or buckwheat husks. But you don't have to rush to buy it - any pillow will do, and some are generally comfortable sitting on the bare floor.
5. Concentrate on your breathing. As you inhale, feel how the air enters the nostrils, then into the throat, lungs, and stomach. Sit up straight with your eyes open, but look at the floor without focusing on anything. You can close your eyes if you like. As you exhale, feel the breath going back out into the world. If it helps, count: one - inhale, two - exhale, three - inhale, four - exhale … after ten, start over. If you lose track, start over too. If you find that your thoughts are wandering somewhere (and this will certainly happen), shift your focus of attention to them and then gently return to the breath. Repeat these steps for a few minutes while you meditate. Most likely, it will not work out right away, but everything comes with experience.
That's all. A very simple practice, you just need to do it every day for two minutes, at the same time. Within a month, you will develop the habit of meditating daily.
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