Mindfulness Meditation - Living in the Moment and Feeling Happy

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Mindfulness is a meditative practice which seeks to help the practitioner to live in the moment. It is based on eastern meditative practices, specifically Buddhist techniques, which train the mind to experience life in the now. The philosophical belief that is the foundation of mindfulness practice is that human beings are much more than what they appear to be on the outside, and that this earthly experience we call life tends to cloak or veil our true nature from us. As a result, mindfulness practices attempt to focus our minds away from the illusion of earthly life, and onto our true nature, our hidden self. The idea is that by living in the moment, and discovering our authentic self, we will feel and be happy.

A simple example of mindfulness practice would be, as I sit here typing this article, I could practice by emptying my mind of everything except the act of typing. This would ground me in this moment, and would help train my mind not to wander into worrying about the future (like considering when I will publish the article, or will anyone want to read it). Then as I move onto another task, I would become completely immersed in that until that is completed. This practice will help me gain control of my thoughts and feelings, thus leading to mental freedom.

As you can see, mindfulness exercises can be very effective for gaining control over negative thought patterns. For example, a great deal of the mental anguish people experience is caused either by brooding over past mistakes and problems, or from worrying about the future. Mindfulness exercises can soothe the anguish by helping train the mind to accept the hurts and mistakes of the past, and to work on what they can control right now in order to make the future better. And for many people suffering from depression and anxiety, or other forms of neurosis, meditation and mindfulness practices have been demonstrated to be extremely effective at reducing, or curing altogether, these mental ailments, helping them to feel happy again.

The benefits of mindfulness practice are obvious. The only problem with this practice is that it cannot always be easily integrated into the life of a non-monk (which of course makes sense, since these techniques were developed by monks, for monks). Also, mindfulness is seen in Buddhist philosophy to be an end as well as a means. And as a Christian, I feel that mindfulness is a means to achieving an ever expanding conscious awareness of how the Spirit of God is working through me, and in my life and the lives of others. Mindfulness cannot work for me as end unto itself.

However, these problems should not deter anyone from practicing mindfulness, because the benefits far outnumber any problems. And the problems can be overcome. I have been able to practice it in a way that works for me both from a pragmatic standpoint, and a philosophical one. Here is a basic outline of how I integrate mindfulness into my life.

I try very hard to give my complete attention to whatever I am doing, or whoever I am interacting with at the moment.

If I am teaching my class for 65 minutes, they receive the very best I can give them for that time. If my kids want to play, I give them everything I have for that time. I try to limit distractions, and focus my mind only on what I am doing right then and there. Notice I said I try, because it is not easy. But it can be done, and I find when I do it then I am much more productive, and less worn out at the end of the day.

When I meditate, I really have trouble quieting my mind, particularly if I have a busy day ahead. 

So my main focus in meditation is to get my objective mind very still.

Learning how to make my mind still helps me to stop worrying about things I cannot control. It also helps me be very effective at completing the tasks I need to accomplish that day. And, it has helped me learn to control my thoughts, emotions, and impulses much more effectively.

If I make a mistake, I move on and immediately see it as a learning experience.

I do not beat myself up over my failings anymore. Not that I am happy about them, but I try to look at them more for what they can teach me about where I am heading in life, and the spiritual progress I am making. This helps me turn a negative quickly into a positive, it shields me from making the same mistake again, and I do not live in the past brooding over and regretting what happened. I do not expect to be perfect, but I do expect to be aware and present. That is the goal I work towards. I try as best as I can to let things go.

Are you a Christian who is looking for a deeper relationship with God?  Does your heart and soul yearn for a deeper relationship with the living God? Or maybe you suffer from the negative effects of anxiety, depression, or stress?  Click Here! for Christ-Centered Meditation and Relaxation downloads.  Stop putting your life on hold, and start unfolding the Power of the Spirit in your life today.