I think that the terms mindfulnes and meditation must be defined first. Mindfulness is easier to define; it is being in the present moment and concentrating on the task at hand, not thinking about the past or future. Meditation on the other hand is defined differently by different people. I would probably look to the eight limbs or yoga to look at meditation:
The yamas, niyamas, asana, pranayama are preparation for meditation, pratyahara is the transition point. One starts withdrawing from the external sensory input and brings the focus inward. Dharana and dhyana are the stepping stones to samadhi.
Meditation is not easy and it takes many years. Many people are not succesful
at Dharana; i.e. able to maintain the focus. Consider the constant stimulus in today's environment with instant messaging, email, texts, etc kills out concentration. Also, one can't measure one's concentration during dharana otherwise one is not doing it. So, for us techies, it is difficult. The point is to keep improving one's ability or length of time to maintain the concentration during this phase.
From my point of view, weight lifting and similar activities can be done mindfully; however, they are not meditation. The reason is that they are externally focused.
So, I guess I have defined meditation as being mindful and concentrating inward. I would think that somebody that has reached samadhi and/or nirvana or what ever it may be called in their practice could probably give more precise definition of meditation.
One also needs to look at one's goals with meditation. Is it samadhi/nirvana/enlightment? Is it being able to clear the mind? (If it is to clear the mind, then one's goal could be to do dharaha; for example, to maintain the the concentration for 20 minutes.) It is probably difficult motivation wise to do meditation, if one does not have an end goal.
When you tried it, what was your goal?
I would also mention that it is something that one has to do daily to improve. If you do it once a week, very unlikely to see improvement. I would also look to do as many non-meditation activities mindfully, to see improvement in meditation. Perhaps the goal for some people is not the meditation, but to be able to be more mindful and present in their daily activities. It is very unlikely that one can enjoy an activity if one is not mindful during that activity.
So after writing this, I would think two goals would be good for people that are not necessarily looking at samadhi/nirvana as the end goal:
1. able to concentrate better. This should lead to better grades, better performance at work, better pay.
2. enjoy life more because one is more present during one's life.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashtanga_(eight_limbs_of_yoga)
The yamas, niyamas, asana, pranayama are preparation for meditation, pratyahara is the transition point. One starts withdrawing from the external sensory input and brings the focus inward. Dharana and dhyana are the stepping stones to samadhi.
Meditation is not easy and it takes many years. Many people are not succesful at Dharana; i.e. able to maintain the focus. Consider the constant stimulus in today's environment with instant messaging, email, texts, etc kills out concentration. Also, one can't measure one's concentration during dharana otherwise one is not doing it. So, for us techies, it is difficult. The point is to keep improving one's ability or length of time to maintain the concentration during this phase.
From my point of view, weight lifting and similar activities can be done mindfully; however, they are not meditation. The reason is that they are externally focused.
So, I guess I have defined meditation as being mindful and concentrating inward. I would think that somebody that has reached samadhi and/or nirvana or what ever it may be called in their practice could probably give more precise definition of meditation.
One also needs to look at one's goals with meditation. Is it samadhi/nirvana/enlightment? Is it being able to clear the mind? (If it is to clear the mind, then one's goal could be to do dharaha; for example, to maintain the the concentration for 20 minutes.) It is probably difficult motivation wise to do meditation, if one does not have an end goal.
When you tried it, what was your goal?
I would also mention that it is something that one has to do daily to improve. If you do it once a week, very unlikely to see improvement. I would also look to do as many non-meditation activities mindfully, to see improvement in meditation. Perhaps the goal for some people is not the meditation, but to be able to be more mindful and present in their daily activities. It is very unlikely that one can enjoy an activity if one is not mindful during that activity.
So after writing this, I would think two goals would be good for people that are not necessarily looking at samadhi/nirvana as the end goal: 1. able to concentrate better. This should lead to better grades, better performance at work, better pay. 2. enjoy life more because one is more present during one's life.