Calm the Chaos

The Difference between Meditation and Mindfulness

LIVING A SOULFULL LIFE IS ABOUT FINDING THE SPACE TO CONNECT WITH YOUR SOUL…

I LIKE TO CALL IT:  ZONING IN & ZONING OUT

What is the difference ?

What I am talking about here is 

The distinction between 

MEDITATION and MINDFULNESS

Mindfulnees is the “Art of Zoning In” meaning when one is engaged in the act of being mindful, one is zoning into the world around them almost as if they have become hyper aware of every moment of their lives.

Meditation is the “Art of Zoning Out” meaning … it is the method used to 

find peace and calmness by giving your mind a rest from our busy lives,

tuning out the world by simply “being” instead of “doing”.

ZONE IN: MINDFUL /  MIND “FULL” 

I write this as my baby lays sleeping next to me… there is nothing like a sleeping baby to help you be mindful of this beautiful life we are living…

Being mindful is what is called “Being in the Moment”.  When one is mindful,

they are paying attention to the little things in life…the “moments”. 

The more one practices being mindful, the more one develops a heightened awareness as they live their life. 

When one is not being mindful…then they are living life by default

they are sleep walking through life and not paying attention to the moments

that make up our life.

When one is being mindful, after a period of time they begin to feel immense gratitude toward the beauty of life.  This gratitude often develops into a 

growing compassion for others.  When one pays attention to the moments

it has the effect of slowing life down and one starts appreciating life instead of living life as if it was a blur.  Being Mind “FULL” is feeling “filled up” since you are living life to the fullest .

Living a mindful life is a life 

FULLY LIVED.

Jon Kabat-Zinn described mindfulness with his well known catch phrase “Be Here Now”:

“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”
~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

Author Brene Brown encourages us to pay attention moment to moment, notice our surroundings and experience the sensations within and all around us. 

“By bravely opening to the present moment we can more joyfully savor the gifts in our lives and take better care of ourselves in times of struggle.”
~ Brene Brown

EXERCISE IN BEING MINDFUL:

Examples of how to be mindful are plentiful, here are just a few:

Mindful Eating-chewing slowly, truly experiencing the taste and unique texture of your food,

savoring the experience, feeling gratitude for your food (ponder all the steps it took to become available to you)

Mindful Walking- take slow, deliberate steps, become aware of your surroundings wherever you are.  Take in all the smells, sights and sounds

as you walk.  By walking with a heightened awareness, you will view the world with new eyes.

Mindful Conversation- this is a great technique that will help you in your relationship with others.  One of the most important things for people is to feel “heard”.  Mindful conversation is being a good listener which is non judgementally listening to another person.  Listening to another person so as not to fix but just simply listen.

Mindful Hearing- One can do this by closing their eyes and just listening to the sounds of everyday life. Listen to the sounds as they rise and fall away.

If no ambient sound exists, just listen to the silence.  You can actually “hear” silence ! You will be amazed at how you will  never “hear” the same way again.  Even normal sounds will take on a whole new

Quality.

So you get the picture…you can be MINDFUL about anything and everything.

The most realistic way to live a MINDFUL life, is to catch yourself throughout the day when you feel like you are just “going through the motions” on auto pilot.  Slow down…and as they say “smell the roses”.  Take a moment to 

re-engage with the moment and discover the gift of what life is truly about.

It is a habit that if you do more and more, then it will become like second nature.

 ZONE OUT: MEDITATION  / MIND “LESS” NESS

Meditation is zoning out the world by attaining a state of consciousness that is different than our normal waking state.

The purpose of meditation is to go beyond our thoughts “MindLESSness”.

During meditation, one can achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state, in a sense giving the mind a rest from the millions of thoughts it thinks each day.  This rest brings on the calmness and sense of peace that most people feel when they meditate. Beginners often feel agitation when they are learning meditation since it is not easy to calm the mind, but with practice it becomes easier to reach the peaceful state.

Some people meditate to de-stress and feel calm.  Others meditate to reach beyond their mind and attain what is called “enlightenment” or the “thoughtless state” according to Indian sage, Sri Ramana Maharshi.

When one accesses this higher state of being, they will discover the blissful joy that comes with the mind being silent.  When you mind is silent, some say you find out who you really are and you become one with the universe.

Attaining enlightenment can be an elusive endeavor, but the more you meditate, the more it is attainable.

Enlightenment has been described as a constant state of bliss…

The best description I have found about a glimpse of enlightenment that I could relate to

was in the book “Eat Pray Love” when the author, Elizabeth Gilbert was meditating

for many days in a row in an ashram in India:

“I don’t want to say what I experienced was indescribable, even though it was…I got pulled through the wormhole of the Absolute, and in that moment I understood the workings of the universe completely.
I left my body, I left the room, I left the planet, I stepped through time and entered the void, all at the same time. The void was a place of limitless peace and wisdom..” Page 199

It is almost as if the universe shifts and the stars line up so you become one with the universe…

There are a multitude of Different Styles of Meditation :

Concentration Meditation:Focusing on an object like a candle flame

to calm your mind

The Breath Mediation: Focusing on the in and out flow of your breath

will calm your mind

Mala Bead Meditation: Mala beads make up a “Meditation necklace”

That you can use to meditate.  During meditation, you rub each bead of the necklace.  This repetitive act helps your mind calm down and achieve a peaceful state.

Mantra Meditation:  Often used in Buddhist traditions, a mantra or short phrase is recited over and over during meditation.   Focusing on the same phrase repeatedly helps the mind become peaceful.

Examples of MINDFUL MEDITATIONS that incorporate both 

MINDFULLNESS AND MINDLESSNESS:

CLOUD MEDITATION: One of my favorites…lie on your back and look up at the sky.  Become mindful of the beauty of the sky whether it is a bright sunny day or a mysterious stormy evening.  Absorb all the details of the cloud formations as they drift slowly by. Think of each cloud as one of the many thoughts that you think and watch each cloud or each ‘thought’ slowly pass by. Your awareness of how amazing the sky is will impart gratitude toward your experience and the rest you are giving your mind by letting your thoughts go will help you achieve a calm, 

peaceful state.

GRATITUDE MEDITATION:  Find a comfortable seated position with your palms lightly touching your knees, palms up toward the sky.  Begin by thinking of one thing you are grateful for in life. Then think of another and then another. Saying the things you are grateful for in life over and over as if the words were a mantra.  You will slowing begin to feel a warmth of peaceful gratitude come over you as you connect with the natural abundance this world offers you.

SOUL GAZING:  This experience is intense. It may seem woo woo to most people but it one of the coolest experiences I have ever had.  I have done it twice, one at a seminar and another at my first yoga teacher training. It is as close as you will get to seeing into someone’s soul. Another one of the most important things to people is to feel “seen”. Find a friend or loved one to “soul gaze” with in a quiet space.  Sit facing each other and commit to 

Gazing into each other’s eyes for a solid 20 minutes.  An array of emotions may arise but just acknowledge the emotions and let them pass.  Some of the most rewarding experiences in life are the hardest.  This is something I bet you have never done before.  Doing something new has its rewards.

Soul Gazing allows even complete strangers to feel as if their souls are 

Connected, which is a pretty awesome feeling.

If you have not been practicing mindfulness or meditation in your daily life or have fallen “off the wagon” like many of us do at different times in our life, I hope this teaching regarding Mindfulness and Meditation inspires you to connect to your soul by discovering or re-discovering the art of 

“ZONING IN & ZONING OUT”.

~Kristin Wallace
”Love the Life You Live”