The key difference between mindfulness and meditation is that mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment, whereas meditation typically involves using a specific technique or object, such as breath or a mantra, to quiet the mind and achieve a state of relaxation and focus.
Both mindfulness and meditation help you to have a fulfilled and rewarding life while reducing your stress, anxiety, and depression. They improve your sleep and focus and even control your diabetes level. Mindfulness makes your mind active since you need to concentrate well on the present situation, yet meditation takes you to the depth of being yourself and just observing your thoughts without analyzing them.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Mindfulness
3. What is Meditation
4. Mindfulness vs Meditation in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Mindfulness vs Meditation
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the ability to be fully aware of the present moment without being overly reactive or getting overwhelmed by anything. This means being fully aware of what we are, where we are, and what we are doing at present. This method trains us not to react or judge quickly with our limited, sometimes false perspectives. Mindfulness helps us to observe well, understand clearly about various situations, and respond skillfully. It broadens our perspective and trains us to respond more effectively. Though mindfulness is innate, we have to practice it to learn how to access it properly.
There are various ways to practice mindfulness in our daily lives. We can develop it by being with nature or by meditating. We can also include short pauses in our day-to-day life or add mindfulness to activities like sports or yoga. We can also practice this while sitting or walking. This method helps us to improve our performance, focus on the present moment, silence our inner dialogues, and gain insight and awareness by observing our minds.
Since slowing down our emotions and focusing on one thing is not easy, there are various strategies that we can use. We can go for a walk and observe the things we see, listen to the sounds we hear, and feel all the sensations there. Instead of multitasking, we can do one task at a time with full focus and attention. We can try mindfulness apps that provide resources, information, and guided practices. Finally, the most important concept in mindfulness is to accept, be kind and treat yourself with compassion.
What is Meditation?
Meditation is the practice of focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity to achieve mental clarity, relaxation, and inner peace. Almost every religion, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam, and different cultures worldwide, use various types of meditative practices. Meditation is also a psychotherapeutic technique.
There are two main meditation types. They are concentrative meditation and mindfulness meditation. Concentrative meditation focuses on a specific thing, such as a mantra or your breathing pattern while meditating. The purpose of this meditation is to reach a higher state of being. Mindfulness meditation, on the contrary, is about the state of being aware of the present moment. It helps you to be open, aware, and accepting.
You can practice meditation by following several steps. First, select a place without any disturbance. Then set a time limit starting with shorter sessions. After that, be comfortable and pay attention to your body. Then pay attention to your breathing pattern and focus on how they feel. Finally, meditate by noticing your thoughts without judging or analyzing them. Notice how they drift away, and when they do, refocus them on your breathing pattern.
What is the Difference Between Mindfulness and Meditation?
The key difference between mindfulness and meditation is that mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment, whereas meditation typically involves using a specific technique or object, such as breath or a mantra, to quiet the mind and achieve a state of relaxation and focus.
The below infographic presents the differences between mindfulness and meditation in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Mindfulness vs Meditation
Mindfulness is the ability to be fully aware of the present moment without being overly reactive or getting overwhelmed by anything. This can be practiced anywhere while being watchful of your thoughts. Meditation is a consciousness-changing technique that improves the state of awareness and focused attention. This should be done in a quiet place without any disturbances and is about letting go of your thoughts. Unlike meditation, mindfulness needs effort since it is about being aware of your mind. So, this is the summary of the difference between mindfulness and meditation.
Reference:
1. “What Is Mindfulness?” Taking Charge. University of Minessota.
2. “Meditation.” Cleaveland Clinic.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Mindfulness brain” By John Hain – (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Meditation” (CC) via Pexels