Practicing Mindfulness to Get Results Won’t Work

Bringing expectations to your practice only causes frustration.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard, “Oh, I tried mindfulness and it didn’t work.” Or, “I can’t practice mindfulness meditation because I am too antsy . . . it’s not for me.”

These comments reflect a misunderstanding of mindfulness and what it truly is. Coming to a mindfulness practice with an expectation of experiencing relaxation, or with an expectation of anything, can only lead to frustration.

So, if mindfulness is not necessarily about experiencing calm and relaxation, what is it? Jon Kabat Zinn defines it this way:

Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally.

Can doing this lead to relaxation and calm? Ultimately it will. But only through a commitment to a continual, formal practice of “paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally.” It is through this practice that leads to permanent changes in the way you respond, in the way you begin to notice and experience the everyday moments, and in changing a myriad of health and wellness issues.

So, in the next several blogs, I’m going to talk about what we can bring to our practice of meditation. What attitudes should we bring and foster in order for us to flourish?

Want to learn more? Contact me and let’s talk.