You’ve probably heard a lot about mindfulness lately. The concept of mindfulness as a regular practice is everywhere — self-help books, yoga and lifestyle magazines, in online courses teaching how to live a better, healthier life. Have you noticed that people tend to use the terms ‘mindfulness’ and ‘meditation’ interchangeably?
They’re complementary and there is overlap. Mindfulness can pave the way for meditation practice, and it’s an essential element of meditation. Both practices are fundamental techniques to develop your inner life, reduce stress, and become calmer. Both will contribute to a healthier brain with reduced risks of stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. But there’s a big difference between the two, and that difference has to do with focus.
Think of mindfulness as the opposite of multitasking. Doing something mindfully, whether it’s hiking your favorite mountain trail, driving your car or doing the dishes, means focusing your attention on every aspect of your current activity. It’s easy to let your mind drift while performing an ordinary task. You may notice that you suddenly ‘come back.’
Mindfulness stops you. You notice what’s going on around you. It’s externally focused. Mindfully walking means being aware of every step, how the ground feels under your foot, the smell and temperature of the air, the sounds of birdsong or wind in the trees, how your body feels as you move through space. Mindfulness means being fully engaged with your senses and how they’re interacting with the world.
Mindfully living means giving your full attention to the person, situation, or task in front of you — right now. It keeps you firmly grounded in the present moment. Live mindfully and your mind can’t stay stuck on past hurts, grievances, or events. Neither can it project worry into the future because your full attention is taken up by the present. Life slows down and becomes more thoughtful, less reactive, calmer.
Meditation, on the other hand, takes a mindful approach and turns your attention inward. Meditation is the practice of finding peace within. It is a more formal process than mindfulness, and requires a physical and mental separation from what’s going on around you. You can close your eyes and perhaps recite a mantra to block out external stimuli, (although you don’t have to do either).
When you meditate, you withdraw your attention from the outside world and focus on your inner world. You create a quiet space to detach and let your mind and body relax. Developing a meditation practice allows you to notice and observe your thoughts and feelings. In time this leads to increased self-knowledge.
Mindfulness and meditation are separate but complementary practices that will help you create a happy, more relaxed life, longer and healthier as well.
And who doesn’t t want a longer life, with a healthier body and brain?
