“I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.” Psalm 77:12 (ESV)

Over the past four weeks I have been attending a meditation class offered at my school that focuses on learning how to be in the present moment. I’ve had a lot of friends ask me about the experience and say something along the lines of, “what the heck do you mean by present moment… aren’t we living it right now?” Well, yes. We are in fact living it. But after these four weeks I have come to realize that for the most part, most of us don’t ever fully engage in the present moment. And that’s kind of weird- I mean, how do we go through life without experiencing each present moment?
            Well let me explain that to you. I’ll set up an example to help. So as a college student I spend a lot of my time walking from class to class or from the dining hall to the library. But during those times, I think about anything except for the present moment that I’m in. Let me show you how. As I’m walking from sociology to Spanish, I usually either think about what I just learned in soc or what I should say in español (because when you’re not fluent yet it can take a while to articulate all your thoughts). Sometimes I think about the cute boy in front of me and fantasize over him or think about something that happened the other day, but my thoughts are rarely ever the present moment experience. Although I’m thinking during the present moment, I’m generally thinking of the past, future, or fantasy. And that is true for all of us. Think about how scatter brained you can get, especially when you’re stressed. Your mind is going in so many directions, which ultimately proves that you’re not fully invested in that particular place in time. So, do you see my point?
            Throughout these past four weeks, I’ve had a strong desire to really learn how to meditate effectively and live mindfully in the present moment. I’ve heard so many positive outcomes of practicing these things in your everyday life, so of course I’m interested in experiencing those benefits for myself. But man, it is way harder to master mindfulness meditation than you’d think. But- here’s another thing that I’ve learned: its okay. Its okay to take time to learn these practices and its okay to not be able to be in the present moment 60 seconds of every minute. Its completely natural and human for our minds to wander, so let them. But the key is to gently bring our awareness back to the present moment.
            A huge epiphany that I experienced this past week was that not only does mindfulness meditation reduce stress and increase happiness, but it teaches you a lot about yourself. And that is one of the ultimate goals of this practice- to constantly learn about who you are and what makes you, you. I know that probably sounds weird, right? You might be thinking, “How could I not know everything about myself, I’m the only me there is.” Okay, true, you are the only you. But that does not mean you know everything about yourself. You see, mindfulness meditation taps into the subconscious brain and allows us to understand our feelings and thoughts on a deeper level. For instance, I became more aware of my lack of patience for myself, not only in wanting to be effectively mindful right now, but also in how I treat myself when I don’t meet my own expectations. For example, I’m always frustrated if I don’t get a certain grade or can’t run on the treadmill as long as I think is ideal. Although I’m not necessarily attacking myself and being like “Geez, Daniyal.. why can’t you do better?” … I’m still allowing myself to be frustrated when I’m trying my best. And the biggest take away from mindfulness meditation- other than fully experiencing every moment- is learning how be non-judgmental, compassionate, gentle, and open-minded with yourself and your experiences.
            Although it takes a ton of practice, dedication, patience, and will power to be an effective meditator, it is possible. And it is effective. However, I assumed that once you master mindful meditation, it comes easy from them on. But after four weeks of training, I’m realizing that isn’t always the case. Some days its easier to be mindful than others. Some days I want to spend my time doing other things. Some days all I want to do is meditate. So while I continue to practice, I will continue to experience setbacks, but again- that’s okay. Because part of this practice is learning to accept what is.
            With that said, I want to prose the claim that mindfulness meditation should in fact be a part of the Christian lifestyle. If you noticed at the beginning of the blog, I have the verse, “I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds” (Psalm 77:12). From what I’ve gathered over these past few weeks and my understanding of Christianity, it is actually important to be mindful and meditate as a follower of Jesus. Why you might ask? Isn’t this a Buddhist practice? Yes. But when you become an effective meditator, you see the world differently. You become aware of things you never noticed before about the world, about yourself, about life. And when you can do that, you gain the ability to appreciate. Appreciate the good and the bad.
            The reason that I believe that this practice is useful for Christians is just that. It allows you to appreciate everything that God has intentionally done in your life, good or bad. Because once you realize that everything in your life shapes who you are, you also understand that God is doing things for your benefit, whether it feels like it or not. So mastering the art of mindfulness meditation is appropriate in Christianity because then you can appreciate His “mighty deeds” which ultimately empowers you to suffer less.

The Importance of Mindfulness Meditation

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