Everyday Mindfulness

And I also used to think of mindfulness as binary: you are either being it or you aren't. Would I be better describing it if I saw it on a continuum, with fully-present, formal practice at one end, and autopilot with mind lost in wandering thought at the other?

It was this study which got me thinking: http://www.danielgilbert.com/KILLINGSWORTH%20&%20GILBERT%20(2010).pdf Me being me, I sat and thought about the implications: 1. We can still be mindful when thinking about something other than what we are doing if we KNOW we are doing it and not lost in t...

I am just curious as to how people would explain in to a layperson, what we each see as what the practice boils down to. I think I would go with, 'Knowing, and being as present as possible, for what you are doing at that time and returning to this approach when the mind drifts off.'

As a starting point Headspace by Any Puddicombe is a good intro (though leave you wanting). Sharon Salberg's 'Real Happiness' is another excellent introduction. I must admit, even as someone who has dabbled in mindfulness for around 10 years, I don't find Full Catastrophe Living an easy read. But it...

Some great advice, thanks all!

Thanks, folks. I have always struggled with the 2 concepts and reconciling them (and non-judgment/discernment, which Gareth & JonW cleared-up for me before - thanks, fellas). Also, I *know* there are no right and wrong ways to practice but, say, if you sit and watch your breath for 30mins, how m...

Also, there was a book on this subject but from what I have read, the danger was not from mindfulness but from consciousness-altering practices.

I think my post history shows I struggle with these concepts. If I am honest, I blame the books as they all seem to imply that thinking is not mindfulness as they don't differentiate between active, conscious thoughts and automatic thoughts. Though it could well just be my fault! I *think* I have cr...

I would think that people with some psychoses should consult their mental health medics before embarking on it, but I cannot see there being a harm.

But I would be very wary of recommending meditation to anyone with depersonalisation issues as the self-inquiry stuff could cause problems.

As ever, thanks Jon. So am I right in saying that, whilst Williams and Penman were right in pointing out that when we are in doing mode we're often on autopilot, it isn't inevitably so?