What is Mindfulness?

 

"the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis."

 

What is Meditation?

 

The definitions out there in the modern world abound and the word means different things to different people. There is much confusion as to what it means to meditate. My approach is to simplify the definition to help you clearly understand the technique. Some people think of it is as contemplating or thinking or even daydreaming, hypnosis and fantasizing.  None of these ideas actually define meditation.

 

Meditation defined: 

Meditation means to quietly rest the mind while attaining a higher state of awareness.  The practice requires an inner state that is still and one-pointed so we become aware of our thoughts and slowly train the mind to observe the thoughts and rest in awareness.  There is no judgment as thoughts will continue to be present.  We simply begin to train the mind to rest and relax through establishing a consistent practice of one-pointed focus. 

 

The word meditation is derived from the Latin root word mederi, meaning to heal. The words medicine, medical and medicate come from the same root word. Mederi implies a sense of attending to or paying attention to something in order to facilitate well being. In meditation you sit quietly and ask the mind to pay attention to one thing only.  The mind then begins to let go of its everyday tendencies to think, analyze, remember, solve problems, and focus on past events or on expectations of the future.  As the mind wanders and thoughts come in during the one-pointed attention, there is no judgment.  We simply direct the mind back to the one-pointed attention over and over again as a practice. 

 

What meditation is not:

Meditation is not specific to any religion. It does not involve chanting or any specific beliefs nor does it interfere with any beliefs.  It is a science and process that follows a particular order and produces results that can be verified.  

 

Your body/mind is the most complex instrument in the universe. It takes time and practice to use it effectively and harmoniously.

        

This is why the program is delivered over 8 weeks so you can firmly establish a regular practice and begin to train the mind to establish this increased awareness and rest in a meditative state to promote healing and overall well being.