Day 15: Mindfulness of Breathing Revisited

Welcome to 40 Days of Mindfulness and Compassion Day 15!

Lecture

We often live from our fear and threat system. We directly counter this with our practice of caring mindfulness. This is was term coined by Matthieu Ricard. Basically, it means mindfulness that has been infused by the perspectives of wisdom, compassion and kindness. Such an approach to mindfulness is what we are trying to implement in these 40 Days of Mindfulness and Compassion.

With a caring and compassionate approach to mindfulness practice, we are engaging with our innate caring and connection systems. The modern world and lifestyle does not present many opportunities for this. Instead, we are always busy and bombarded with information and stimuli, much of the content of which is distressful in and of itself. A byproduct of this is that modern people often feel stressed, overwhelmed and anxious. In such states, it is difficult if not possible to stay engaged with our innate calming and soothing capacities. Mindfulness can be one such avenue into such engagement.

Attachment Theory is a Western psychological approach to infant development that stresses the importance of the bonding and type of relationship between an infant and the primary caretaker (traditionally, the mother). Secure attachment is what emerges in a functional caretaker-infant relationship and leads to a lot of important psychological outcomes in adulthood. Unfortunately, many people experienced e one of the less-than ideal attachment types, results in various psychological difficulties. The good news is that there is research that these difficulties can be overcome. I think of caring mindfulness as a way of developing secure attachment with ourselves, giving us a secure base to extend compassion and kindness to others.

Mindfulness can be explored again and again and can serve as a strong foundation for developing compassion, emotional balance and other desirable qualities. Let us return to “basic” mindfulness practice.

 

Meditation Tips

Meditation Tip #17: Return to the breath again and again.I said in one of the first days, echoing Sharon Salzberg, that one of the wonderful qualities of mindfulness of breathing practices is that it is portable.We have access to it under any circumstance and in any location. Additionally, this practice takes us into the body, which is beneficial in and of itself, as many of us live “in our heads” much if the time. The breath is always accessible to us, and the more that we implement this technique, the more that it spontaneously becomes available to us in busy everyday life.

 

 Meditation

Day 15: 25 Minute Mindfulness of Breathing Meditation

 

Self-Reflective Activity

 
Periodically throughout the day, remain mindful of somatic sensations. For instance, while walking experience the sensations of your feet and limbs moving and contacting the ground. When opening a door, feel the sensations of your hands as they turn the doorknob. As much as possible, just experience the sensations directly.

 

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