Cultivating Mindfulness

Most of us are aware of the benefits of present-moment awareness or mindfulness if you like. But how do you cultivate it?

In this post we'll take a look at my personal approach to cultivating mindfulness.

Please note that there are many ways to practice mindfulness, however, in this article I'll only share my personal experiences and strategies.

Mindful Living

The goal with my practice is to be mindful throughout the day, from the morning when I awake until I fall asleep at night. In my experience, mindful living calls forth a beautiful mental state that makes for happiness and inner-peace.

Let's take a look at my personal approach to cultivating mindfulness:

I practice mindfulness by giving relaxed attention to the sensations in the abdomen. You can call this a meditation object. The sensations include heat, cold, tingling, mental energy and a sense of movement etc.

So, throughout the day I give relaxed attention to my meditation object. I find that relaxed attention as opposed to intense concentration makes it easier to connect with my meditation object and it's not as tiring either.

Mindfulness Practice

While I'm eating for example, I give most of my attention to eating while some to the sensations in the abdomen.

So, regardless of what I do, I endeavor to keep in touch with my meditation object.

Being mindful while eating doesn't result in a deep state of meditation. The point of being mindful is not about dwelling in deep states, but about living mindfully – to be aware of the present moment and not to be lost in endless thinking.

Here's another example. While writing this I give relaxed attention to the sensations in the abdomen and as a result I'm aware of soothing energy flowing from my meditation object.

Formal Meditation

A few times a day, I put everything aside and meditate for 30-60 minutes. This can be referred to as formal meditation. I use the same meditation object but now I can easily enter upon a deeper state of mind, a more relaxed mental state.

That's one of the benefits of mindful living, namely that whenever you'd like to enter a deep mental state you can easily do so, since your mind is already dwelling in inner-peace.

Mindful Activities

I also read mindfully. I prefer spiritual books and read while giving gentle attention to my meditation object.

Again, while doing this, part of my attention goes to reading and reflecting while some attention goes to the meditation object.

As you can see, you don't have to set aside a lot of time for meditation if you live mindfully.

Other activities I really enjoy is to be mindful while listening to meditation talks. This is a great source of inspiration.

Intensive Meditation Practice

Sometimes, I spend a few days meditating at home. I call it a self-retreat. One of the great benefits of intensive meditation practice is that you naturally make progress when meditating a lot which in turn makes it easier to live mindfully.

I also find that insights come naturally whenever I generate plenty of mental energy. That's one of the reasons why I combine sitting and walking meditation, since walking meditation boosts mental energy.

Meditation retreats are great for intensive meditation practice. With many meditators in one place, there's a build up of mental energy which makes it easier to mediate.

Best of luck with your mindfulness practice!

Related: Learn Meditation Meditation Tips Walking Meditation

You are welcome to share your experiences with me!
Email me at sharing@axelg.com