Noticing you’re not mindful that you’ve become mindful

When it comes to meditation practice I really find helpful the following by Christopher K. Germer the author of the book the mindful path to self-compassion;

You shouldn’t feel disheartened when you discover that your mind wanders incessantly. That’s the nature of the mind. It’s also the nature of the mind to eventually become aware of its wandering. Ironically, it’s in the very moment when you despair that you’re not mindful that you’ve become mindful. It’s not possible to do this practice perfectly, nor is it possible to fail. That is why it’s called a “practice.” (Germer, 2009, p. 35)

This reminds me of the notion that in meditation there is no success or failure it's all about the cultivation of awareness so becoming aware of a wandering mind is in itself not a failure within our practice but an achievement a reminder to return to resting on our meditation anchor which is the fundamental pedagogy at the heart of mindfulness meditation practice.

And in their blog on mindfulness ClaytonMicallef.com tell us the following about meditation practice and the wandering mind that:

It doesn’t matter how many times or for how long when your mind wanders off once you notice, that is a moment of mindfulness. A moment where you have woken up in the present, and when this happens, congratulate yourself and gently return to your meditation anchor and to the experience of0 meditation.

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