An Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
A 101 on mindfulness, meditation, and starting a daily practice.
It should be no surprise that an hour-long talk covering ancient wisdom and modern neuroscience left participants asking for more information. This is of course what participants to a talk on mindful leadership asked for. While I’m writing this post for them, you may benefit as well.
This is meant to be a dense read on mindfulness, its benefits, and its relationship to meditation. I also introduce a simple breathing meditation, give thoughts on how to start a regular practice and on what to expect as you do.
Mindfulness and Meditation:
Mindfulness is most simply described as paying attention to the present moment with an attitude of curiosity and kindness. Mindfulness is an innate human capacity which can be strengthened through mental training. This mental training often takes the form of breathing meditation which, through a process known as neuroplasticity, changes the structure of the brain in ways that support the capacity for mindfulness.
Mindfulness has been shown to boost resilience, strengthen team dynamics, and improve creativity and decision making. From a health perspective, studies have shown that mindfulness may reduce anxiety and depression, enhance immunity, address insomnia, and help manage pain and unhealthy habits.
Mindfulness is all about the present moment. So whether you’re reading this on a computer or on a train, let’s try a short meditation practice.
The Practice:
Some guiding thoughts before we begin.
First, approach this mental training like a physical one. The first time you do a push-up, it will be hard - your form will be off, and you will want to quit. However you stick with it because you know it will make you stronger in the end.
While exercise strengthens muscles, meditation strengthens your mind by improving the focus and quality of your attention. In this practice you will train with an object that you always have available to you - your breath. You’re simply going to breathe at a natural pace, ideally through your nose on both inhale and exhale. As you breathe, you’ll train your focus by paying attention to the sensation of the breath where it enters the nose.
As you direct your focus, you’ll also practice taking a curious, and kind response to whatever else grabs your attention. And to be clear, especially at the onset, other thoughts will grab your attention. When you notice you are distracted, kindly return your attention back to the breath. Do your best not to scold yourself for getting distracted. Instead, give yourself a mental pat on the back for noticing, and kindly return to the breath. (Noticing and quieting self-criticism during meditation can help you do the same during your day.)
When you begin paying attention to your thoughts, you may revisit experiences you’ve long since buried. It is important to be gentle with yourself. Especially if you’ve lived through traumatic experiences, you will want to be cautious, and consider engaging a trained professional before you begin.
As you start to meditate, you are likely to have thoughts that make you want to stop. You may decide you need to close a window or make coffee. You may find yourself criticizing the activity or yourself for trying it. Simply notice these thoughts. Thank them for showing up, and again, return your attention to the breath.
Before you start, help yourself out by turning off distractions like music and cell phone notifications.
Next choose an alert, upright posture, either on a chair or cushion.
Finally, set a timer. Nothing heroic - two or five minutes will be fine introductions.
With the timer set, lower your gaze or close your eyes.
Begin paying attention to the sensation of your breath. Whatever comes up, simply notice it, and then kindly return to the breath. Again. And again.
When the timer finishes, simply notice how you feel. What did this experience show you about how you should approach the rest of your day?
Moving from an Introduction to a Practice:
While this only took a few minutes, a few things happened here. First, we’re developing our ability to focus, and to respond to everything in our life with kindness and curiosity. Second, we took a moment to calm our nervous system which otherwise may spend a lot of time in a state of reactivity. Third, we took a moment to check in with ourself to see how we’re doing.
While studies have shown benefits from a single session, it will take a daily practice to really unlock personal growth. There are some basic habit-forming frameworks to help with that. I’ve written previously about using BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits model for this. To summarize:
Motivation - increase your motivation. You can do this reading on mindfulness (for example on how to meditate at mindful.org). You can also lock in motivation by journaling on how each meditation felt.
Ability - increase your ability. You can do this by keeping sessions short at first. Many people dive in and want to do hours. After 3 years I have settled on 10 minutes a day. Sometimes twice if I can find the time. Apps will also help (e.g. CALM, Headspace, or Insight Timer). Reading above will also help.
Prompt - set prompts to meditate. For example place a meditation cushion in a place you will see it at the time of day you want to meditate. It can also help to bundle your meditation session with another activity. For example, I wake up, turn the kettle on ahead of coffee, and then meditate. I never have to think about when I’ll do it because I always do it then.
As your streak goes from days to weeks, to months, you’ll notice new and deepening benefits. You may notice the emotions or thoughts that arise in particular situations and choose to avoid those situations. It can be quite powerful. But as I’ve written elsewhere, bad days don't go away with mindfulness. They are just rarer, easier, and shorter.
That’s it. Just start. Yes it's hard at first, but so are most worthwhile things. While you probably don’t have time, meditation has a way of helping you understand where you’re wasting time by habitually doing things that you don’t need to do. If you fall off the streak, don’t abuse yourself, just kindly return to the breath. Again. And again.