Mindfulness meditation helps us become aware of inner thoughts and internal feelings. By becoming aware of our thoughts, we learn how to step back and watch the thoughts rather than being carried away by them.
Through continued practice, we get to know the type of thoughts that tend to preoccupy our mind. This is part of the process of getting to know oneself.
We cease to be carried away by a whole train of thought. This leaves the mind more calm and peaceful.
Through daily practice over an extended length of time, one trains ones awareness to be more observant of one’s thoughts throughout the day. This helps prevent many patterns of the mind from occurring such as
• Racing thoughts.
• Obsessive thoughts.
• Daydreaming
• Worrying.
• Being distracted by memories of the past.
• Being caught up by thoughts of the future.
Mindful awareness
Through mindful meditation, we live in the present. This leaves us much more open and fully alive. Our awareness becomes much more open and creative. The effects of the mind that is more peaceful and calm is that we begin to feel better and to feel happier.
Mindfulness training
Mindfulness training begins with some easy steps. From time to time, the instructor reminds you to watch your thoughts and this helps you to watch your thoughts instead of being carried away by them.. From time to time, the instructor will remind you again, and again you will return your awareness to watching your thoughts instead of being caught up in them.
As you become more practised with the mindfulness training, the instructor will remind you less and less. You will become increasingly competent in reminding yourself to watch your own thoughts.
Mindfulness helps us realize that we are the Observer.
Mindfulness meditation exercises include
• Watching the breath.
• Watching one’s thoughts.
• Becoming aware of the gap between one’s thoughts.
• Feeling and sensing the physical body within the present moment
Putting mindfulness meditation exercises into practice.
The first step in mindfulness meditation is to learn some of the simple techniques.
The second and most important step in becoming more mindful is daily practice of these techniques.
One way to help with the second step is to use a meditation CD to help you with your practice.
Mindfulness meditation CD
A mindfulness meditation CD can give you reminders to check that your awareness has not been carried away by the thoughts.
Our mindfulness meditation CD has four separate meditation practices.
The first practice is for complete beginners, and has many reminders to bring your awareness back to the present. This first practice should be carried out daily for at least one month. At the end of the month you will be quite familiar with all the guidance techniques and you will become used to watching the thoughts and watching the breath in order to keep your awareness within the present moment.
At the end of the month your awareness will be more used to staying within the present moment for a longer length of time without a reminder from the instructor on meditation CD
The second practice on the mindfulness meditation CD has less frequent reminders and longer lengths of silence where you will simply watch your thoughts and your breath without distraction.
The third practice will simply give you reminders of each stage of the mindfulness meditation practice. The reminders will be sufficient for you to initiate the practice your self and to practice each stage with fewer reminders.
The fourth practice consists of mainly silence. There are very few reminders to check your awareness has not wandered and at this stage, you will be largely responsible for checking to see if your own awareness has wandered, and to bring it back at the present moment.
After practicing the fourth practice every day for the fourth month, you should then put the meditation CD aside and continue the mindfulness meditation practice by yourself.
If you ever become unsure of your own mindfulness meditation practice, you can always practice along with track four of the meditation CD.
Mindfulness meditation retreats
When introducing people to mindfulness meditation, we always teach other yoga practices such as physical postures, breathing techniques, relaxation techniques, mind focusing techniques, and physical practices to improve posture and ability to sit comfortably without physical discomfort.
On our mindfulness meditation retreats, we teach a full range of mindfulness techniques and also other practices which will help you learn to sit reasonably effortlessly without discomfort.
If your body becomes extremely uncomfortable while you are sitting in your meditation practice, it is almost impossible to calm the mind.
Difference between mindfulness meditation retreat and a mindfulness course.
There are many benefits to attending a mindfulness meditation retreat rather than simply attending a mindfulness course consisting of mindfulness classes once per week.
On a mindfulness meditation retreat you will have the benefit of mindfulness meditation practice every day at the same time at the start of each day. You will also be immersed in a very relaxing environment well away from your usual everyday distractions. You will find it much easier to leave behind your everyday responsibilities, worries, and the usual patterns and distractions.
By spending a number of days in an uplifting yogic retreat environment, you will find it much easier to learn new patterns and to train your mind to stay in the present. You will be surrounded by other like-minded practitioners and you will find that your mindfulness meditation practices become deeper as the retreat progresses.
Upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Retreats
Please see our upcoming Mindfulness retreats at