{"id":1368,"date":"2011-06-02T22:11:47","date_gmt":"2011-06-03T02:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/?p=1368"},"modified":"2011-06-02T22:11:47","modified_gmt":"2011-06-03T02:11:47","slug":"meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-two-meditation-is-neither-complicated-nor-mystical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/06\/meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-two-meditation-is-neither-complicated-nor-mystical.html","title":{"rendered":"Meditation Made Simple: Seven Considerations to Get You Going :: Part Two: Meditation Is Neither Complicated Nor Mystical"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/06\/AA021036.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1371\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/96\/2011\/06\/AA021036-300x198.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" \/><\/a>The instructions for meditation couldn\u2019t be simpler. The instructions are as follows: Pay attention to what is happening now, when you\u2019re attention moves into the future or past or starts talking about the present, bring it back. Repeat as necessary. Got it? Not too complicated. Focus. Get distracted. Return your attention. Repeat.<\/p>\n<p>Something called \u201cawareness\u201d can notice and redirect attention. And that is what we cultivate when we meditate \u2013 awareness. Awareness is psychological, not mystical. It\u2019s a faculty that we all have, and, as noted above, we all have the ability to mindful in some circumstances. Meditation will make it available in all circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>There is nothing mysterious about this. Nothing that can\u2019t be observed directly, right here, right now. In fact, if we start to talk about things that we can\u2019t observe right here and right not then we\u2019re not talking about this kind of meditation. This meditation is simple, portable, and durable. \u00a0We can take it everywhere and it holds up to any circumstance and challenge. We don\u2019t need to get into the ineffable, the unknowable, or the sublime to be awake in our own lives. We just need to be breathing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The instructions for meditation couldn\u2019t be simpler. The instructions are as follows: Pay attention to what is happening now, when you\u2019re attention moves into the future or past or starts talking about the present, bring it back. Repeat as necessary. Got it? Not too complicated. Focus. Get distracted. Return your attention. Repeat. Something called \u201cawareness\u201d&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":268,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,8,9],"tags":[169,122,21,168,170],"class_list":["post-1368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-buddha-101","category-mindful-living","category-mindfulnesss","tag-awareness","tag-meditation","tag-mindfulness","tag-mysticism","tag-simple"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Meditation Made Simple: Seven Considerations to Get You Going :: Part Two: Meditation Is Neither Complicated Nor Mystical - Mindfulness Matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/06\/meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-two-meditation-is-neither-complicated-nor-mystical.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meditation Made Simple: Seven Considerations to Get You Going :: Part Two: Meditation Is Neither Complicated Nor Mystical - Mindfulness Matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The instructions for meditation couldn\u2019t be simpler. The instructions are as follows: Pay attention to what is happening now, when you\u2019re attention moves into the future or past or starts talking about the present, bring it back. Repeat as necessary. Got it? Not too complicated. Focus. Get distracted. Return your attention. Repeat. Something called \u201cawareness\u201d&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/06\/meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-two-meditation-is-neither-complicated-nor-mystical.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mindfulness Matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-06-03T02:11:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/06\/AA021036-300x198.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Arnie Kozak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Meditation Made Simple: Seven Considerations to Get You Going :: Part Two: Meditation Is Neither Complicated Nor Mystical - Mindfulness Matters","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/06\/meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-two-meditation-is-neither-complicated-nor-mystical.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Meditation Made Simple: Seven Considerations to Get You Going :: Part Two: Meditation Is Neither Complicated Nor Mystical - Mindfulness Matters","og_description":"The instructions for meditation couldn\u2019t be simpler. The instructions are as follows: Pay attention to what is happening now, when you\u2019re attention moves into the future or past or starts talking about the present, bring it back. Repeat as necessary. Got it? Not too complicated. Focus. Get distracted. Return your attention. Repeat. Something called \u201cawareness\u201d&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/06\/meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-two-meditation-is-neither-complicated-nor-mystical.html","og_site_name":"Mindfulness Matters","article_published_time":"2011-06-03T02:11:47+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/06\/AA021036-300x198.jpg"}],"author":"Dr. Arnie Kozak","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/06\/meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-two-meditation-is-neither-complicated-nor-mystical.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/06\/meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-two-meditation-is-neither-complicated-nor-mystical.html","name":"Meditation Made Simple: Seven Considerations to Get You Going :: Part Two: Meditation Is Neither Complicated Nor Mystical - Mindfulness Matters","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/06\/meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-two-meditation-is-neither-complicated-nor-mystical.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/06\/meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-two-meditation-is-neither-complicated-nor-mystical.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/06\/AA021036-300x198.jpg","datePublished":"2011-06-03T02:11:47+00:00","dateModified":"2011-06-03T02:11:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#\/schema\/person\/5f92cf2ae15fbe04e74ca47527ac68d8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/06\/meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-two-meditation-is-neither-complicated-nor-mystical.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/06\/meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-two-meditation-is-neither-complicated-nor-mystical.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/06\/meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-two-meditation-is-neither-complicated-nor-mystical.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/06\/AA021036-300x198.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/06\/AA021036-300x198.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/06\/meditation-made-simple-seven-considerations-to-get-you-going-part-two-meditation-is-neither-complicated-nor-mystical.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Meditation Made Simple: Seven Considerations to Get You Going :: Part Two: Meditation Is Neither Complicated Nor Mystical"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/","name":"Mindfulness Matters","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Arnie Kozak","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#\/schema\/person\/5f92cf2ae15fbe04e74ca47527ac68d8","name":"Dr. Arnie Kozak","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/6ab\/6abd6f3205265768510a13d66ac2aff7x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/6ab\/6abd6f3205265768510a13d66ac2aff7x96.jpg","caption":"Dr. Arnie Kozak"},"description":"Recognized as an innovator in the field of mindfulness-based psychology, Dr. Arnie Kozak is northern New England's leading expert in the field. 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\/1368","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=1368"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1368\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1374,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1368\/revisions\/1374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}