102 • PART II: MINDFULNESS IN EDUCATING FOR SELF-REGULATION AND ENGAGEMENT
First, find present moment attention as you rest your awareness on an anchor (e.g., the
breath or a series of words). Second, without judgment and with compassion, simply notice, or
recognize, when your mind wanders and where it goes when it wanders. That is, as you medi-
tate, your allowing and noticing the patterns of the mind include the process of inquiry: “What
are my patterns,” and “Where are the thoughts, feelings, sensations that draw my attention
time after time?” It is this process that is an access point for knowing ourselves. Third, when
your mind wanders, perhaps when you are drawn into a line of thinking, or you are trying to
avoid a feeling or thought, all you need to do is notice that this has happened, self-regulate,
and return awareness gently and affectionately back to the anchor. Fourth, repeat the process
as necessary (Willard, 2016). To illustrate, imagine you are meditating. You are resting your
focus on your breath as it moves in and out of your body. You suddenly become aware that you
are beginning to think about your plans for the rest of the day. At this point, you might say to
yourself, “I am thinking.” You simply recognize what you are doing without judgment. Next,
you compassionately bring your awareness back to the present moment and breath, away from
thinking and recognizing that you are thinking. Yoga Nidra is an example of this type of medi-
tation. Specifically, in Yoga Nidra, neutral attention is withdrawn from desiring to act (e.g., get
up and move) and turned toward the senses or imagination (Waters et al., 2015).
Concentration meditation involves a focus on an object of meditation (Cook-Cottone,
2015; Hanh, 1975; Kabat-Zinn, 2013; Stahl & Goldstein, 2010; Waters et al., 2015; Willard,
2016). Awareness is brought to a single point, an anchor (i.e., one-pointedness; Stahl &
Goldstein, 2010). Willard (2016) explains that use of an anchor for meditation strengthens
the skill of concentration. This anchor could be a mantra (i.e., a centering statement), a con-
cept, an object, or the picture of a calming place or loved one (Willard, 2016). There are many
examples of this type of meditation. For example, in Transcendental Meditation (TM), the
meditator silently repeats a word or mantra as he or she works toward a meditative state
(Waters et al., 2015). In TM, when a distracting thought arises, the meditator brings his or
her awareness directly back to the mantra (Waters et al., 2015). Another example is the metta
meditation, or loving-kindness meditation. This involves the deliberate focus of attention on
positive feelings of love, kindness, and compassion for self and others (Waters et al., 2015).
Shamatha meditation practice, yet another form of meditation, involves placing attention
on a mental image or attending to a visual object as the meditator works toward stability of
attention, vividness in seeing, and introspection (Waters et al., 2015). In Zen meditation, the
meditator focuses attention on a word puzzle or the breath in an effort to exclude mental
distractions and work toward a heightened state of consciousness (Waters et al., 2015). Last,
Kabat-Zinn’s (2013) mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program utilizes a few dif-
ferent types of concentration meditation. These include a technique-specific mindfulness
meditation in which attention is focused in a nonjudgmental manner on an object without
distraction (Waters et al., 2015). Also, within the 8-week MBSR program, meditators engage
in breath awareness, body scan exercises, walking meditations, and mindful eating (Kabat-
Zinn, 2013; Waters et al., 2015). More on this and other specific mindfulness programs are
detailed in Chapter 8.
Finding Insight Through Meditation
Insight is the capacity to know your inner self. It is inward looking. Insight comes from what
you notice as you practice the level of awareness found in meditation (Cook-Cottone, 2015).
As a person practices meditation, cycling through the process of focusing, wandering, and