{"id":1354,"date":"2011-05-27T10:41:08","date_gmt":"2011-05-27T14:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/?p=1354"},"modified":"2011-05-27T10:41:08","modified_gmt":"2011-05-27T14:41:08","slug":"meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-one-you-already-know-how-to-meditate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-one-you-already-know-how-to-meditate.html","title":{"rendered":"Meditation Made Simple: Seven Considerations to Get You Going :: Part One: You Already Know How to Meditate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Today, I’ll introduce another series in addition to Waking Up is a Revolutionary Act<\/a>. This primer, Meditation Made Simple: Seven Considerations to Get You Going<\/strong><\/em> will be presented in seven sections. It answers basic questions and addresses particular myths about mindfulness meditation.<\/p>\n

1. You Already Know How to Meditate<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are thousands of techniques that may be considered meditation and this guide will describe mindfulness meditation.<\/p>\n

Meditation through the skill of mindfulness is native to all of us. We all have the capacity to become absorbed in the moment and we usually do so when special circumstances are in place \u2013 a beautiful sunset, a magical moment, or a crisis for that matter.<\/p>\n

Practicing meditation makes this native skill available in every moment, even the most ordinary of moments. You don\u2019t have to wait around for gorgeous sunsets; you don\u2019t have to arrange your life to catch things just right.<\/p>\n

Mindfulness is right here, right now and if you practice meditation you\u2019ll be able to access mindfulness (the fruit of meditation) in any moment \u2013 even the boring ones, the difficult ones, the crazy ones, the ordinary ones.<\/p>\n

So, relax, you already know how to do this. This is part of who you are, but you\u2019ve just been too busy to notice. And you don\u2019t even have to relax \u2013 just be who you are right now and you\u2019ll be OK.<\/p>\n

Meditation takes this native capacity and gets it into shape just as you would lift weights to get your muscles in shape. Meditation will get your brain in shape (and there is a growing body of evidence to support this).<\/p>\n

And as you know, when you lift weights you don\u2019t get into shape instantly. It takes time. Likewise, training your mind will take time to see the benefits of improved concentration, increased appreciation and clarity of your sensory experiences, and an ability to cope with even the most difficult circumstances with ease. There are other benefits as well, such as being less reactive, more engaged, and generally happier.<\/p>\n

Look for consideration two next week. I invite your comments.<\/p>\n

As always,<\/p>\n

Withe blessings and gratitude,<\/p>\n

Arnie.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Dr. Kozak's ability to translate ancient healing traditions into pragmatic applications suitable for modern lifestyles through the use of metaphors have made him a strong voice in healthcare and business. Beginning with a journey to India in the 80\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where he took the Bodhisattva vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Arnie Dr. Kozak began his lifelong practice in mindfulness meditation. Intent on finding a way to bring the practical healing attributes of mindfulness he began incorporating these techniques in his private practice. In 2002 Dr. Kozak created Exquisite Mind in Burlington, Vermont as a vehicle that could expand his wisdom to larger audiences beyond individual psychotherapy to professionals and corporations, health care providers, public groups and, most recently with Exquisite Mind Golf, amateur and professional golfers. His award-winning new book, Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness (Wisdom Publications, 2009) is a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring translation of mindfulness practice through the inventive use of metaphor applicable to our daily lives. In addition to his work with Exquisite Mind, Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDoctorate has been a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Vermont and is a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine. He has studied and practiced clinical psychology, meditation, and yoga for more than 25 years. He has studied with several meditation masters, including S. N. Goenka, Larry Rosenberg, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After receiving his bachelors degree with honors from Tufts University, he was awarded a Presidential Fellowship to get his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo. He completed his training as a Psychological Fellow at the Harvard Medical School. Prior to founding the Exquisite Mind in 2002, Arnie worked ten years in the private sector for the PKC Corporation consulting on mental health content for this revolutionary software company.","sameAs":["http:\/\/exquisitemind.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/author\/akozak"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1354"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1360,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1354\/revisions\/1360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}