How does mindfulness practice deepen with further years of practice?

[justinemery]

I've been meditating for 3 or 4 years now. I've been on a couple of retreats. I've been through times when I'm able to live extremely mindfully, while other times (usually when I'm busier) I lose awareness and my meditation practice is not as consistent.

I'm curious about what developments more experienced practitioners of meditation and mindfulness have made. For example, is there a clear difference in the quality of practice and life between 3 years and 10 years? Obviously this is a personal journey and people will progress at different paces. But is there anyone here who has been practising mindfulness for over a decade and looking back, can describe significant developments they experienced in their practice after the first couple of years?

[Gareth]

I have been practising for about 8 years.

It has now become a way of life for me now. Regular meditation is part of my life, but I practise informally all of the time.

I think that to start off you need a solid grounding in your practice (consistency and possibly some teaching).