Mindfulness Skills (Part 2) and Practicing “Outside the Box”
Today’s podcast episode continues our discussion on Mindfulness Skills, picking up from Part 1 (which was Ep. 83). This topic explores the possibilities for growth and greater freedom that come from pursuing a mindful path.
And, with a combination of traditional methods and outside-the-box practices, mindfulness can be more accessible, relevant, and personalized for each of us.
Episode Details:
I’m using the term “skill” very deliberately, because skills are learnable – they are qualities or tools we can train in and develop. Mindfulness practices also have many benefits for our health and well-being, but I think of skills as being more intentional in nature.
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When we know what mindfulness skills are, we can develop them in all kinds of activities, from traditional meditation, to mindful movement, to hobbies, daily tasks, exercise, work, play, and more.
In this episode, I cover Mindfulness Skills 10-20. (I discussed 1-9 in Episode 83, so if you missed that one, you may want to start there.) This is by no means the definitive list of mindfulness skills – you could certainly name more – but I think it’s enough to point to the breadth and depth of transformation that mindfulness can bring.
20 Mindfulness Skills to Develop:
1) Being present (present-moment awareness)
2) Embodiment (being in your body)
3) Steady Focus
4) Ability to shift attention
5) Deep Listening
6) Intention
7) Non-judgment (suspending interpretation)
8) Being with emotions without getting lost in them
9) Decreasing Reactivity
10) Acceptance (allowing things to be as they are)
11) Recognizing impermanence
12) Observing thoughts and tracking thought patterns
13) Investigation
14) Relaxing identification with emotions and thoughts
15) Noticing habits that create more stress or suffering
16) Letting Go
17) Increasing kindness, compassion, and empathy
18) Cultivating appreciation and gratitude
19) Developing Patience
20) Nurturing Perseverance
Photo: Nadya Spetnitskaya via Unsplash
Each skill could truly be its own podcast episode, so here I try to introduce them (relatively briefly) with a few quotes, images, Buddhist concepts, and personal anecdotes sprinkled in to provide a sketch of the terrain.
Part of what inspired this topic is that many people over the years have mentioned to me that running, or baking bread, or crocheting (or another activity) is their meditation. If you feel at all meditative while doing an activity, I hope you will build on that! Learning about mindfulness skills can help you identify what positive qualities your favorite practice is growing – and where the gaps may be.
So, in this episode, I offer examples of working on mindfulness skills as you would in traditional meditation, but also in mindful movement and in a creative array of other forms. The possibilities are infinite!
Resources and Links from this episode:
- To learn more about Ajahn Sumedho’s famous phrase “It’s Like This,” read this interview in Lion’s Roar with teacher Vinny Ferraro explaining the teaching.
- If you’re curious about some of the research on compassion and the brain, check out this Scientific American article.
There are several previous episodes of the podcast related to the themes here! You might be interested in hearing Ep. 35 on Anxiety and Strong Emotions, Ep. 60 – Meditation Myth: You Need To Get Rid of Your Thoughts, or any of the Deeper Dive episodes I did on Kindness, Compassion, Equanimity, Joy, Patience and Persistence, Embodiment, Focus, and more…
P.S. Did you know there is a Free Membership Tier of the Moved To Meditate Class Library? Learn more about the Class Library and sign up for your Free Library Card to access the five featured classes from the catalog each month.