Sounds wacky, right?
I used to think so, too.
I wanted to have perfect posture to show I was putting in the effort.
Yeji Kim
It was 1993, and I was in the fourth grade at St. Helen Elementary School outside of Cleveland.
Our guest was a Catholic monk named Father Justin who came to introduce us to meditation.
But after closing my eyes as instructed, I couldn’t follow along with Father Justin’s words.
Julia Bohan-Upadhyay
As an adult, my therapist recommended mindfulness exercises to calm my out-of-control anxiety.
What in the worldismindfulness?
Carmichael defines mindfulness as “the process of observing your thoughts in a neutral, nonreactive way.”
Yeji Kim
This aspect of mindfulness took me the longest to grasp.
The idea of noticing my thoughts in a nonjudgmental, neutral way seemed counterintuitive.
Another way to look at it?
When Guerin framed it this way, my negative experiences with traditional meditation suddenly made sense.
My mind may be many different things, but it’s definitelynotquiet.
Trying to silence and empty my brainand then being unable to do somade me feel like a failure.
It’s probably why I’m still not a fan of mosttypes of meditationand I’m fine with that.
Our attraction to the practice may actually be primal.
Perhaps most indicative of its status in the contemporary wellness space is the sheer number of available meditation apps.
More specifically, I was going to give forest bathing a try.
It was winter, and winter is cold.
I went back inside, opened my laptop, and enjoyed a few hours of highly focused writing.
The only aspect of mindful eating that appealed to me was the food.
But when I actually gave it a shot, mindful eating felt similar to forest bathing.
While at the same time, the hippocampuswhich helps regulate the amygdala’s emotional responsesgets larger and more active.
“Misinterpretation has been suggested to underlie mental disorders like anxiety and PTSD.”
What’s more, mindfulness techniques can promote the body’s relaxation response.
And as the study and tool of mindfulness continue to grow, so do our misconceptions surrounding the practice.
Guerin finds that many people assume mindfulness is an effortless and passive experience.
“But if we work at it, we can sense a change in our lives.”
Similarly, Smiley likens mindfulness practice to lifting weights.
you could’t expect to lift weights for half an hour and leave with bulging musclesbecause you won’t.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, mindfulness is often erroneously regarded as unattainable and impossibly time-consuming.
“Everyone has three minutes,” Smiley says.
“And if they don’t have three minutes, they have two minutes.
If they don’t have two minutes, they have 30 seconds.”
Another common misconception, Carmichael notes, is that mindfulness and relaxation are synonymous.
In fact, Carmichael asserts the opposite.
“A person could use mindfulness when they need to be super on-point,” she explains.
“But you’ve got the option to do anything mindfully.
It’s really just about being completely present in the moment.”
Of course, not all mindfulness skeptics will have an “aha” moment right awayor possibly at all.
“Maybe you better read a different book.”
Otherwise, begin with basic techniques likebody scanning, visualization, and mindful breathing.
Maybe it’s crucial that you read a different book."
According to Carmichael, it isn’t very easy.
(Which is precisely what I’d been doing in my first several attempts.)
The technique is meant to stop anxious loops by bringing you back to your immediate reality.
Feeling the onset of a panic attack, I tried the five senses exercise.
Within minutes, I was mentally present in the room again.
Most of my mindfulness experiences aren’t that grim, though, I promise.
It might not appeal to or work for everyone, and that’s OK. And to my fellow skeptics: Keep asking questions.
