Mindfulness Tips: Loving the Process
Mindfulness technique and learning primary skills
It is completely understandable to approach mindfulness meditation initially as a technique to fix toxic states like anxiety and stress as well as overcoming general distraction. The techniques do work in an immediate and recognisable way on those particular topics and you can do them whenever you need to. However, for anyone who is doing the meditations relatively regularly at classes or at home there can be a transition from the ‘technique’ approach to include something which is more effective in the long term, which you can think of as a process of learning and development. The transition from one attitude to include another can happen gradually even without you noticing it at first, but as you become more interested in the primary mindfulness skills then it starts to change into a learning process which is applicable to everything which you do.
Aiming to and experiencing of
So much of the practice of mindfulness is integrating and bringing together qualities or approaches which usually we experienced separately. An example of this is aiming yourself to something specific like the breath, this includes the energy, intensity and attentiveness to the breath and the actual direct experience of the breath itself. In meditation play with what it feels like to go towards the breath and then the experience of the breath. Play with these two until they come together. When they come together, stay with it and savour it. The coming together of aim and experience is a primary dynamic and skill of mindfulness. You can then enter into a process of learning how to bring that primary experience of mindfulness into everything you do.
Loving the process
In this way the meditation method leads you into a process of learning which is a unification in it’s own right. At a certain point there is transition from finding a technique challenging to finding the exploration of the process fascinating and enjoyable, even something you come to love and want to keep doing.
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Vajradaka is one of the most experienced meditation teachers in Triratna and is continuously developing fresh approaches to maintaining and developing a vibrant meditation practice. He is known for easy to relate to ways of teaching which come across as clear, practical and relevant. He is a regular guest teacher on Dharma Night.
