Mindfulness Meditation: Beginning Instruction

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness possesses two qualities. The first is vivid present moment awareness, often described as non-judgmental. The second is the capacity to notice attention turn away from the present, see that turning away, then return to present moment awareness. Within the Buddhist Tradition, mindfulness is a part of meditation training (samādhi in Sanskrit), which is practiced together with the trainings of moral-conduct (Sanskrit, śila), and wisdom (Sanskrit, prajñā). Mindfulness assists moral-conduct training in that the practitioner notices thoughts, words, and actions that harm one-self and/or others. The practitioner may then let go of harmful thoughts, words, and actions, and practice beneficial thoughts, words, and actions. Mindfulness serves the wisdom training though mental stillness, and the clear seeing which becomes possible from that stillness. It allows the practitioner to observe experience with less conceptual overlay and inquire into: “What is this experience? What is actually experienced? And who experiences?” Through inquiry comes insight into who we are and what this life is.

Having begun this path, know that mindfulness, wisdom, and clarity are with you from the beginning. The Zen Buddhist teacher Shunryu Suzuki taught that, “It is wisdom which is seeking wisdom.”[1] Wisdom already brought you to this. The Tibetan tradition of Chögyam Trungpa calls this the “ground of inherent wakefulness.” And you are never separate from it. Reflecting on this instills confidence in your capacity to practice, and that the fruits of practice are attainable. If this sounds esoteric, or strange, that is ok, and I then encourage you to consider it as a question and inquire into it.

Some misunderstand mindfulness as only a way to feel better, a way to be healthier, to discover more joy in life. It may indeed result in these benefits. However, so too may mindfulness reveal suffering, anxiety, trauma or any number of other potentially harmful experiences. Mindfulness helps one inquire into the nature of all these experiences. This is amongst the reasons that mindfulness is practiced in concert with wisdom and moral-conduct.

Mindfulness Meditation Instruction:

Mindfulness meditation starts with the body. Begin my placing your sits-bone, the bottom of the pelvis, firmly on the center or front edge of your meditation cushion. Fold one leg in towards the body center, then fold in the other leg. Your knees or calves rest gently but firmly on the floor creating a tri-pod or pyramidal shape together with your pelvis. If a folded leg posture is infeasible, I recommend a kneeling posture. Kneel on the meditation mat. Place your meditation cushion on the mat between your calves, then sit down on the cushion. If neither a folded leg posture nor a kneeling posture is suitable, try sitting in a chair. Sit towards the front edge of the chair, such that the stomach may expand and contract freely and comfortably. Place your feet shoulder width apart from one another, and allow them to rest on the floor firmly and gently.

Having taken a seat in one of these positions let your arms drop to the sides, then gently lift them and allow the hands to simply rest on the thighs. Pull your shoulders back slightly, allowing the chest and heart to be open. Slightly tuck your chin inward and with lips closed, place your tongue on your top front teeth, and let the jaw relax. (If you are unable to breath through your nose, allow your mouth to be slightly open and rest your tongue on the back of the lower front teeth.) Place your gaze before you, lowered, and look out a few feet in front. The eyelids remain open. The body should feel strong but pliable, like a blade of grass.

Having taken this posture, breath in feeling the expansion of the lower abdomen, breath out feeling the contraction of the lower abdomen. Bring your attention to the physical sensation of the breath as the diaphragm expands and then contracts. Allow your breathing to flow naturally, like a baby, and experience the sensation. Do not control the breath. I was taught to “let the breath breathe itself.” Alternately you may practice noticing the physical sensation of the breath wherever it is vividly felt.

You may decide to focus specifically on the out-breath. Breathing out, feel the contraction of the lower abdomen. Let the sensation fill your awareness. When the out-breath peaks and you begin to breath in, allow your in-breath to occur naturally. When you notice the out-breath beginning again bring your awareness the sensation of the out-breath, the contraction of the diaphragm.

If you notice a thought, or that your mind begins to wander, notice it, then return to the physical sensation of the breath. If you notice your attention has completely disengaged from the breath, notice it, see it, and label it “thinking.” Then, return to the physical sensation of the breath. Notice feelings and body sensations in the same way as thoughts. Notice that a feeling or body sensation has arisen, let it go, and return to the physical sensation of the breath. Allow thoughts, feelings, and sensations to arise and pass away. Do not try to get rid of them. Merely notice their arising, let them go, and return to the physical sensation of the breath. Allow your practice to be simple. It is simple, though it may not be easy. If you feel uncertain about your practice, remember these instructions. They contain all the instruction that you need.

If a particular thought or feeling persists over the course of months, and it disturbs of harms your well being, you might consider working with a meditation instructor, counselor, or therapist. Meditation can bring forth trauma and difficult feelings that one may not have previously encountered. This is a rich opportunity to practice, and one that may be best served by expert guidance.

Common Obstacles:

At some point you may experience physical pain. When you first notice physical pain, just notice it and return to the breath. If its degree feels to be increasing, bring your attention to it, and when breathing in, imagine the breath filling the pained area, breathing out let the muscles and the pained body relax. If you notice words arising that describe the pain, let word-thoughts go. Let go of describing the experience. Allow the body to relax. Then return to the physical sensation of the breath. Also notice the sensations of your body. Sometimes relaxing and coming back to the breath offers the best pain relief. And sometimes shifting our posture can prevent pain from arising in the first place. Your body will teach you the best posture over time. Listen to this teaching.

