Joan Willis, journalist on all topics for travel and health.
Mindfulness meditation is a type of meditation that has been significantly refined through the Buddhist tradition and is currently enjoying international popularity due to the increased interest in Buddhism worldwide.
Mindfulness is a mental state characterized by complete awareness of the present moment. Mindfulness meditation brings one’s attention to what is happening in the now - the existing moment. By doing this, practitioners come to see both internal and external phenomena as nothing but aspects of the mind.
For example, we all experience “chatter” in the mind. Indeed, it seems the mind is continuously chattering and making judgments on perceived phenomena. By noticing this activity of the mind, while it is happening, you can observe those thoughts without attachment and aversion to them, thus bringing about the state of non-judgment. Through non-judgment one is enable to release thoughts and recognize them for what they are – simply thoughts. This aids in bringing one to the state of “no mind”, sometimes called “big mind”.
If you’re lost by now, don’t worry. There are plenty of websites online whereby you can further your understanding of mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness meditation does not have to be constrained to a formal meditation session but can be performed anywhere at any moment. One can even use external stimuli as a springing board to jump into the meditation, such as a red stop light.
Try this: the next time you are driving in your car and you come to a red traffic signal, let that red light be your starting point for a quick mindfulness meditation right there in your vehicle. Simply become aware of the present moment – as each moment comes to you. Drop the past, don’t think about the future. Just be in the now. That, my friends, is mindfulness meditation, pure and simple.
http://www.chopra.com/
- Related Articles
- Related Q&A




Animal Therapy for Autism
By: Echo | 04/12/2009Dolphins, dogs and horses can help children with autism in a way that doctors cannot. Research has found out that animals and autistic savants are both visual thinker. Friendly animals can help children with autism.
There Are Social Strategies To help You Overcome Social Anxiety and Shyness
By: Jennifer Johnson | 04/12/2009Are you one who is thought of as shy? Do you think that everyone else in your life has successfully outgrown their shyness and there you are still struggling, because you are held back by social anxiety? Are you left feeling a little scared and panicky when you are thrust into social situations? Are you nervous thinking that everyone is going to laugh at you or think you are a bit strange? This is social phobia.
Beyond the Open Door -- Challenges in Housing for People with Mental Illness
By: Linda Rosenberg | 03/12/2009Achieving realistic and stable housing options for people with mental illness is an issue of concern for mental health providers.
View Life from a Hilltop
By: Liesel | 03/12/2009Life offers many challenges. Most of us are caught up in the drama of living and surviving on earth. Is there a way to minimise the suffering?
What Are The Real Causes Of Depression?
By: Dan Micheals | 03/12/2009Depression is an illness of the mind. It is where neurotransmitters in the brain are not balanced out. There is no way to overcome this illness without understanding the real causes of depression and it can be serious and in some cases harmful.
Major Depression- Symptoms and Effective Treatments
By: Dan Micheals | 03/12/2009There is no exact cause of major depression found till date. But scientists are still doing researches to find the exact reason. Some of the causes that are believed to be the causes of depression are, Biological and genetic reasons. Apart from these stress and emotions also are the biggest reasons of depression. It is very difficult to get rid of major depression.
What Is a Major Depressive Disorder?
By: Dan Micheals | 03/12/2009A major depressive disorder refers to a deeply felt sense of sadness or despair that tends to overwhelm a person. It may have started out as a dark feeling but has progressed to an illness that affects every aspect of the person's life.
Sound Healing
By: Joan Willis | 15/06/2009 | HealthSound healing has its origins in the dawn of humankind. Perhaps, the first human infant was lulled to sleep by the sound of its mother’s heartbeat.
Simple Meditation
By: Joan Willis | 15/06/2009 | WellnessThere are many forms of meditation available to us today, from the long and involved to the short and simple. I propose that you are conducting a sort of simple meditation in your daily life that you may not even be aware of.
Relaxation Meditation
By: Joan Willis | 15/06/2009 | WellnessA common form of relaxation meditation is what is commonly practiced at the end of a yoga class. That is when the yoga facilitator instructs his or her students to lay with their backs upon the floor in shavasana, or “dead man’s pose”.
Mindfulness Meditation
By: Joan Willis | 15/06/2009 | Mental HealthMindfulness meditation is a type of meditation that has been significantly refined through the Buddhist tradition and is currently enjoying international popularity due to the increased interest in Buddhism worldwide.
Meditation Training
By: Joan Willis | 15/06/2009 | Mental HealthThere are several yoga centers today that offer meditation training in the curriculum of their yoga teacher’s training courses. Several Buddhist centers also offer courses, both short and long, in the various techniques of meditation that have arisen out of that tradition.
Meditation Tips
By: Joan Willis | 15/06/2009 | Mental HealthMeditation seems to be gaining ground even in the mainstream today, but what is it exactly? Simply put, mediation is a way of withdrawing ones mind and senses from external stimuli overload and focusing inward.
Meditation Techniques
By: Joan Willis | 15/06/2009 | Mental HealthMeditation techniques are many and varied. Thanks to modern technology like the Internet, we able to learn about hundreds of different types in a very short time. Sometimes this leaves us confused about which one is the best. Well, all meditation techniques are good, but are they all good for you? Only ‘you’ can answer the question, “which one is best for me”.
ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES FOR INSOMNIA
By: Joan Willis | 14/05/2009 | WellnessTo avoid the long term effects of insomnia, there are a number of alternative cures that are currently marketed. A combination of dietary and lifestyle changes is claimed to be the most helpful approach in curing insomnia.