Mindfulness meditation and wellbeing.
Spoiler alert! This article includes a practice of mindflulness meditation. ?
The travel to meditation. What are mindfulness meditation and wellbeing. ❤️
These are all different terms to name a way of living and of being.
Mindfulness is focusing all your attention on what you are doing in the present. It is about being aware of the madcap activity of the mind with non-attachment.
Meditation is a technique of concentration of the mind that allows us to focus attention on the present moment and that contributes to the verified benefit of mental health. This technique can be reached only through an intense training.
Wellbeing can be defined as a set of physical and mental sensations that allow us to feel good.
Following in the read of this article, you will discover how it is possible to put all this elements in one travel. 😉
The origins of mindfulness meditation.
It is not possible track back to when mindfulness meditation was discovered, just as it is not possible to know who could sing for the first time. We do have testimony that Siddharta Gautama “Buddha” practiced meditation some 2,500 years ago in the city of Bodh Gaya, in Northwest India. According to the Buddhist tradition, he achieved enlightenment after three days and three nights of continuous meditation under a fig tree, known as Bodhi. ?
From the Orient to the West.
Through the centuries, mindfulness meditation was introduced to the West with different forms of practice through religions. They taught to be centered in God. Religious meditations often include different types of prayers and chants, in addition to silence.
It is at the beginning of the 20th century when we have more accurate knowledge about Mindfulness, synonymous with the English word “Attention“, which a British magistrate stationed in Ceylan translated from the Buddhist concept “Sati” which means “memory of the present“.
In the 1970s, Jon Kabat-Zinn, a doctor in Molecular Biology is the one who uses the mindfulness concept to create a stress-reduction program based on meditation Vipassana.
What is meditating?
Mindfulness meditation is a practice of concentration of the mind that seeks connection with oneself. It can be done in silence, by singing or by following a guided voice. It is usually practiced in stillness and can also be done in motion.
How is mindfulness meditation done?
There are several streams of mindfulness meditation, so we will explain the one we practice, mindfulness meditation or Vipassana. This type of meditation is focused on seeing reality as it is. The practice is done sitting, on the floor or in a chair, with a straight and firm back, the body relaxed, as in a situation of abandonment or surrender. Once you close your eyes, direct your attention to the tip of the nose where air enters the lungs. You ask the mind to observe the act of breathing without intervening in its form; that is, without lengthening or shrinking the respiratory rhythm. It’s just about watching how you breathe. With the passing of the days of practice each meditation becomes more subtle and calm, being able to perceive the advantages of its practice.
The advantages of Meditation ?
Our brain, in addition to controlling the physiological tasks of our body, also perceives its sensations and emotions. With all this plus our memories and desires generates thoughts completely autonomously, without us being able to intervene in this process. it is through meditation when you discover that you can intervene in the process of creating thoughts to:
- Take your attention away from thoughts. Focusing on the breath or the body.
- Do not identify yourself with your thoughts. My thoughts are not me.
- Observe thoughts and classify them. Can I do this? For sure, with good practice.
But what advantages do I get by focusing on breathing, not identifying with thoughts, or observing and classifying them?
A very important one, “to be certain that you are in the present”
And what is mindfulness meditation important for?
It is a way to make sure that you take care of your mental health, avoiding the fall in illnesses such as depression and anxiety where your attention is focused on defeatist thoughts of what happened or catastrophists about what will happen. Your identification with these thoughts can create a new reality that makes you sick.
Since you focus on observing the present during meditation, thoughts stop being a priority for a while and you can be focused on who you really are at that moment. Not what you were, not what you will be, just what you are. A physical and mental feeling of calm and wellness is generated.
Resistances
You may feel resistance to practice mindfulness meditation at first, but it is very possible that is caused more by evasive or questioning thoughts, than by the technique itself.
The body can also indicate here or there a slight discomfort, which can range from distracting to discouraging if your motivation is not very solid. It is about achieving a balance between comfort and firmness to find the ideal place to sit and meditate.
