Mindfulness


Related Content

Meeting Meditation One

Episode Number
12
Someone requested that I record some meditations that could be used to start a meeting. So in this episode of Pretty Good Meditation, I offer you Meeting Meditation One.

Do you have any requests? Please let me know using the contact form on matthewtift.com.

Ujjayi Pranayama

Episode Number
11
In this episode of Pretty Good Meditation, we practice a well-known type of yogic breathing called ujjayi pranayama, or "victorious breath."

To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/11. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

Kayagatasati (Mindfulness of the Body)

Episode Number
10
In this episode of Pretty Good Meditation, we practice another common form of meditation: kāyagatāsati, or "mindfulness of the body."

To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/10. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

Mindfulness of Breathing

Person in the woods eyes closed with head against a tree

Breath is an ever-present aspect of life, which is part of the reason why "mindfulness of breathing," or ānāpānasati in Pāli, is probably the most common form (object) of meditation. Typically, the practice involves focusing attention on the physical sensations caused by the movement of the breath, the in-breaths and the out-breaths. Mindfulness of breathing is a feeling practice, not a thinking practice.

Anapanasati (Mindfulness of Breathing)

Episode Number
9
In this episode of Pretty Good Meditation, we practice the most common form of meditation: ānāpānasati, or "mindfulness of breathing."

To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/9. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

Cultivate the Garden of the Mind

Garden with purple and yellow flowers

Yogis, meditators, mindfulness coaches, Christians, and countless other spiritual seekers commonly employ the metaphor of the garden to represent stewardship. To view the mind as a garden is to view it as a place with potential value and commit to cultivating it. One must locate the space and make effort, which can take a variety of forms. One can tend to the garden of the mind while doing yoga, meditation, or any other activity in life.

Tending the Garden

Episode Number
8
In this episode of Pretty Good Meditation, we explore the metaphor of tending the garden as a meditation technique.

To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/8. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

Guarding the Mind

Guard standing by a gate

Mindfulness as a general awareness of the present moment receives a lot of attention these days. This kind of awareness is sometimes labeled "bare attention" or "present moment awareness." Some, however, teach mindfulness as one aspect of a practice that aims to do more. In certain yoga traditions, for instance, the ultimate goal is to still the fluctuations of the mind. Paradoxically, the most effective way to still the mind often requires more than just sitting still, and finding out what methods work requires experimentation. This article explores one method that many people find useful to cultivate mindfulness: the simile of the gatekeeper.

Announcing Morning Yoga & Meditation

Morning Yoga & Meditation class poster

Starting tomorrow, I will be teaching a new "Morning Yoga & Meditation" class (online) at Spirit of the Lake on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30am to 7:30am Central. No previous experience is required for this class, which includes a 15-20 minute guided mindfulness meditation and a Hatha yoga practice. All aspects of this class support the development of peacefulness and clarity.

Intuitive Awareness

Cover of Ajahn Sumedho Intuitive Awareness

Over the past few decades, Ajahn Sumedho has said much about "intuitive awareness." Most often the Pāli word sampajañña is translated as "clear comprehension," but Ajahn Sumedho prefers to foreground the notion of "intuitive awareness" as a way to extend and elaborate how we understand this important meditation concept.

Mindfulness