Everyday Mindfulness

My job entails intense concentration for up to an hour or more. I have heard that if one is actively and deeply engaged in doing something, that it is for all intents and purposes, mindfulness. If this is the case, wouldn't my tasks at work be just as effective as meditating "on the cushion?" Thank you.

Hi Bert.
No. You are talking about apples and oranges.
Cheers,
Jon

I am pretty new to meditation; could you please elaborate? Thanks.

Hi Bert,
How long have you been meditating and how are you going about learning mindfulness?
All best wishes,
Jon

Hi Jon,

I jave been meditating for several months now and have been reading books about mindfulness. 10 percent happier, Wherever you go, there you are, Mindfulness in Plain English, and The Untethered Soul.

Bert wrote:My job entails intense concentration for up to an hour or more. I have heard that if one is actively and deeply engaged in doing something, that it is for all intents and purposes, mindfulness. If this is the case, wouldn't my tasks at work be just as effective as meditating "on the cushion?" Thank you.

Hi Bert,

I personally believe intense concentration is nothing more than intense concentration. I do not think it is mindfulness or awareness although others may disagree. I believe mindfulness is to be constantly aware that you are concentrating, and noticing when anything interferes with the concentration and bringing it back. Because of this if you were at 100% concentration levels there is no mind space left for awareness. Its not just about forgetting the object and bringing yourself back to it. Its about noticing as much as possible everything happening in your head/body/around you whilst you concentrate on the object.

For this reason I think certain activities are easier to practice mindfulness with, eg simple ones, relaxed and repetitive ones, that allow you to closely monitor your mind and notice thoughts and emotions whilst you do the activity. Eg I find it too difficult to be mindful whilst reading, I lose awareness of the fact I am reading and the only way to maintain awareness is to lose concentration on the subject being read. Walking I find easier to be mindful as less concentration is involved, but very distracting.

There is formal practice, a quiet time to closely monitor yourself and informal. If you can do an aspect of your job whilst continually knowing you are doing it, that makes good practice.

mybubble, your explanation cleared things up for me and was very informative. Thanks a lot.

Can I ask anyone's opinion regarding meditating while on an elliptical trainer? It is something that one can do which requires leittle thought or coordination, but seems to provide a much more concrete anchor than the breath. I have a difficult time following my breath, as it is so subtle, unless I breathr deeply, then I hyperventilate.

I tried meditating on the elliptical trainer with my eyes closed, and I found my mind wandering a lot less than sitting. At the same time, this might fall into the category of which you spoke, mybubble. Thanks so much.

'Can I ask anyone's opinion regarding meditating while on an elliptical trainer?'

When you meditate, meditate.
When you train, train.
That's my opinion.
It sounds to me as if you are looking to combine meditation with other activities. Good luck with that. Why not just meditate? If you don't have 20 minutes a day to sit, then maybe your life needs a bit of an overhaul. Everyone has 20 minutes a day.
Cheers,
Jon

I have been experimenting with my daily amounts of meditation since I did a ten day Goenka retreat three months ago. I dont really notice the benefits of meditation unless I do it for two hours a day, so it has been very difficult finding the time.