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Expert GuidanceBeginner's Mind

Beginner's Mind

Although we sit still in meditation, the best approach to the mind is a playful one.

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When we sit to meditate it's very tempting to remember previous meditations, hoping that an enjoyable one will be repeated or perhaps fearing that a more challenging one will reappear. The trouble is these ideas, our hopes and our fears can really get in the way of a direct experience of the breath, of this moment, because rather than observing the mind as it is, allowing it to naturally unfold, we're busy trying to create an idea of what we would like it to look like instead. That's why it's helpful to approach meditation with what's known as beginner's mind. It means sitting down without any preconceptions or assumptions, with no idea of what we'll find or what the outcome will be. So it's a very innocent mind. It's a bit like the way young children interact with the world with a sense of curiosity and wonder and there's a certain amount of delight inherent in that interest in the world. Kids aren't thinking about the outcome necessarily. They simply enjoy exploring for its own sake. So in beginner's mind, we're going into each meditation recognizing that the experience is new. The mind is different, the conditions are different. And so rather than comparing our current experience to our expectation, we're actually present, interested in the body and mind as it is in this moment....

Details

TypeExpert Guidance
Duration1 min

About your teachers

  • A former Buddhist monk, Andy has guided people in meditation and mindfulness for 20 years. In his mission to make these practices accessible to all, he co-created the Headspace app in 2010.

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  • Eve is a mindfulness teacher, overseeing Headspace’s meditation curriculum. She is passionate about sharing meditation to help others feel less stressed and experience more compassion in their lives.

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  • As a meditation teacher, Dora encourages others to live, breathe, and be with the fullness of their experiences. She loves meditation’s power to create community and bring clarity to people’s minds.

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  • Kessonga has been an acupuncturists, therapist, and meditation teacher, working to bring mindfulness to the diverse populations of the world.

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  • Rosie Acosta has studied yoga and mindfulness for more than 20 years and taught for over a decade. Rosie’s mission is to help others overcome adversity and experience radical love.

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