This section brings together all the practices, techniques, and concepts introduced in this book. It will serve as both a short summary and as an option to refer to for your daily mindfulness practice.

Firstly, please keep meditating! There is a lag between our actions on the meditation mat and the benefits to our mental state. But just as we know that if we keep lifting in the gym we will get stronger, we need to keep in mind that if we continue to meditate we will eventually see positive changes. Reductions in anxiety and rumination, as well as an increase in clarity, calm and focus. Our relationships will improve, along with our decision-making abilities. We will begin to know ourselves on a deep level and therefore be in a better place to make decisions for our future….

This book began with an introduction to the practice and principles of mindfulness broadly, providing you with an opportunity to start meditating immediately. Then it branched out and drilled down on different areas, clarifying, explaining, and expanding your knowledge.

If you have worked through all the Meditations and Glimpses, you now have a strong set of tools in your mindfulness toolbox and will be able to integrate the practice into your daily life….

On its own, mindfulness will be a tremendous boon to your mental state, relationships, and overall functionality; but there are some complimentary practices that when combined with mindfulness, can produce additional benefits in the practitioner’s life.

Not everything that follows will be for you and that is okay. Consider these as optional extras, or side dishes to the main that is mindfulness. They are certainly not necessary, but some people swear by them…

What follows may appear a touch terse to the modern ear, but nonetheless it does provide a good likeness to the approach we are undertaking with our minds when we practice mindfulness. So, if you find this section obtuse or emotionally impactful, I encourage you to use the skills gained in the previous section ‘Addiction, Emotions, and Conflict’ to investigate those feelings…

During a formal session we choose a meditation object and attempt to maintain our focused attention on it for the duration, with our broad awareness scanning, highlighting, and labelling any potential distractions that risk drawing away our attention. We may shift our focus, but only do so when we are under extreme physical or emotional discomfort, or when we are practicing on the spectrum of awareness...

I am not a traditionalist. I believe in doing what works, not what has always been done for its own sake. Humans have a way of ritualizing behaviors that produce positive outcomes. We find something that works, then dogmatically stick to that approach out of fear of failure. The problem with that approach is that it may both lock in superfluous practices, but also discourages experimentation and innovation. The following two anecdotes highlight the potential risks surrounding unquestioning obedience to tradition…

Once we have some experience with mindfulness meditation, we can begin to explore different types of awareness and expand our practice in unique and interesting ways. Up to this point, the meditations and glimpses in this book have been object based. That is, we choose a meditation object, like the breath, a mood, or a sound, and repeatedly return our attention back to that object when our mind wanders…

What is the nature of enlightenment?
Does realisation come suddenly or gradually?
Is it permanent or does it require continual work to maintain?
Is there even a state to attain or are we simply unaware of our inherent ‘Buddha Nature’?
Is meditation even necessary for enlightenment?
Does the enlightened state even exist?

Zen suggests that when sitting, you simply sit. If enlightenment comes it comes. But you should stop striving for it. There should be no expectations of growth, change, happiness, or insights. You should sit for sitting’s sake, or more specifically, you should just sit…

Before we progress into the advanced practice component of this book, it is important to address some common myths and misconceptions about mindfulness. Below you will find some of the questions, beliefs and concerns people have prior to starting a mindfulness practice, as well as some of the things they wished they knew earlier on….

‘‘‘To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.’ – Lao Tzu

One of the goals of our meditation practice is to bring the mindfulness state off the meditation mat and into our everyday lives. Just as we lift weights in the gym to be strong in daily life, we meditate formally so we can be mindful in daily life. But there need not be a distinction between the end of a formal session and the rest of our day. Indeed, with practice we will be increasingly able to become mindful at any time. First with small glimpses, and then over longer periods of time…

‘‘We have only now, only this single eternal moment opening and unfolding before us, day and night.’ – Jack Kornfield

Knowing if you are meditating correctly is uniquely challenging. Unlike most other pursuits, it is completely internal, and the results are entirely subjective. You could watch two people sitting, one in deep meditation and the other lost in a daydream, and not be able to tell who was doing what. In fact, the day dreamer may emerge from their sit appearing more refreshed and relaxed than when they began, whereas the meditator may appear exhausted….

Some days, meditation can seem like a chore. It can feel like you are totally out of focus for the entire session. That your mind is wandering out of control, and it is all you can do to stop yourself from getting off the mat and ending the session early. Perhaps you are plagued by embarrassing memories, find yourself bombarded by strong emotions, or are simply falling asleep. Whatever the reason, that meditation session just sucked. Please do not stress, this happens to everyone. It is not a sign of regression, or that you are meditating incorrectly. The truth is that you can only have the meditation you are having. Whatever happens, happens and that is okay.

For some people, their meditation practice is greatly enhanced in the presence of others. Getting together with a group of like-minded people to practice can be quite rewarding. A good meditation group will be motivating and help keep you accountable. It is one thing to skip a session when you are alone, but quite another when you have agreed to meet up with a group. This is a form of positive social pressure and is a great tool to harness the positive effects of peer pressure. What is more, when you are meditating with others, you will have a wealth of experiences and resources to draw upon should any questions or concerns arise.

Some of the most common questions about meditation relate to posture. ‘How should I sit? Should I open or close my eyes? What do I do with my hands? Can I use a chair and a cushion? What if I don’t have the flexibility?’ Depending on the tradition of your instructor, you will receive different answers to these questions, some of which will be contradictory, all of which will seem very convincing.

When meditating, if we notice our attention wandering, we gently bring our focus back to the meditation object again and again. This approach works fine, but there is another layer to the practice that can help you to stay focused and mindful for longer and far more effectively.

In order to get the best out of our formal meditation sessions, we need to ensure that our internal and external environments are optimized.

To be clear, mindfulness is not the act of meditating. It is the state that arises from our meditation practice. Therefore, mindfulness is not dependent on the use of the breath as a meditation object. Anything can be used: sounds, sights, physical sensations, thoughts, and even awareness itself. In fact, if we want to integrate the benefits into our everyday life, it is vital that we explore mindfulness across a broad spectrum of meditation objects. That way, we will have the tools of mindfulness readily available to employ, wherever and whenever we need them. What is the point of our practice if the benefits do not transcend the meditation mat?

‘I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one.’ - Mahatma Gandhi

We do not meditate when we feel like it, or just when the mood strikes. No, we meditate every day, without fail.

It is important to highlight something here about habit acquisition. Go slowly and make sure all changes are life appropriate. If we go too hard too soon, we risk dropping the practice entirely.