Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life

Meditation is the act of bringing one’s attention to their breath in order to connect fully with themself and with the present moment. It entails viewing one’s thoughts and feelings honestly, but with a degree of objectivity that allows the thoughts to flow away as the next moment arrives, replacing the previous moment and its associated thoughts and feelings. Moment-by-moment awareness can be conducted sitting, lying down, walking, or in stretching positions.

Mindfulness entails living fully in the present moment, rather than letting one’s perception be crowded by thoughts, including a person’s perceptions, ideas, preferences, or expectations. Practicing meditation allows one to live mindfully, as it involves being present with one’s breath. An individual can also bring mindfulness to their life outside of their meditative practice by bringing their full awareness of their sensory and emotional experience at any given moment.

Mindlessness, which Buddhists call living in ignorance, is a state of mind whereby an individual’s reality is obscured by their thoughts, such as their perceptions, ideas, preferences, or expectations. The constant rush of thoughts prevents the individual from viewing the present moments unfolding in front of them; they miss the fleeting wonder of the moments that make up their life. It also causes one to live in automation, not making genuine and authentic decisions about their direction in life.