Introduction to Mindfulness - Dean Amory

occurred." I like to think of it as a kind of weather report: "Thinking
has just been observed in the vicinity."
Timing
How long should you practise? If you are new to it, try to sit for 10 to
15 minutes and gradually increase to 20 or 30 minutes. Eventually,
you could extend it to 45 minutes or an hour. If you want to sit
longer, you might want to learn how to do walking meditation as a
break..
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, remember that mindfulness
meditation is about practicing being mindful of whatever happens. It
is NOT about getting ourselves to stop thinking. Repeat: it is not
about getting ourselves to stop thinking. It is easy to fall into
believing that that is the goal. Many people have a mistaken idea that
becoming blank is the goal of meditation. Perhaps it is in some
approaches, but it's not in mindfulness meditation. So once again: if
you find you are thinking (and you will), include it in what you notice.
Don't try to get rid of your thoughts. It won't work and it's the
opposite of the spirit of the practice. We are trying to be with
ourselves as we already are, not trying to change ourselves into some
preconceived notion of how we ought to be instead.
Many people have great difficulty establishing a regular daily practice.
Usually it is best if a practitioner links the mindfulness practice into
their normal daily routine. Most people have a predictable morning
routine into which mindfulness can be slotted. The important thing is
that the practice should not be based on whether a practitioner feels
up to it on a particular day or not. Instead it needs to be established
as a good habit, which is practiced without internal disputation, much
like brushing your teeth.
Sometimes flexibility and imagination are required to find an
appropriate time and place. People with young children often find it
easier to meditate at work in their office. Single parents of preschool
56