The essence of mindfulness is paying careful attention to your present experience, whether it be a sight, a sound, a taste, a smell, a sensation in the body, or mental activity (such as an emotion or thought). Its entry into mainstream culture is a positive development; studies even attest to its health benefits.
But there are several misconceptions floating around. Misleading myths about mindfulness abound. Here are a few:
Myth 1: ‘I will need to visit a Buddhist centre, go on a retreat or travel to the Far East to learn mindfulness.’
Experienced mindfulness instructors are operating all over the world. Many teachers now teach mindfulness to groups of delivered in the office, in hotel meeting rooms or even via the
web. Some people do attend retreats after learning mindfulness if they want to deepen their knowledge, experience peace and quiet, or gain further tuition, but doing so isn’t essential.
Myth 2: ‘Practicing mindfulness will conflict with my religious beliefs.’
Mindfulness isn’t a religion. For example, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) are entirely secular — as are most workplace
programs. No religious belief of any kind is necessary. Mindfulness can help you step back from your mental noise and tune in to your own innate wisdom. Mindfulness is practiced by people of all faiths and by those with no spiritual beliefs.
Myth 3: ‘I’m too busy to sit and be quiet for any length of time.’
When you’re busy, the thought of sitting and ‘doing nothing’ may seem like the last thing you want to do. Just 15 minutes a day spent practicing mindfulness can help you to become more productive and less distracted. Then you’ll be able to make the most of your busy day and get more done in less time. When you first start practicing mindfulness, you’ll almost certainly experience mental distractions, but if you persevere you’ll find it easier to tune out distractions and to manage your mind. As time goes on, your ability to concentrate increases as does your sense of well being and feeling of control over your life.
Myth 4: ‘Mindfulness and meditation are one and the same. Mindfulness is just a trendy new name.’
Many popular forms of meditation are all about relaxation —leaving your troubles behind and imagining yourself in a calm and tranquil ‘special place’ Mindfulness helps you to find out how to live with your life in the present moment rather than run away from it. Mindfulness is about approaching life and things that you find difficult and exploring them with openness, rather than avoiding them. Most people find that practicing mindfulness does help them to relax, but that this relaxation is a welcome by-product, not the objective.
Myth 5: Mindfulness is ethically neutral.
The Buddha didn’t just teach mindfulness. He taught what’s variously called “right mindfulness,” “wholesome mindfulness,” “skillful mindfulness.” I take this to mean that there’s “wrong mindfulness,” “unwholesome mindfulness,” “unskillful mindfulness.” Mindfulness as a practice is inseparable from the intentions of the person practicing it. It is tied to the Buddhist precept of non-harming. The focused attention of a sniper while looking through the sight of a rifle is not mindfulness as it was taught by the Buddha. Mindfulness cares.
I’ve started defining mindfulness as “caring attention to the present moment.” Caring attention is characterized by an intention not to harm and by the proactive intention to be kind, compassionate, and generous. And so when, with mindfulness, you see a person suffering, you do what you can to help, even if it’s only giving a caring glance as you pass by, even if you’re only able to silently wish for the person’s suffering to ease.
Caring attention also means that you know when to abandon observing your present moment experience and, instead, take action to prevent harm, such as grabbing a child who’s about to run into traffic.
Finally, with caring attention, you’re better able to become aware of how your actions might be harmful to you. If you have a drinking problem, for example, focusing on a row of whiskey bottles in the grocery store may be careful attention, but it’s not caring attention because it will increase your suffering as opposed to alleviating it.
Myth 6: Mindfulness is easy.
Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s not. The biggest challenge can be remembering to be mindful! It does get easier with practice, because you’re developing a habit—laying down a groove in the mind. This is why it’s important to keep up the practice after that initial honeymoon period is over and you’re likely to feel your commitment wavering. I think of mindfulness practice as building a muscle in the brain: the mindfulness muscle.
Myth 7: Mindfulness is synonymous with joy.
Paying attention to the present moment if you have a headache or have just fought with your partner or children is not a joyful experience. In other words, the present moment is not always a pleasant moment. And yet, mindfulness can be synonymous with making peace with your life as it is. Turning away in aversion when an experience is unpleasant only increases your dissatisfaction with what’s happening at the moment. By contrast, if you can be present for your experience with caring and non-judgmental mindfulness, you can find a measure of peace by acknowledging: “This is how things are for me at the moment.”
Some days, “how things are” may include a headache or even heartache. Practicing mindfulness helps you learn to greet your experience with openness and compassion, even when that experience is physically or emotionally painful. In mindfulness practice, pleasant and unpleasant experiences are treated the same way—with friendliness and kindness.
Myth 8: Mindfulness is passive.
Mindfulness can be used in a relatively passive way—to rest and calm the mind—and this has many documented health benefits, from relieving stress to lowering blood pressure. But mindfulness can also be used as a wisdom or insight practice, providing invaluable information about how your mind works. This is the investigative quality of mindfulness, and it holds the promise for finding peace with your present moment experience.