Another deterrent is usually time. We all know what 20 minutes is, but they can be a mystery when it comes to being silent, with your eyes closed and focusing solely on breathing. If you do not put in practice, in a behavioral way, the surrender to the practice of time can become an impediment.
Guided meditation
At the beginning it is convenient to be guided by a meditation teacher. Mindfulness meditation usually start with the suggestion that you perceive the space you are in through the senses. You will hear to pay attention to your position in the room, the way you are sitting or the way your body contracts and expands with your breathing. The calm voice will induce you to the meditative state in which you will perceive with more attention the small details of your being in the present. The seconds will soon be minutes and time will stop. You will see that it is also easy to lose yourself in the mist of your thoughts and also you can hear the voice that guides you, to welcome yourself again in the present.
-Mindfluness meditation guided by Roberto Santos.-
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Silence ?
The practice of mindfulness meditation usually brings harmony in silence. Periods of stillness that appear after gaining ease in practice. The breath is then shown in front of you with all its nuances. There you realize that no two breaths are the same. There cannot be, neither by flow, nor by rhythm, nor by time. Every breath is worth taking into account as worthy of utmost praise. There is nothing more precious than being able to breathe.
Silent times also serve to focus attention on the sensations of the body. They appear on your face, your back, your hands and also disappear. Buddhists say that all the sensations of your body have as a quality the impermanence, they appear and disappear. Just as your own life appeared and will also disappear at some point. It is fascinating to face this irrefutable fact in life and to be able to do it from acceptance, knowing yourself as a natural part of the rhythm of nature. Born to live. Living to die.
Group practice ???
Buddhists have a word for group meditation. Sangha.
It is very comforting to feel the silence shared by a group of meditators. There is a synchrony of biological rhythms and a connection is difficult to explain with words. Better to feel it.
Mindfulness meditation and wellbeing.
Years ago we decided to practice meditation. There are days that we start the day with a meditation and others in which we combine it with a yoga practice in the afternoon.
We are aware that the continued practice of mindfulness meditation improves the interaction you have with your daily life and avoids the irritation and reaction caused by discussions. This simple fact makes you feel good. Who likes to get mad? Who likes to be unhappy?
If, despite your ailments or fears, you were able to see life, as a beautiful place to be and make others happy. Don’t you think it would be wonderful?
This form of awareness of yourself, of your true reality, with fear and perhaps pain, but without trauma, accepting the fragility of your life and the greatness of your being, choosing to smile and practice compassion make it worthwhile to meditate and achieve a more degree of wellness, the Weelbeing.
The travel to mindfulness meditation
Live the present of your present. Every moment. Wherever you are.
Thus, with this philosophy, we have believed and created travel experiences, where the site is as important as you and your companion, or where being alone without feeling it.
Imagine a walk along the coast of an island, facing the sea, which calm or happy, brings you melodies from other lands. A few meters distance you intuit that the path leads to a beach. You put the backpack on the sand, slowly take off your clothes and introduce your body in the wet spectacle of the waves. While the skin begins to be salted, you close your eyes to hear the sound from the depths of the sea. You let yourself floating on the surface. You breathe. Inside. Outside. You are the beach, the horizon and the dune. Seaweed and sun. You are life. As your wet body wants sun. You mold the sand with your hands, creating a hill from which to meditate. You sit down and give yourself to the present. You are attentive. It’s you, here and now.
Knowing the sublime to unite with beautiful spaces. We propose you to take a trip with us. The mindfulness and wellbeing travel to meditation.
You will always have a place.
Mindfulness meditation gathers you into the home of your body and mind, using both for the calm delight of life. Chased away from extreme passions or angry fears. Empowering a full and harmonious life with the social environment and especially with yourself.
You can practice mindfulness meditation and wellbeing in the coast of Menorca in different trips we already organized, you can find them at these links: Cami de Cavalls – Menorca Walking holidays.
We can help you find the perfect solution to your needs, so don’t hesitate to contact us for any curiosity, we will be happy to help you join this life-changing experience! Write an email to hey@waw.travel or follow us on our social profiles for constant news and updates: Instagram – Facebook.
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