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1-Page Summary of The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness
Introduction
Author Andy Puddicombe had a hard time shutting off his thoughts as a child. When he was young, something happened that made him feel very sad and angry. He tried to ignore it but couldn’t get the sadness or anger out of his mind. He then discovered meditation when he was around twelve years old, and although it wasn’t easy at first, he kept practicing because he knew it would help him with overwhelming emotions like sadness and anger. Eventually, many bad things happened in his life; however, meditation helped him cope with these events just like when he was younger.
A man left college to become a Buddhist monk. He went on to do many different jobs, including training as a circus clown, but he eventually found inner peace. In 2010, he founded Headspace with the goal of helping others find that same clarity and inner peace through meditation.
To be mindful, you need to do three things: 1) approach your thoughts without worrying about them; 2) practice mindfulness in a way that works for you (there are many techniques); and 3) integrate the practice into your life on a daily basis.
The Approach
Meditation is more than just an empty mind. It’s about not reacting to the thoughts in your head, which can be very difficult to do. Many people get frustrated with meditation because they don’t achieve this state of emptiness and give up before they’ve even begun. To be successful at meditating, you must understand that it’s about not reacting to the thoughts in your head instead of trying to remove all thought from your mind.
Leslie was frustrated after her third attempt at meditation during a community center’s mindfulness class. Each time, she tried to focus as hard as possible on pushing away the thoughts that kept creeping in: “Did I remember to pick up dog food? Is my dentist appointment this Tuesday or next Tuesday? Did I ever put my mom’s birthday card in the mail?”
Although she tried to relax, the thoughts kept bothering her. She left each class feeling more stressed than before and couldn’t concentrate on what was being taught in class. Her mind felt even busier than it did before she started school, so she decided to quit.
One woman was having trouble with meditation, so she asked her instructor for help. He told her that although it’s impossible to stop thinking altogether, we can choose not to worry about the thoughts that enter our minds during meditation.
It is important to clear your mind of both pleasant and unpleasant thoughts. While meditating, you want to avoid thinking about the need for dental work or a piece of cheesecake that’s waiting at home. Although one thought may seem bad (the dental work) and one good (the cheesecake), they’re both distractions when you’re trying to clear your mind. Instead of preventing these thoughts from entering your mind during meditation, try letting them go by without giving them too much negative or positive energy so that you can focus on clearing your mind instead.
You can also apply this practice to your senses. For example, if you’re in a place with a lot of noise, learn how to focus on the noises around you and then tune them out.
The Practice
Now that you understand what mindfulness and meditation are, how do you begin to practice them? It’s like learning any other new skill; it takes time and effort.
Before you start meditating, it’s important to figure out what your goal is. Are you looking for a more relaxed state of mind? Or are you trying to combat something like stress or anxiety? It’s also important to know why you’re doing this in the first place. Knowing your purpose will help identify the benefits as they come up.
