Sparkle Revolution Newsletter

When I first started learning about mindfulness and its benefits, I associated mindfulness mostly with meditation. And I did spend many years cultivating a meditation practice, during which time I learned a lot about meditating and different skills and practices that helped deepen my meditation practice. As I’ve progressed on my spiritual journey, I now understand that mindfulness is about much more than meditation.

A simple definition of mindfulness is being in the present moment without judgment. From this definition, you can see that mindfulness can indeed describe meditation, which involves sitting quietly and removing judgment from your thoughts. However, a formal meditation practice is not required to be mindful, and you can actually practice mindfulness any time!

Let’s break down the definition. In order to be present, you do not necessarily need to completely still your mind as in meditation, but you do need to pay attention to what is happening in the moment. In other words, let go of what is happening in your thoughts, and just focus on what is happening in your life right now. For example, I could be petting my dog, and rather than letting my thoughts run on autopilot, I really focus on the moment of giving love to this animal. I can pay attention to the feel of his fur, maybe noticing how he looks as if I’m seeing him for the first time, and focusing on how much I love him.

The without judgment part of the definition can often be the hardest part of being mindful. An example might be when you are experiencing something beautiful in nature, like a sunset. You may be really focused on the beauty of the sunset, but then your mind starts to categorize this sunset. “It’s the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen!” Or “This was kind of a letdown. I’ve seen prettier sunsets.” If you pay attention, you’ll often find your mind is chiming in to categorize and judge even in situations where you think you’re fairly “in the present moment.” You will notice that if you can remove your judgments (good or bad) and just experience the moment, it can feel much richer.

So how can you be more mindful? Really it’s just a matter of checking in whenever you remember and bringing some attention to the present moment, as you take a walk, wash the dishes, take a shower, etc. Many people find mindfulness in an activity. If you play a sport, run, swim, etc. you probably notice when you participate in that activity, it can sometimes occupy your mind to a point that you are solely focused on the activity, rather than on the noisy thoughts we typically hear. You can also use a tool, such as our app, to remind you to “check in” throughout the day. The more you practice this habit, the more you will remember on your own to practice these moments.