If you experience sleepiness check your posture. A lazy collapsed posture often makes us feel sleepy. Also raise your gaze a bit higher, and let your eyes be more open. At the same time, the sleepiness itself is not a problem. Notice the sensation of sleepiness. Where do you notice it? How intense is it? Do you notice it pulsing or changing? Have curiosity about the experience.

When experiencing wild thoughts and fantasies that completely draw your attention from the breath, remember that practicing these thoughts is the same as practicing any other thought. See it, let go of it, and return to the physical sensation of the breath. If your experience is so vivid that it is difficult to feel the breath, take note of your body sensation. Literally come to your senses. Feel the sensation of your body sitting on the ground. Feel your hands on your thighs. You might even place a hand on the stomach and feel it rise and fall for a few breaths. I would also ask, have you ever had a fantasy that lasted forever? Or does it shift? Does its texture or intensity change? Again, have curiosity about the experience coming up.

You may encounter resistance to practice altogether. Reflect on your intention to practice. Why is this important to you? What first drew you to this practice? Nurture that intention. Say it out loud. If you regularly experience resistance, state your intention out loud on a daily basis as a liturgy, along with a brief text that voices your intention. Also consider, have you ever not experienced resistance? How was that? What do you notice about it? You might even bring yourself to the cushion to sit just for one moment, one minute, and see how you feel. Oftentimes I find that getting to the cushion is the most difficult part, and once I’m there, I want to sit.

You may experience doubt in the practice, your ability to practice, or your desire to do so. This hindrance to practice, like all others, has “no power of [its] own. [It] need[s] to be fed constantly,” or it ceases.[2] Letting go of the doubt-thought stops feeding the thought pattern and diminishes its power. Notice the thought of doubt, its duration and intensity, let it go and return to the breath. If you doubt your capacity, consider, have you ever let go of a thought? How did that feel? You can do it again. You are completely endowed with the faculties for this practice. I consider it the birthright of an authentic human life.

These challenges and distractions offer essential opportunities to practice, in fact, they are “actually the whole point…learning to notice them without being trapped by them.”[3] Everyone I have met experiences challenges to practice. The practice is synonymous with working with these challenges, and through working with them, one becomes more skillful in addressing them in meditation and as they arise in daily activities.

Mindfulness in Your Daily Life:

You may notice moment of mindfulness occurring through your day. This is fortunate. Appreciate these moments, then return to the activity at hand. You may wish to take on an activity deliberately as mindfulness practice. Begin by choosing a simple activity that you perform on a daily basis, like brushing your teeth, washing dishes, or biking or walking to work. Bring your attention to the activity, and just as when practicing mindfulness of the breath, when your attention wavers, or you notice a thought, feeling, or sensation, simply notice it, let it go, and return to the activity.

In this way any moment of life may be mindfulness practice. Every moment offers an opportunity to encounter this life directly, as it is. At the same time, be gentle with your self. Mindfulness is easy and relaxed, and it is ok, good even, to notice the occasions where you are not mindful. This is normal. Recall that part of mindfulness is noticing attention has strayed, and returning attention to the present activity.

The Fruition of Mindfulness:

In my life, I frequently feel a sense of separation between life and my experience of it. When I mindfully attend to that which is before me, I experience a natural joy and ease, and I feel a direct connection to my life. I notice this in any number of activities: seated meditation, washing dishes, working, reading, hearing someone’s pain, or even finding myself in an argument. When vividly experiencing mindfulness of the present, reality ceases to be pain-to-avoid or pleasure-to-grasp, but rather an ocean of experience that simply is. Chögyam Trungpa describes this as, “immediate and personal, and it involves an intimate relationship with ourselves.”[4] This is a goal, and fruit, of mindfulness practice, this “intimate relationship with ourselves.” Trungpa also speaks of this as “making friends with ourselves.” Mindfulness presents us with the opportunity to then extend this friendship and intimacy to every moment of life.

With mindfulness comes the growing understanding that practice and the goal of practice are one. They are not separate. Our obstacles are the path, and even in the direst, most confused moments, when we see it, “that which sees confusion is not itself confused.”[5] Our wisdom sees confusion clearly. Yet when we strive to achieve this, or try to be mindful, our striving looks ahead to a future not yet manifest. This separates us from the present, the only moment in which we can be mindful. Take care of this moment. Looking outside this moment for a better moment, a more exiting or realized moment, only separates us from the possibility of present moment, vivid mindfulness. Trust that this moment is enough, and the ground of inherent wakefulness reveals itself. May it be so.

[1] Gaylon Ferguson, “Awakening to the Life of Reruns” in Natural Wakefulness (Boulder, Shambhala, 2010) 8. [2] Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, “Dealing With Distractions II” in Mindfulness in Plain English (Somerville: Wisdom Publications, 2002) 135. [3] Ibid., 131. [4] Chögyam Trungpa, “Meditation: An Intimate Relationship With Ourselves” in Mindfulness in Action (Boulder: Shambhala Publications, 2016) 3. [5] Ferguson, 29.