In the past several years I have become a practitioner of Vipassana meditation also referred to as mindful awareness, mindfulness, or insight meditation. Mindfulness practice creates a quiet space in which one can observe the patterns of the active mind. It presumes that there is a place of steadiness and calm amidst the backdrop of constant change.
Vipassana meditation brings awareness to experience in the present moment without judgment. Meditation is not about establishing a blank mind; the mind is by nature, busy making thoughts. However, as one sits quietly, feelings, thoughts and body sensations come and go, arise and disappear. In the holding environment of the meditative state, all experience is seen with compassion and acceptance. Mindfulness practice is a silent, solo, and highly intimate experience in which one holds a mirror to oneself. In its own way, the meditative state is similar to the protective, and reflective atmosphere found between patient and therapist.
