Common Mistakes When Starting Mindfulness

The practice of mindfulness has recently garnered quite a bit of attention as more 
people are turned on to the benefits of leading mindful lifestyles. Just like anything else 
that achieves considerable media and mass attention, mindfulness is not without its 
misconceptions, many of which are quite outlandish. The following are just a few of the 
most common mistakes and misconceptions about mindfulness. 


The Lone Monk Stereotype

Not everyone who practices mindfulness feels the need to join a monastery or spend 
extensive amounts of time living as a hermit. While some of the most famous adherents 
to mindfulness may have been lonesome wanderers or hermetic monks, today, most 
who practice mindfulness are ordinary people like you or me. Behind closed doors, we 
all practice our own lifestyles in our own respective ways, often without showing any 
distinction between ourselves and anyone else in the outside world. Mindfulness is no 
different from yoga, weight-lifting, therapy or any other form of self-care.


Mindfulness Has Rules and Restrictions

Mindfulness does not come with any strict rules or regulations as far as how it is done, 
how often, or how you are doing it right or wrong. It is much simpler than you might think 
it is, and in many cases, you already practice mindfulness in some areas of your life.

When you are eating a meal in silence without distractions, where does your mind go? If 
it doesn’t concentrate on your food, you are eating mindlessly. To be more mindful, all 
you have to do is think about what you are eating, the tastes and textures, the 
temperatures, and how it makes you feel. That is what mindfulness is. You are tapping 
into your thoughts and senses, and allowing the present moment to happen, without 
thinking too much about the past or future, and without judgment.


Mindfulness is Religious

Even atheists practice mindfulness, proving this misconception false right off the bat. 
Mindfulness has nothing to do with spirituality, the afterlife, deities or any sect or aspect 
of religion. Mindfulness starts and ends inside the mind and body. When followers of 
mindfulness refer to a "soul," they often mean that nameless energy inside of us that 
makes us unique. While some forms of mindfulness might implement aspects of various 
religions into their practices, mindfulness, as a whole, is not inherently religious. You 
don't have to believe in the words of Jesus Christ to aspire to the level of mindfulness 
he is said to have possessed.

