Mindfulness & Inner Peace

The vast majority of us have become accustomed to focusing on the outside world and are frantically running from one thing to another. Constantly looking for the ultimate pleasure and setting goals for themselves that must be realized as soon as possible. This makes it easy to forget to reflect on what is really there.

To find inner peace within yourself, it makes sense to slow yourself down. By being more aware of yourself and all inner processes, you can notice what restlessness lives inside you. If there is real peace within yourself, you will notice this because you can stay with yourself more quietly. You don't have to do so much of yourself anymore and enjoy the simple things around you. If there is a lot of restlessness in yourself, you feel the need to rush from one thing to another. In the hope that the inner turmoil will disappear.

Inner cleansing

Being afraid of silence, of being alone or loneliness, it means that you are afraid of being aware of yourself. Resistance to consciously go inside yourself arises because you know that something is going to happen if you do that. By standing still and going inwards with your attention, you will realize what nonsense is going through your mind. And there is so much learned nonsense in yourself. Thinking that you are not good enough, that you have to be flawless, that you always have to do everything perfectly, that you always have to be nice, have to be the best....

You don't have to practice real silence within yourself, that silence is there and you only have to become aware. It is the mind that causes restlessness, it wants to control and control everything. The mind is actually a dictator and only gets peace when everything is exactly as it wants it to be. Of course, that never happens and that's why you keep trying to get everything under control.

The mind is a unique human quality and it has taken us far in our development. At the same time, the same mind causes a lot of pain, sadness, frustration and fear. We constantly impose all kinds of ideas and opinions on ourselves and each other and think that we ourselves or the other should comply with them. When you cannot meet the bar you set for yourself, you feel like failure, failure, not good enough and so on.

When practicing meditation, you look for the emptiness without thoughts. You leave thinking for what it is and open yourself completely to the observer in yourself. The center that observes everything and is aware of the thoughts and also feelings you have. The biggest challenge is to observe everything and not do anything with it. If you are going to do something, you have again fallen for the mind that thinks you have to comply with something.

That's why you can't actually practice mindfulness or meditation, as long as you're still practicing you haven't understood the essence of mindfulness or meditation. It is a lifestyle that you can make your own. If you are mindful or in meditation, then the practice is no longer an addition. Until then, you practice mindfulness and meditation, because you have not yet understood the essence.

There is a lot of confusion about the meaning of meditation and mindfulness. It is presented by some as the solution to everything, others think it is woolly nonsense and still others find it scary and dangerous.

As you have read above, the original meaning of meditation is that you make a deep contact with the observer within yourself, also called inner witness. When that realization takes place, it is labeled as enlightenment. You free yourself from all kinds of earthly desires and feelings, so that you are no longer sucked in by both negative and positive thoughts. You are able to maintain inner peace despite the things that are happening around you.

Meditation or mindfulness can also be called attention training. Practicing being in the moment with all your attention, without being distracted by thoughts or events.

So you can turn everything you do into a meditation. Whether it's a household chore, sports, your work or a walk, it doesn't matter what you do. All you have to do is let go of your thoughts completely and immerse yourself in what you are doing.

We have become so used to thinking that it can be quite difficult to let go of your thoughts. That is why all kinds of exercises have been devised to make that step easier. You can sit somewhere quiet and let go of your thoughts. It doesn't have to be in a special position or on a so-called meditation bench. You can take a walk and clear your mind. It doesn't matter.

Home exercise:
Choose an action that you want to use for your personal meditation, no matter what. It is best to choose an action that you enjoy doing and that is somewhat special. Plan days when you meditate during the action you do. Practice the meditation for at least 3 months and a few days a week. It will be difficult at first, but over time you will notice that you can become quiet more easily. Always focus on letting go of all thoughts. Don't make it a struggle, be mild and keep practicing. Good luck!