In early 2014, I came across the charity campaign called “Mindful in May”. The campaign was quite unique and the idea was to make people sit for 10 minutes a day to meditate for the month of May to raise money for clean water. I was always meaning to take up Meditation as daily practice and I thought — What better way to try it out while contributing towards a great cause at the same time! Just to avoid any confusion, I will use the words “Mindfulness” and “Meditation” synonymously eventhough “Mindfulness Meditation” is just one type of technique. In essence, all different techniques lead to the same thing — better understanding of yourself.
We live in a world where only physical well being is considered important! Nobody talks about mental workout. If you talk about stuff like “Meditation”, many will run away from you! They might think there is something inherently wrong with you! Some might even feel offensive and react –
“Why do I need to meditate?”
“There is nothing wrong with me”.
“I am already a happy person”.
Well, let me assure you that you will not magically become a happy, calmer and wise person if you meditate. What it does is — gives you clarity of mind and sharpens your ability to deal with difficult situations when they arise. It doesn’t make you happy but gives you better understanding of the mechanisms of unhappiness. It does not create happiness but rather dissolve the self created unhappiness.
So around the same time, Mindfulness was gaining enormous momentum across the world and it got everyone talking about it. Working in a scientific research field, I was also very keen to find out if any research is being carried out to prove its efficacy.
Or is it just a latest fad?
The chart below says it all! The rise in number of publications related to Mindfulness in the past decade was staggering!
I got curious and I joined “Mindful in May” and sat in silence for 10 minutes for 30 days! At the end of it, it did something to me — in a subtle way! It sparked the desire in me to continue doing Mindfulness Meditation as a daily practice. At the same time, I stumbled upon a TED talk by Andy Puddicombe which further led me to the App called “Headspace”. Its kind of gym membership for the mind as often described. I got completely hooked!
And here I am 308 days later talking about Mindfulness. Lot of people are embracing the Mindfulness revolution while many still think of it as “a lot of bullshit” and are really skeptical about it. It may well turn out to be a bullshit for you but one shouldn’t discount it without even trying!
So what is this Mindfulness shit?
You can find number of definitions on the net but below are few crude definitions out of my own experience!
Mindfulness is — feeling the friction while brushing your teeth in the morning.
Mindfulness is — feeling the temperature and sensation of water touching your body while having shower.
Mindfulness is — enjoying the aroma and taste of your coffee without thinking about the next meeting you have to attend.
Mindfulness is — feeling your foot on the planet earth while walking.
Mindfulness is — using your sensory perceptions fully.
Mindfulness is — looking around and enjoy the scenery while stuck in the traffic.
Mindfulness is — putting your phone down when eating.
Mindfulness is — not living entirely in your head but having some attention in your body.
Mindfulness is — being aware of your breathing.
Mindfulness is — having a conscious breath.
Mindfulness is — striking a balance between planning your future and enjoying the present.
Mindfulness is — looking into eyes of the other and giving your fullest attention.
Mindfulness is — being aware of your thoughts and emotions rather than trying to suppress them.
Mindfulness is — accepting the moment as it is rather expecting it to be something else.
Mindfulness is — being aware of the incessant stream of repetitive and often useless thoughts that your mind produces every day.
Mindfulness is — using your mind rather than used by it.
Mindfulness is — being less reactive.
Mindfulness is — ability to be kind than right all the time.
Mindfulness is — being grateful for what you have.
Mindfulness is — not getting lost in your thoughts all the time.
Mindfulness is — ability to not believe every thought that you think.
Mindfulness is — ability to sit and do nothing for few minutes everyday.
Mindfulness is — having a moment.
Mindfulness is — ability to truly listen.
Mindfulness is — ability to let go.
Mindfulness is — having an opinion but not confusing it with an absolute truth.
Mindfulness is — not a philosophy but a proven technique.
Mindfulness is — single tasking.
Mindfulness is — Awareness.
Mindfulness is — Presence.
Mindfulness is — Meditation.
Mindfulness is real good shit!
“You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day — unless you’re too busy. Then you should sit for an hour.” — Buddhist Proverb
