Mindfulness Meditation: Definition, Types, & How to Do It

By Eser Yilmaz, M.S., Ph.D.
​Reviewed by Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.
Mindfulness meditation has become increasingly popular in recent years. Discover the benefits of this meditation technique and learn how to practice it.
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Many of us juggle multiple projects at our jobs, take care of our children or elderly relatives, and try to keep up with all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, bills, appointments, school recitals, and family gatherings. Some even wear that multitasking ability as a productivity badge of honor. Sure, we are probably getting a lot of things done, but our minds wander far and wide as we hop from one task to another, and we feel tired and stressed out. 
Most of our mind-wandering involves rumination about things that happened earlier or planning and thinking about what we will do next. These thoughts about the past and the future clutter our minds, distract us from the present moment, and prevent us from noticing the little everyday pleasures. As a result, many people go through their daily lives as if on autopilot, blindly moving toward their destination without paying attention to the ride. Yet, life is nothing but this ride. 

Mindfulness can help us remove our blindfolds and be more present in our daily lives. And in this article, you will learn how to be more mindful through mindfulness meditation. You will also discover the benefits of this meditation technique, types of mindfulness meditation for different purposes, and tips to get the most out of your meditation practice.

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What Is Mindfulness Meditation? (A Definition)

Mindfulness is a mental state that has its roots in Buddhism and involves being in the present moment with a nonjudgmental awareness of one’s thoughts, feelings, sensations, and environment (Hofmann & Gomez, 2017). Therefore, when we are mindful, we perceive what is happening in the present moment instead of rehashing the past or worrying about the future. 

Although we can practice mindfulness anytime and anywhere, it can be tough to achieve initially. The good news is that anyone can become better at being mindful, and one of the best ways to cultivate it is by practicing mindfulness meditation. Simply put, mindfulness meditation is a mindfulness-based meditation technique that systematically guides your attention. This systemic guidance allows you to be aware of your breath, bodily sensations, and thoughts you have at that moment without judging them. Mindfulness meditation can improve your well-being in many ways when practiced regularly. Let’s discuss some science-backed benefits of this practice.

Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness involves focusing on what is happening at each moment. Therefore, cultivating mindfulness helps our brains better focus on tasks. Researchers tested this idea by comparing the brain activity of subjects new to meditation before and after an eight-week mindfulness meditation training. They found that the post-training brain activity of these subjects was associated with an improved ability to tune out distractions and focus their attention (Kerr et al., 2011). 

Mindfulness Meditation Effects
The effect of mindfulness meditation on brain function seems to reach beyond focusing well. In another study, researchers looked at the mindfulness-associated changes in gray matter (the brain layers that contain the bodies of neurons) in several brain areas of participants. They observed that an eight-week training of mindfulness meditation resulted in increases in gray matter density in brain areas associated with learning, memory, and emotion regulation (Hölzel et al., 2011).

Are you tossing and turning in bed as your mind wanders from one thought to another? Research suggests that mindfulness may help you get some shut-eye time. A meta-analysis evaluated 18 studies that used mindfulness meditation interventions to test the effect of mindfulness on sleep quality. The analysis indicated that mindfulness meditation might alleviate some parts of sleep disturbance (Rush et al., 2019).

Mindfulness Meditation & Anxiety
Are you looking for a way to deal with your daily stress and anxiety? Mindfulness may be of help again. Practicing mindfulness can reduce your stress and anxiety by allowing you to become less reactive to unpleasant situations (Kabat-Zinn, Massion & Kristeller, 1992). In fact, a meta-analysis has found that mindfulness-based interventions exhibited efficacy in lessening anxiety and depression symptom severity in a wide range of patients and consistently outperformed non-evidence-based treatments and active control conditions (Hofmann & Gomez, 2017).

Mindfulness-based interventions have also been increasingly incorporated into therapies for treating pain. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials suggests that although mindfulness meditation has a limited capacity to reduce pain, it seems to be quite effective in improving the quality of life of chronic pain patients (Hilton et al., 2017).

Mindfulness Meditation for Beginners

Would you like to practice mindfulness meditation but don’t know where to begin? The first thing to know is that you don’t need any equipment, membership, or subscription to meditate. All you need to get started is a comfortable place to sit where you won’t be disturbed for a while. Nevertheless, you may benefit from a guided meditation until you get used to sitting still and quieting your mind. Also, you might want to think of meditation as an exercise for your mind. Just like beginning a new physical exercise regimen with shorter and easier exercises can get your body conditioned for more strenuous workouts, starting with brief meditations can help you build the foundational skills for longer practices. Here is a guided meditation for beginners you can try. ​

Video: Beginner’s Guided Mindfulness Meditation

Types of Mindfulness Meditation

We know that mindfulness meditation offers many benefits, but how does mindfulness help with problems such as the inability to fall asleep or feelings of anxiety before an important event? Let’s discuss some types of mindfulness meditation that can help in these situations.

Mindfulness Meditation for Sleep
Many people don’t get enough sleep. Moreover, falling asleep can be a challenge when thoughts and ideas are racing in your mind. If you are tossing and turning to no avail, you can implement a few changes to your bedtime routine to get the rest you need. The first thing to consider is to reduce your device use close to bedtime. This is because electronic device screens emit blue light, which can keep us awake. In addition, the news you read or the social media feeds you see may add to the mental noise at a time you want to relax.

