Meditation is all about regular, consistent practice, “just showing up time and time again.” This is what Andy Puddicombe, founder of the popular Headspace mindfulness app, explains in this helpful promo animation Elephant: Slow and Steady. Adopting the ways of an elephant, steadily focusing on one step and then the next, can be a useful approach to meditation practice.
But, of course, “when you first close your eyes to meditate, you might be surprised by how energetic the mind is.” How can you create conditions for a calm and steady mind when your mind resembles more of an active monkey?
“Fortunately, the mind can be tamed, not by forcing it to stop or trying to make it sit still… but by training the mind, having an awareness of whether our attention has wandered off, and gently bringing it back with a kind and friendly hand.”
Related listening and reading: Sitting Still Like a Frog: Mindfulness Exercises for Kids (and Their Parents), a book and CD. Find it at Bookshop.org or on Amazon.
Previously from Headspace: Mindfulness animations on change, calm, and connection.
Then watch more videos about mindfulness and emotions :
• How to keep calm under pressure
• The Story of the Two Wolves
• The Importance of Staring Out Of The Window
• The Benefits of Boredom
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