Intro
Mindfulness is a skill that requires cultivation. I’m convinced that if anyone meditates for the first time and says that it felt good, they are either lying or they were so distracted that they didn’t even realize they were doing it wrong. Successfully reaching a state of mindfulness on your first try would be like picking up a guitar and playing a song without knowing how to play one.
If you think I’m exaggerating, close your eyes and try to silently count the next 10 breaths without getting distracted by a thought.
What is it?
Mindfulness is training your brain to shift attention from experience to consciousness itself. Our attention naturally gravitates to thoughts, sensations, sights, and feelings. The goal of mindfulness is experiencing natural awareness with no story or context.
How do you achieve it?
Everything is fighting for your attention — your phone, friends, food, or writing a story on Medium. You can’t find the state of natural awareness if you are lost in thought or doing something that easily captivates your attention.
Here is the basic practice:
- Choose a meditation object. This is something so boring and mindless that your brain…