Another thing to keep in mind is that consistency is key when it comes to meditating. If your sleep issues are chronic, you might want to establish a consistent meditation practice before sleep. Research suggests that ‘body scan’ meditations effectively promote sleep (Hubbling et al., 2014). During a body scan meditation, you shift your attention from one part of the body to the next until you screen your entire body. Here is a relaxing example you can try.

Video: Guided Meditation for Sleep – Body Scan ​

Mindfulness Meditation for Anxiety
Feeling stressed out or anxious? Regularly practicing mindfulness meditation can help you keep your stress and anxiety at bay. If you are experienced, you can meditate by sitting still, bringing your awareness to the present moment, and acknowledging your uncomfortable or anxious thoughts without suppressing them. Your inner monologue may quiet down once you recognize these thoughts and emotions. If you find it challenging to accomplish that on your own, there are many excellent guided meditation practices you can try. Here is one you may find helpful.

Video: Guided Meditation for Anxiety

Mindfulness Meditation for Kids
Mindfulness isn’t something that only adults can benefit from. Like adults, children have to cope with stress and anxiety as well. Moreover, the youngest generation recently faced a multi-year epidemic and fell behind educationally and socially, which isn’t something the older generations experienced during their early lives. The good news is that mindfulness meditation can help our children cope with life’s challenges and become happier. It can also help them build better attention skills, which may increase their academic success. The good news is that healthy habits formed early in life can persist into adulthood. 

One way to get your little one(s) started with mindfulness meditation is to be their role model. You can show them how to meditate, tell them your tips and tricks, or prepare a short script to guide their mindfulness meditation. You might also consider family meditation times when you and your child(ren) meditate together. Try to remember that starting small is the key; a few minutes of meditation might be sufficient to get started. Finally, another thing to get your child(ren) to start meditating is using Apps such as Calm or Headspace, which offer guided meditations for kids. Here is an example video your little one(s) may enjoy. 

Video: Guided Meditation for Children ​

Script for Mindfulness Meditation

Perhaps you want to practice mindfulness meditation, but you find the recorded voice of a stranger distracting or distant. Maybe you are helping someone learn how to meditate and need a script for a guided meditation. Here is a short and relaxing mindfulness meditation script you can use to read aloud or record. Feel free to customize it to your taste and needs.

  • Start this meditation by finding a comfortable position. You can sit or lie down; the choice is yours. Just feel comfortable so that you can relax. 
 
  • Feel your body and notice its sensations. Notice any pain or discomfort; notice how the chair, couch, or bed feels against your body. 
 
  • Slowly and gently close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through your nose, hold it for a moment, and release. Again take a deep breath, hold, and release. Now, repeat this breathing pattern a few more times. Feeling your breath each time, start softening your body.

  • Relax the muscles on your face. Release any tension on your jaw and forehead. Relax the muscles of your body; relax your arms, shoulders, abdomen, back, hips, and legs.
 
  •  If thoughts enter your mind, don’t chase them. Gently allow them to come and go. 
 
  • Bring your attention back to your breath. Breathe in, hold, and release.
 
  • Don’t fight your thoughts. Just breathe and acknowledge them without judging. Let these thoughts fade away as you breathe in and out. 
 
  • As you are ending this meditation, gently reconnect with your body. Move your hands and feet, and with the next breath out, slowly open your eyes. ​

Note: If you plan to read or record this meditation script, try to read it slowly with a soothing voice. You might want to pause for a sufficient time after each comma and sentence to let your audience catch up to you.

Tips for Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation can be easier said than done. Here are a few tips that may help you achieve better results.
  • Start small. As we mentioned before, if you haven’t been meditating regularly or are a beginner, shorter practices can help you get into a habit of meditating. You can slowly increase your meditation duration once you get in a rhythm.
  • Use a timer. That way, you don’t have to wonder during your meditation whether you have meditated for the intended duration.
  • Remove distractions. Anything that can distract you can ruin your focus. You might want to silence your phone and choose a quiet place for your meditation. If you are using guided meditations, those with no (or minimal) music may work better. Also, lighting up incense may become distracting; if you like their scents, try using them after you are done with your meditation.
  • Don’t suppress thoughts and emotions. Instead, let them come and go through an open door in your mind. Try to acknowledge them and let them go. 
  • Progress requires practice. Don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t reap all of the benefits of mindfulness shortly after you start meditating. The more regularly you practice mindfulness meditation, the better you get at it, and the more benefits you may start to enjoy.

Articles Related to Mindfulness Meditation

​Want to learn more about mindfulness meditation? Check out these articles:​​​

Books Related to Mindfulness Meditation​

If you’d like to keep learning more about mindfulness meditation​, here are a few books that you might be interested in.

Final Thoughts on Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation can be challenging at first. However, when done regularly, it can help us stay present in the moment and become aware of our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and everything else happening in our surroundings. Although mindfulness isn’t a cure for everything, cultivating mindfulness through meditation can offer numerous benefits for our bodies and minds and increase our well-being. The key is to turn this practice into a habit. We hope this article provided you with tips to incorporate mindfulness meditation into your daily routine. 

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