Have you ever wondered about the difference between meditation and mindfulness?
They are often used interchangeably but there is a difference between them.
Meditation is a PRACTICE that is done to help you BE more mindful.
In meditation, you make a conscious choice to focus on an anchor for a specific period of time to help quiet the mind. This conscious effort trains the mind to be attentive to the present moment.
When thoughts enter the mind that are not that anchor, the practice is to let them go easily and effortlessly rather than give them attention or spend time with those thoughts. You let them go and choose to put your attention on the anchor.
There are many different anchors you can use in meditation. The simplest is the natural breath because it’s always with you. You don’t need fancy equipment or to be in a special place. You just need your breath.
You can also use a mantra or an affirmation that you repeat silently to yourself like “Om” or “I am peace.” There’s also guided meditation where you listen to someone else taking you on a journey usually with some focus or intention like to fall asleep or to release stress. You can even meditate while walking having the bottom of your feet on the earth be your anchor.
An ideal length of time to meditate is 20 minutes but the best meditation is the one that you do. So if 10 minutes is what you can commit to then certainly start there.
The most challenging part of any meditation is actually showing up. You have to make the time to do it. You have to be committed to it and make a conscious effort to do the practice.
Meditation is a practice and a discipline that results in incredible benefits including mindfulness.
Mindfulness is what happens as a result of a regular meditation practice.
Mindfulness is being in the present moment in your daily life so you notice the trees and the sun, the taste and the colors of your food, and the unwanted thoughts in your mind (think self deprecation). It’s being in the present moment with what is rather than spending time in the past or in the future.
Mindfulness can happen anytime and all day long. It’s embracing what is good in any given moment rather than dwelling on an argument you had with your child or your upcoming trip to the grocery store.
Yoga is a form of meditation; it’s a moving meditation. The postures become the anchor of your awareness.
Next time your on your mat, practice letting go of all other thoughts and distractions and instead be fully present to the sensation in your body. Then, when you step off your mat, practice mindfulness as you roll up your mat, walk to your car or close down your computer, and with the rest of your day.