No. 3 - FORMAL Mindfulness Meditation
Formal mindfulness practice involves setting aside a regular time to do meditative mindfulness practice. I prefer to do my mindfulness meditation in the morning, because it helps to orient me to present for the remainder of the day. When starting out doing formal mindfulness practice it is useful to use a guided meditation recording. There are hundreds of mindfulness recordings on the internet. There are also many mindfulness apps. I encourage you to search for guided mindfulness meditation or similar resources that suit your style. Here are a few examples of mindfulness resources that you could use:
There are many different formal mindfulness meditation exercises. Mindfulness of breathing is one of the most commonly used. If bringing attention to breathing is difficult (e.g., perhaps because of asthma), shift your attention to another target (e.g., part of the body like feet) and work with that. Breathing is simply a target for attention – you can bring your attention to any target you choose – a part of the body, thoughts, sound etc. Your choice!
Good news: the research shows that even a small amount of formal mindfulness practice done irregularly is helpful!
Formal Mindfulness Tips
Find a regular time and suitable place to do your mindful meditation.
Begin with a realistic and achievable goal (e.g., 10 minutes every second day) and then gradually increase.
Distractions, typically in the form of thoughts, often occur during meditation. When you get distracted, notice the distraction and then gently return your attention to the target (e.g., breathing).
It is likely that your critical mind will negatively judge your mindfulness practice. Notice these critical thoughts and let them pass.
You can’t bring your attention to the present incorrectly.
Join a mindfulness meditation group and practice mindfulness with others.
Mindfulness is a skill - any skill that you want to get better at (gardening, sports, playing an instrument) requires practice, and plenty of it.
Remember, mindfulness practice is NOT about “performance”; improving yourself, getting somewhere else, reaching special insights, forcing yourself to be relaxed, or self-preoccupation.
Mindfulness is not a relaxation strategy. While relaxation is often a by-product of formal mindfulness practice, it is not the purpose.
Although mindfulness can only be understood through practicing it, books on mindfulness meditation can be a source of helpful guidance.
- Kenneth Pakenham PhD