Meditation and Mindfulness: A Basic Human Ability

Mindfulness is a state of inward awareness, which brings about self-awareness, improves focus and promotes health. In its most simple form, mindfulness is being mindful of your body, surroundings, and other individuals around you. While this sounds like a simplistic statement, in practice, it is actually more difficult than one would at first think.


Mindfulness is not necessarily meditation. Some refer to it as mindfulness meditation, others prefer mindfulness while being fully aware of the surroundings and others prefer to call it a state of relaxation. Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening in your surroundings, without judging or trying to avoid your feelings of arousal, such as anxiety. Mindfulness is very different from meditation, because in meditation you are trying to achieve self-awareness by focusing on your breathing or other sensations. When you are in a heightened state of mindfulness, you are able to let go of negative sensations and still bring yourself back to consciousness.

However, when you are in a state of mindfulness, you are not paying attention to any negative sensation and you are simply observing your surroundings and other individuals. This can be compared to walking through a museum or watching a play without getting involved in the characters or the storyline. You are just walking in the space and being aware of everything around you, without attempting to make judgments or attempt to change anything.

While being aware of your surroundings and other individuals can be likened to walking through a museum or watching a play, paying attention to your thoughts can be likened to reading a book or watching a movie. When you pay attention to your thoughts, you are more likely to notice the thoughts and determine how they affect you and your life. For example, if you are thinking about negative emotions, you are likely to notice the emotions. You may then begin to question them and try to find a solution to release the emotion.

Another way to describe mindfulness is centering your attention on a single moment. In practicing mindfulness meditation, you simply observe the present moment and allow thoughts to arise, one at a time. As thoughts arise, you focus on them and try to get them to go away, one by one, with practice. It does not matter what the thoughts are, as long as you are able to identify them as they come into being.

There are many different ways to practice mindfulness. You can focus on your breathing during meditation or when you are doing something else. You can also focus on your senses during other times. Mindfulness has been shown to reduce stress in a number of different ways. Scientific studies have even shown that it reduces heart rate and decreases blood pressure, as well as providing relief from depression. It is likely that with regular practice of mindfulness, you will find that it allows you to be more relaxed overall, which in turn will decrease your stress levels and provide you with more enjoyment in your life.

Practicing mindful eating is one of the simplest ways to incorporate this basic human ability into our daily lives. When you eat, focus only on the taste of the food. Notice how it tastes, then let it linger on, as it has its own effect on your body. By doing so, you can begin to develop a more mindful awareness of what you are eating and how it affects your mind and body as well.


There are a number of different benefits to developing greater mindfulness. One is that your sense of well-being will certainly improve, especially if you start meditating regularly and follow a program of meditation and relaxation. Another is that you will experience a greater sense of control, no longer subject to the whims of everyday life and its chaotic sensations. With greater control, you can better manage your time, obtain a deeper understanding of yourself and others, and most importantly, enjoy a more fulfilling and enjoyable present moment.