Welcome to your Daily Mindfulness.

Today we're going to focus on what are the

most important aspects of mindfulness, and

that is the attitude

with which we practice.

Mindfulness is the awareness that arises

when we're fully present in the moment,

but it also involves an attitude of

kindness and open-heartedness towards

what's happening.

And that includes an attitude

of kindness towards ourselves.

And for many of us, while we may be

kind to others, we're often not kind to

ourselves.

You know, that voice of the inner

critic can be a really harsh companion,

constantly trying to whip us into

shape and get us to measure up.

Often it also puts us down, belittles

us, and tells us we're not enough.

And as a result of hearing that inner

commentary, we lose confidence in

ourselves.

We can feel unworthy and kind of find

ourselves bound up in stress and tension.

Now we can be especially harsh with

ourselves when we make a mistake or things

don't go the way we want them to.

In meditation, it's really common to see

this tendency reflected in the way we

react when our mind wanders.

Often we become frustrated, impatient,

or disappointed when the mind wanders.

It's like an automatic reaction, but if

we can train ourselves to be patient,

respectful, calm, and kind with our mind

when it wanders, we can stop being at war

with ourselves.

And with practice, this kindly calm

awareness that we cultivate in meditation

just becomes our new way of being,

and then naturally flows into our

relationships, our homes,

and our whole lives.

So in today's meditation, we're going to

be training and cultivating a calmer and

kinder mind,and learning to hold whatever

is happening in a loving awareness that is

larger than at all.