There's No Such Thing as "Mastery"

When I tell people that I like to meditate and practice yoga, I consistently notice there are two typical reactions. Sometimes, someone responds with agreeance and a similar passion and appreciation for mindfulness meditation. And other times, someone jumps to saying that they would be so bad at it or have tried and they don’t think they are “good”. The second reaction is ironic, because one of the core elements to mindfulness meditation is non-judgement. 

After dropping one of my classes this fall and having a lighter workload, I decided to take Jon Kabat Zinn’s online class on Mindfulness and Meditation. Kabat-Zinn is a well-known advocate and teacher of mindfulness meditation, and taught the class very intentionally. Through this class and my own meditation practice the largest takeaway I have gained is approaching yourself, others, your practice, and life non-judgmentally. But wait, what does thinking and living “non judgmentally” really even mean? Kabat-Zinn says, “the nonjudgemental part doesn’t mean that you won’t have judgements, it means that you’ll in some sense become aware of how unbelievably judgmental we all really are.” With this in mind, the nonjudgemental component of mindfulness meditation is acknowledging your judgments, becoming aware of them, and to not judge the judging but embrace your awareness in a compassionate way then let the situation, thought, or person unfold as they do. Whether you are judging yourself, someone else, or a thought, the state of mindfulness is about becoming aware of your judgments, letting them be as they are, and liberating yourself from thought patterns that are so confining and restrictive. When I hear people say that they aren’t “good” at meditation, I want to urge them to think about meditation like Jon Kabat-Zinn does as the way to “cultivate the access of awareness” in all things. Mindfulness isn’t something you can expert, yet by continuing to access and understand the conscious awareness within yourself through meditation practice, one can view mindfulness as a way of being. 

I treasure the non-judgmental component in mindfulness meditation because it allows you to get beyond the defensive layers your brain builds up, and helps you approach your existence with genuine curiosity about how you think and view the world around you. Believe it or not, there is no such thing as a “perfect” meditation practice. The essence of mindfulness is being mindful of all components of life, yourself, and other people. It is about having a wise mindset that is not focused on mastery, rather focused on curiosity and compassion for your mind.