Okay... Let's rewind and take stock for a minute.
What do you think of when you hear the word meditation? In western society, meditation generally denotes a person sitting criss-cross applesauce with their hands on their knees, clearing their mind by listening to a meditation instructor's gentle voice.
According to Webster's Dictionary, meditating is "to engage in contemplation or reflection".
As it turns out... These notions are only very recent modern conceptualizations, and in part warped understandings, of the literally thousands of meditation techniques that have existed for centuries worldwide.
This is explained so by mindfulness expert and Professor at U. Mass. Medical Center Jon Kabat-Zinn in his informative book, Meditation Is Not What You Think: Mindfulness and Why It Is So Important.
Director and developer of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MSBR) clinic at U. Mass., Kabat-Zinn has been at the heart of mindfulness meditation's popularization in the United States since 1979. In his book, he explains how the gradual mainstreaming of meditation necessitated the formulaic conceptualization of meditation mentioned above.
However, all techniques aside, he says, mindfulness meditation is inherently simple.
Kabat-Zinn is careful to point out that, above all, mindfulness meditation is a practice. And in part due to its simplicity, we as adults can find mindfulness extraordinarily challenging to cultivate.
While current scientific research may complicate society's understanding of mindfulness through the application of terms such as neuroplasticity and epigenetics, mindfulness meditation is, at its core, an act so simple that it can be performed by a small child.
[Mindfulness meditation]... is a radical act of sanity and love--namely to... drop into being, even for one fleeting moment.
-Jon Kabat-Zinn
In other words, mindfulness meditation is to simply be. To notice. To take stock.
But in today's world, adults are trained to do just the opposite. We are trained to anticipate. To reflect. To do anything, but be in the present moment.
The U. Mass. Professor explains his observation that by simply taking the time and effort to practice mindfulness meditation, people can radically increase their physical and mental wellbeing.
Take the Raisin Meditation, for example.
Huh? Okay, you might be starting to question my sanity by now. Frankly, I questioned the sanity of Dave Potter, the meditation's instructor and MSBR Professor at U. Mass. Medical School, until I watched his Raisin Meditation video. Instead of explaining my experience and potentially influencing yours, I suggest that you watch the video with no preconceptions of what you're about to witness.
Just try it! It's ten minutes of your day that would otherwise be spent scrolling through cat fail videos. Am I right?
No seriously. At least you'll get a little laugh out of it... This I promise!
Okay, I'm going to trust that by now you've watched the full video, or at least watched enough of it to understand its general purpose.
Do you see the genius in obsessively observing your raisin experience?
Perhaps your mind felt just a little quieter afterwards. Perhaps your body was just a little bit more relaxed. (And if not, don't stress! Remember, mindfulness requires a regular practice to cultivate.) Or perhaps, you were left totally freaked out by this old guy ruminating about his raisin!
But I'd be willing to bet one thing... For a moment, however fleeting, you forgot about The Stress.
You forgot about that annoying great-aunt who always makes comments about your weight on Facebook. About that guy who got your name wrong at Starbucks this morning... Again. About the tightness in your neck. The fatigue.
By simply taking a few moments to stop and notice, we can truly transform our lives.
What will you do to #bethechange today?
If you're interested in starting your meditation journey or deepening your practice, you're in luck! There are tons of great resources that can help you on your journey to mindfulness. To get you started, here are two AWESOME, free resources that I've recently fallen in love with:
Meditation is Not What You Think It Is: Mindfulness and Why It Is So Important by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Available for FREE on Kindle Unlimited! Also, check out your local library online or in person to see if you can borrow a copy.
Palouse Mindfulness, The Course. This is a wonderful, free eight-week course to get your feet wet. You'll have free access to guided meditations, articles, videos, and more as you learn about the history, techniques, and philosophy infused in mindfulness meditation and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. I love that it's completely free and requires no entry of personal information-not even an email!
Go ahead and check out the website and book on Amazon... I promise that it's worth your time. Have you ever regretted investing in yourself?
What did you think about the Raisin Meditation? Let us know how you felt after channeling your inner raisin in the comments section, below. We'll give you a shout out!
Also, don't forget to follow us on Instagram @Mindful_Manifestations and subscribe to the Mindful Manifestations Youtube channel.
Until next time, my friend, don't forget to notice the little things.
Happy Mindful Manifesting,
Elicia Kristine xx
Works Cited:
Kabat-Zinn, Jon. Meditation Is Not What You Think It Is: Mindfulness and Why It Is So Important. Hachette Books, 2018.
Potter, Dave. Palouse Mindfulness. N/A, Palouse Mindfulness, N/A, https://palousemindfulness.com/index.html. 01/10/2019.
Merriam Webster. Dictionary, Meditate, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meditate. 2019, 01/15/2019.