Mindfulness or Meditation?

This week's theme offers two power tools to enhance and brighten our Luminescent Body with mindfulness and meditation. To demystify and overcome what many find difficult is to find another perspective and means to establish these daily rituals to enhance your life. Benefits of both have been scientifically and medically proven to promote better health, induce calm, enhance sleep, build our immunities and more. Let's start with the difference between them.

Mindfulness can be done at anytime with full awareness without judgement. It is more like an intentional action than a quiet meditation. For instance, opportunities for mindfulness are when we give full attention to our senses to experience a meal, walking in nature, gardening, or any activity that you wish to notice on a deeper level. Like eating an orange, but before we gobble it down, we experience its unique shape, size, density, color, texture, variations, the act of peeling, and aroma before we taste its zesty flavor. Try it with your eyes closed some time. Mindful living can be done with almost everything without an expected outcome but to simply observe. Similar to being in the Now.

Meditation on the other hand is more intentional as we prepare our mind and body to release external and internal distractions in various ways to find peace, calm, and more subtle awareness. There are many ancient and modern meditation techniques, one size doesn't fit all. We typically take steps to prepare ourselves as we set up our space, body position to find more comfort to still our thoughts. They may be guided with words, readings, sounds then silence.  

Mindfulness and meditation can overlap. Sometimes when I teach a yoga class I encourage my students to experience a moving mindful meditation. We observe without judgement yet find the quieting of the mind as we release external distractions. We then may find ourselves better prepared for a deeper savasana lying down with our eyes closed and let go of our thoughts and external observations then notice what shows up in the space of our mind's eye. Reflection in the experience is most effective afterwards.

So, who's craving an orange now, or maybe an amazing savasana after a physical yet mindful asana practice? You will surely be more luminescent at your mind-body-spirit lights up! This week we offer you opportunities for both at Fusion. Come see!

Mindfully written and sent with love,

Gina

Fusion Owner, Registered Yoga Teacher, Reiki Master Teacher, R.N.

BREATHE. MOVE. CONNECT.