Both bring amazing mental and physical health benefits to those who practice these arts.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a way of being present in the moment. A mindful practice teaches how to pay attention to thoughts, feelings and behaviours by being fully engaged in what we are doing. It’s an ongoing practice that becomes a habit, and can be done anywhere, by anyone.
All you need to be more mindful is to stop, take a moment to notice, and appreciate what is going on around you. Notice, observe, listen, think and feel. Leave judgments and strong emotions behind. It may seem difficult at first, but with practice it becomes second nature.
Mindfulness is personally freeing. It takes away worries of the past and the future, and it brings an awareness of yourself right now, teaching you to see what is around you, how you react to others, and how others react to you.
What is meditation?
Meditation, on the other hand, is a mindfulness practice that goes much deeper. There are nine types of meditation practices that are popular. Meditation has long held the respect of spiritual leaders, cultural traditions and religions, and yes, it is also practiced by many successful people — celebrities, politicians and sports figures. These are people who have achieved success in their lives, in part, because they were able to focus on where they wanted to go.
Meditations focus the mind in order to achieve stillness and quiet, with a goal of achieving peace and tranquility through spiritual connectedness, mental clarity and physical relaxation.
To achieve a meditative state, being present in the moment is essential, so mindfulness is excellent meditative training. But just being mindful will not take you beyond the mind. Mindfulness is not always meditative, but meditation requires mindfulness to start.
Mindful meditation is its own form
Mindful meditation is one of easier forms of meditation. It’s easy to get started by yourself. Go for a walk or sit quietly by yourself and choose something to focus on. While mindfulness can help deepen awareness with the self, it has other benefits as well. Mindfulness releases positive feelings and improves health by lowering blood pressure, improving digestion and relaxing tensions.
To learn more about mindfulness practices and the different kinds of meditation, getting started is the key. Learn online, on your own or perhaps at a nearby yoga studio.
This story was made possible by our Community Partners Program. Thank you Didsbury Dental for helping to expand local news coverage in Alberta. Learn more.
