Part One of a 4-part series on developing mindfulness and awareness through the practice of meditation
It’s on apps, the news, and at your yoga class. It’s used in hospitals and by elite athletes. It is used to treat depression, anxiety, and trauma. Others say it exacerbates depression, anxiety, and trauma. It is used in leadership training as a way to promote calm, focus, and confidence. It is offered to employees as part of wellness and productivity-boosting programs.
But, despite the recent surge in popularity, meditation is not new. The roots of the practice go back 2,500 years to the time of the Buddha. But it isn’t a religious commodity. Mindfulness is an innate and essential aspect of our minds, and we can strengthen it in many ways, most notably in meditation.
My own journey with meditation began 15 years, long before I became a massage therapist. I encountered the formal practice meditation during my college years on a study abroad program to ecovillages in Scotland and India. Later, I lived and worked in Buddhist retreat centers in the United States for nearly 7 years and was authorized to guide others in incorporated meditation into their lives.
For me, meditation initially was a lifeline as I tried to stay true to myself and make sense of the world during the tumultuous early 20s. Over time it changed from something I did to an overall approach to living. It went from an ingredient to the entire recipe. I was fortunate to connect with many excellent teachers and live among friends also working with the same questions. What does it mean to lead a fulfilling life and what role does meditation play in that pursuit?
It is also central to my approach to massage and my ideas about the foundations of healthy living, so much so that I don’t think you can have one without the other. If we define healthy living as dynamically maintaining well-being throughout the many stages and demands of life, then mindfulness is an integral part. It keeps our approach to healthy living rooted in accurate self-knowledge. Without the capacity to tune into our present physical, emotional, or psychological state, we are wandering around blindfolded, hoping to stumble into something easy that makes us feel better. In addition to being a guide, mindfulness also protects from disease and injury by acting as a kind of early warning system when something starts to feel a bit off.
Next up, we get definitional. What is mindfulness? What is awareness? How does meditation help promote these innate characteristics? Although ‘mindful’ and ‘aware’ are used somewhat interchangeably in our society, in the tradition of meditation they have specific meanings and techniques for bringing them further into our daily life. Before we can discuss how mindfulness and awareness through meditation can support healthy living, we need some good working definitions.