Mindfulness Vs. Meditation

0 Comments

Mindfulness and meditation are two terminologies that you must have heard and maybe practised too. But why do you keep hearing them from everyone? Because it’s a fast-paced world where people are doing one thing and keeping an eye on the other. In the rush of dealing with the hustle and bustle of life, we often forget that sometimes our mind needs rest too. It also demands time off the turmoil around it, which is why mindfulness and meditation are important.

While these words are becoming a part of everyday colloquialism, the question is: Are these terms interchangeable? You see and hear these terms often and think that you should practice this to find peace of mind, but don’t understand the difference. Mindfulness and meditation are often used to understand the same thing, which can be confusing. Well, the idea behind both is to calm your frenzied mind and unleash the hidden creativity.

Either way, you should know the difference between them. So here are the things that separate mindfulness and mediation from each other.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is the formal practice of finding peace within oneself. When we meditate, we become aware of our thoughts and learn something about ourselves. It allows a person to let go of the past and negative thinking overshadowing their present. It paves the way to spiritual growth by controlling the mental chatter and reducing accumulated stress in our mind.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a practice to make yourself aware of what you’re doing at the present moment. Have you eaten your food without being fully aware of its taste? Have you been looking at your phone and missed the conversation or smiles happening around you? Mindfulness helps you be aware of the present. When one becomes fully aware of the situation, it becomes less stressful as our perspective changes and we become less judgmental. It helps a person to communicate with an open mind. Life becomes less superficial and compassionate once we become aware of someone else’s sufferings and pain by carefully listening to them.

What is the Difference ?

Both of these practices are ancient and spiritual, originating in religion. There is a very thin line when it comes to the difference between mindfulness and meditation. Meditation is reaching your ultimate consciousness and finding peace within your mind through different techniques.

Mindfulness is about being in the present and fully acknowledging the moment. It is a form of meditation that improves your awareness of your surroundings by being in the present.

Meditation and mindfulness are like two sides of the same coin. Where meditation enriches the mind and expands awareness, mindfulness makes you aware of what you are experiencing moment by moment.