Myths about mindfulness meditation #2

YOU HAVE TO PRACTICE MEDITATION FOR HOURS A DAY TO ACHIEVE BENEFITS

It is not necessary to practice mindfulness for hours every day in order to gain from the practice. The idea with mindfulness is to become aware of the activity of our mind. To notice how thoughts arise and dissipate naturally.

If we are meditating for hours but we are zoning out or completely distracted then we are not being aware. This is the opposite of awareness.

If we wish to develop a formal practice of mindfulness meditation we can start with 5 or 10 minutes. Settle into your posture of having a straight back whether it's sitting on a chair or on a cushion on the floor. Bring your mind to your breath,in any way it is that you notice it. It may be by the feeling of the inhalation and exhalation at the nostril area, or noticing your chest rising and falling. When your awareness wanders away from this point of concentration, gently bring it back to the breath. This can happen many times in even a short session. The practice is in the noticing.

As you become more comfortable with the practice, then you can extend that time to 15, 20 or 30 minutes. I remember reading somewhere that 24 minutes is a traditional amount of time in Buddhism. (But I don't remember the source).

In the informal practice of mindfulness, you can bring the awareness to your breath at any time of the day. Even just for a few seconds or a minute. I often suggest setting random alarms on your phone during the day to remind you to connect with your breath and with yourself. As your train yourself in becoming aware this will naturally extend out in your awareness to the environment, to others and to how your relate in those situations at any given moment

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