Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfullness Meditation 

One way to reduce your stress can be through meditation exercise. Meditation means many things; it means turning inward; it means quiet observation, reflection and awareness of ourselves.
One of the ways to meditate is to practice just watching your breathing.  Since we breathe every moment, it is easy to concentrate on our breathing.  When you breathe, try to breathe from your diaphragm (the muscle that separates the lung cavity from the abdominal cavity).  Now, take a long deep breath and slowly exhale.

The Goal of Mindfulness 

The goal of mindfulness is for you to be more aware, more in touch with life and with whatever is happening in your body and mind at the time it is happening - that is, in the present moment. If you are experiencing a distressing thought or feeling or actual physical pain in any moment, you attempt to see it clearly as it is and accept it because it is already in this moment.
Acceptance, of course, does not mean passivity or resignation. On the contrary, by fully accepting what each moment offers, you open yourself to experiencing life much more completely and make it more likely that you will be able to respond effectively to any situation that presents itself.

During Meditation

When thoughts or feelings come up in your mind,
do not ignore them or suppress them,
don’t analyze or judge their content.
Rather, simply note any thoughts as they occur as best you can and observe them intentionally but non-judgmentally,
moment by moment,
as the events in the field of your awareness.

Sitting meditation

Sit comfortably.
Keep your spine straight and
let your shoulders drop.
Close your eyes
 if it feels comfortable.
Bring your attention to your belly, feeling it rise or expand gently on the in-breath and fall on the out-breath.
Don’t judge yourself;
Don’t judge your breath.
There is no good or better breath.
Don’t force or control it.
Let go of your judgments.
This is the time
You take care of yourself.
Sounds will come and go.
Thoughts will come and go.
Keep the focus on your breathing, ‘being with’ each in-breath.
Every time you notice that your mind has wandered off the breath,
Gently bring your attention back to your belly and the feeling of the breath coming in and out.
Let go of your expectations or plans.
This is it.
This is you, here and now in the present moment.
There is nothing to expect; there is nothing to wonder.
If your mind wanders away from the breath, simply bring your attention to the breath every time.

Breathing

Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in
Breathing out,
I know I am breathing out
As my in-breath grows deep,
My out-breath grows slow.
Breathing in, I calm my body
Breathing out, I feel ease.
Breathing in, I smile
Breathing out. I release.
Dwelling in
The present moment,
I know this is a
Wonderful moment.


Thich Nhat Hanh (1997)