But there are several misconceptions floating around. Misleading myths about mindfulness abound. Here are a few:
Myth 1: ‘I will need to visit a Buddhist centre, go on a retreat or travel to the Far East to learn mindfulness.’
Experienced mindfulness instructors are operating all over the world. Many teachers now teach mindfulness to groups of delivered in the office, in hotel meeting rooms or even via the
web. Some people do attend retreats after learning mindfulness if they want to deepen their knowledge, experience peace and quiet, or gain further tuition, but doing so isn’t essential.
Myth 2: ‘Practicing mindfulness will conflict with my religious beliefs.’
Mindfulness isn’t a religion. For example, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) are entirely secular — as are most workplace
programs. No religious belief of any kind is necessary. Mindfulness can help you step back from your mental noise and tune in to your own innate wisdom. Mindfulness is practiced by people of all faiths and by those with no spiritual beliefs.
Myth 3: ‘I’m too busy to sit and be quiet for any length of time.’
When you’re busy, the thought of sitting and ‘doing nothing’ may seem like the last thing you want to do. Just 15 minutes a day spent practicing mindfulness can help you to become more productive and less distracted. Then you’ll be able to make the most of your busy day and get more done in less time. When you first start practicing mindfulness, you’ll almost certainly experience mental distractions, but if you persevere you’ll find it easier to tune out distractions and to manage your mind. As time goes on, your ability to concentrate increases as does your sense of well being and feeling of control over your life.
Myth 4: ‘Mindfulness and meditation are one and the same. Mindfulness is just a trendy new name.’
Many popular forms of meditation are all about relaxation —leaving your troubles behind and imagining yourself in a calm and tranquil ‘special place’ Mindfulness helps you to find out how to live with your life in the present moment rather than run away from it. Mindfulness is about approaching life and things that you find difficult and exploring them with openness, rather than avoiding them. Most people find that practicing mindfulness does help them to relax, but that this relaxation is a welcome by-product, not the objective.
Myth 5: Mindfulness is ethically neutral.
The Buddha didn’t just teach mindfulness. He taught what’s variously called “right mindfulness,” “wholesome mindfulness,” “skillful mindfulness.” I take this to mean that there’s “wrong mindfulness,” “unwholesome mindfulness,” “unskillful mindfulness.” Mindfulness as a practice is inseparable from the intentions of the person practicing it. It is tied to the Buddhist precept of non-harming. The focused attention of a sniper while looking through the sight of a rifle is not mindfulness as it was taught by the Buddha. Mindfulness cares.
I’ve started defining mindfulness as “caring attention to the present moment.” Caring attention is characterized by an intention not to harm and by the proactive intention to be kind, compassionate, and generous. And so when, with mindfulness, you see a person suffering, you do what you can to help, even if it’s only giving a caring glance as you pass by, even if you’re only able to silently wish for the person’s suffering to ease.
Caring attention also means that you know when to abandon observing your present moment experience and, instead, take action to prevent harm, such as grabbing a child who’s about to run into traffic.
Finally, with caring attention, you’re better able to become aware of how your actions might be harmful to you. If you have a drinking problem, for example, focusing on a row of whiskey bottles in the grocery store may be careful attention, but it’s not caring attention because it will increase your suffering as opposed to alleviating it.
Myth 6: Mindfulness is easy.
Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s not. The biggest challenge can be remembering to be mindful! It does get easier with practice, because you’re developing a habit—laying down a groove in the mind. This is why it’s important to keep up the practice after that initial honeymoon period is over and you’re likely to feel your commitment wavering. I think of mindfulness practice as building a muscle in the brain: the mindfulness muscle.
Myth 7: Mindfulness is synonymous with joy.
Paying attention to the present moment if you have a headache or have just fought with your partner or children is not a joyful experience. In other words, the present moment is not always a pleasant moment. And yet, mindfulness can be synonymous with making peace with your life as it is. Turning away in aversion when an experience is unpleasant only increases your dissatisfaction with what’s happening at the moment. By contrast, if you can be present for your experience with caring and non-judgmental mindfulness, you can find a measure of peace by acknowledging: “This is how things are for me at the moment.”
Some days, “how things are” may include a headache or even heartache. Practicing mindfulness helps you learn to greet your experience with openness and compassion, even when that experience is physically or emotionally painful. In mindfulness practice, pleasant and unpleasant experiences are treated the same way—with friendliness and kindness.
Myth 8: Mindfulness is passive.
Mindfulness can be used in a relatively passive way—to rest and calm the mind—and this has many documented health benefits, from relieving stress to lowering blood pressure. But mindfulness can also be used as a wisdom or insight practice, providing invaluable information about how your mind works. This is the investigative quality of mindfulness, and it holds the promise for finding peace with your present moment experience.
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