Why Practice Mindfulness Meditation and What Is It?

It is difficult to pick up a lifestyle magazine or scroll through your favourite social media pages without seeing mention of the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. The words “mindfulness” and “meditation” often seem interchangeable, and both practices appear to have the same advantages. So why do we practice both?

I think of Mindfulness as our outer life and Meditation as our inner life.

By combining the two practices together we are learning life skills that give you the tools to access the inner peace that is already inside of you. Both rely on the ability to be focused entirely on the present moment (we can’t experience peace when we regret the past or worry about the future). Both practices offer a way to increase happiness and reduce anxiety, etc.

Mindfulness is a Non-Judgemental Awareness of the present moment; it’s a way of being actively aware of what you’re doing, while you’re doing it, by engaging more with all of your five senses.

Meditation is awareness of our inner life; it is the formal practice of finding peace within. Mindfulness Meditation focuses your concentration initially on the breath, then as your practice grows, this expands to an awareness of your senses and emotions.

We can’t change what happens to us through our lives. But by learning about yourself and what makes you tick and with patience, an open heart and mind and by understanding your thought patterns you can, very gradually, change your response to it, especially negative responses that usually cause stress or unhappiness. Through mindfulness meditation, we gradually learn to give ourselves a slight pause before we respond.

Philosopher and Psychologist, William James 1842-1910 said: “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another”

Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhism and Hinduism and has been practiced for millennia by meditators and spiritual seekers. However, Modern Mindfulness has been adapted for our western way of life and is completely secular.

The U3A Mindfulness Meditation meetings are held at Porthcawl YMCA from 1.30 to 3.30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of every month.
New or established meditators are very welcome.

Check out Mark Williams on Mindfulness on YouTube, type in ‘finding peace in a frantic world, a good one is 54.50mins long – Mark Williams on Mindfulness, you’ll find many guided meditations there as well.