What Is Mindfulness? What's the Difference Between Mindfulness + Meditation?
A little truth bomb for you...And it seems weird and silly to admit this but I didn't actually think twice about what mindfulness meant when I first embarked on my own personal meditation practice.
It wasn't until I joined Sean Fargo's mindfulness teacher training program in January 2019 that I started to realize how important it is to know the difference between mindfulness and meditation.
I find that the words "mindfulness" + "meditation" are often used interchangeably as though they are one and the same but they aren't at all.
The definition I like most comes from author, meditation teacher and Psychologist, Tara Brach.
She defines it as "Mindfulness is your awareness of what's going on in the present moment without any judgment. Meditation is the training of the mind that cultivates that mindfulness."
So as you can see, mindfulness is the attitude that we apply to our meditation practice. In essence, it is how we relate to ourselves, our thoughts and our sensations in a nonjudgmental way.
A nonjudgmental attitude, or if that doesn't jive with you, a curious non-biased attitude is one of the most important aspects to apply to your formal and informal practice.
In a world that is already often critical and judgmental of everything, I really think that this attitude, this presence of mind, can allow us to be observant, mindful (no pun intended) and caring of our internal and external experiences.
Let's talk about meditation because it is such a hotbed of a word these days. I hate to say it but all of a sudden the word "meditation" has become so trendy which a part of me truly detests.
I'm totally game for more people showing interest in meditation but there is also the part of me that is wary that we are making it into a trend that lacks soul and depth but hey...I totally digress and that's just my personal opinion and possibly a future blog post :-)
There are many types of meditation practices out there and Mindfulness meditation is just one type of practice.
For example, a popular meditation practice is Transcendental meditation. This practice is aimed at reciting a mantra as a means of promoting a relaxed state of awareness.
There's also Yoga meditation, specifically in the Kundalini practice that is vigorous and can stimulate the nervous system.
Another type is called Sound bath meditation in which gongs and bowls are used to help the person focus using sound while also promoting a state of relaxed awareness. Note: I actually have a recording that I made and will eventually share with y'all!
I'm just listing but a few but I think you get the gist that there are many options out there for everybody.
So to recap the point of this post, I really think it is important that we understand the key difference between mindfulness + meditation.
I hope this post clarified things for you or at the very least, you've been entertained by this cheesy meme.
It wasn't until I joined Sean Fargo's mindfulness teacher training program in January 2019 that I started to realize how important it is to know the difference between mindfulness and meditation.
I find that the words "mindfulness" + "meditation" are often used interchangeably as though they are one and the same but they aren't at all.
So let's break it down shall we?
The definition I like most comes from author, meditation teacher and Psychologist, Tara Brach.
She defines it as "Mindfulness is your awareness of what's going on in the present moment without any judgment. Meditation is the training of the mind that cultivates that mindfulness."
So as you can see, mindfulness is the attitude that we apply to our meditation practice. In essence, it is how we relate to ourselves, our thoughts and our sensations in a nonjudgmental way.
A nonjudgmental attitude, or if that doesn't jive with you, a curious non-biased attitude is one of the most important aspects to apply to your formal and informal practice.
In a world that is already often critical and judgmental of everything, I really think that this attitude, this presence of mind, can allow us to be observant, mindful (no pun intended) and caring of our internal and external experiences.
OK so now that we've addressed what mindfulness means...
Let's talk about meditation because it is such a hotbed of a word these days. I hate to say it but all of a sudden the word "meditation" has become so trendy which a part of me truly detests.
I'm totally game for more people showing interest in meditation but there is also the part of me that is wary that we are making it into a trend that lacks soul and depth but hey...I totally digress and that's just my personal opinion and possibly a future blog post :-)
There are many types of meditation practices out there and Mindfulness meditation is just one type of practice.
For example, a popular meditation practice is Transcendental meditation. This practice is aimed at reciting a mantra as a means of promoting a relaxed state of awareness.
There's also Yoga meditation, specifically in the Kundalini practice that is vigorous and can stimulate the nervous system.
Another type is called Sound bath meditation in which gongs and bowls are used to help the person focus using sound while also promoting a state of relaxed awareness. Note: I actually have a recording that I made and will eventually share with y'all!
I'm just listing but a few but I think you get the gist that there are many options out there for everybody.
You got it?
So to recap the point of this post, I really think it is important that we understand the key difference between mindfulness + meditation.
I hope this post clarified things for you or at the very least, you've been entertained by this cheesy meme.
Till next time folks!
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