Why reap the stress-reducing benefits of meditation?
70% of all physical and mental illnesses are directly related to stress. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). What is mindfulness?Non-judgmental and compassionate awareness of our own internal experience of the present moment no matter what is happening–putting clothes in the dryer, running a board meeting, going on a second date. What is meditation? The focused practice of mindfulness in the absence of activities. Although there are many meditation techniques, it often looks like setting an alarm for a period of time, sitting still, closing the eyes, and directing the attention to sounds, the breath, physical sensations, or simply the knowing of awareness. Thoughts–To Do lists, worries, fantasies–often capture the attention for periods of time. This is natural and not a problem. We will eventually and naturally wake up out of thoughts and can return to the breath or one of the other foci of attention.Watching the thoughts, themselves, is another fine meditation technique
