Why Do I Feel Like I’m Starting All Over Sometimes?

After we have put in some time with mindfulness practice and have been practicing for a while, we have a certain sense of how things will go when we meditate. But sometimes, when our life is hectic, stressful, or challenging, we might find ourselves sitting down to meditate and having a hard time with theContinue reading “Why Do I Feel Like I’m Starting All Over Sometimes?”

I’ve Been Doing Mindfulness for a While Now. Why Am I Still Fighting to “Get There” Sometimes?

Sometimes we come to a mindfulness session with some expectations or preconceptions of how it should go: “I should feel more relaxed, more peaceful.” “My mind should get quieter and calmer.” In other words, we want to be “there” – more relaxed, more peaceful, more calm. But right now, we feel that we are “here”Continue reading “I’ve Been Doing Mindfulness for a While Now. Why Am I Still Fighting to “Get There” Sometimes?”

How Do I Focus My Attention?

Mindfulness is attention training. Although we might look serene and still on the outside, what we are doing on the inside is actually a very active process and endeavor. During mindfulness meditation, we are actively working with our attention, managing our attention, and redirecting our attention. Attention is like a flashlight. Where we point theContinue reading “How Do I Focus My Attention?”

Why Does the Present Moment Matter?

Because the present is all that we really have. We don’t really have the future – it hasn’t arrived. We don’t really have the past – it’s already gone. Everything we need is in the present. For instance, the food and water that we need, we can only ingest them in the present moment, whenContinue reading “Why Does the Present Moment Matter?”

How Do I Practice Mindfulness?

Pay attention to this present moment, on purpose, and without judgment. Mindfulness is the nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment. It is, at its core, a practice of attention training. We begin by placing our attention on our breath. Just following our breath as it flows in and out. Perhaps connecting with the cool sensationContinue reading “How Do I Practice Mindfulness?”