Mindfulness.com
Meditation
See all Meditation

Browse

Top articles

How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners

10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation

What is Meditation?

Mindful LivingSleep
CommunityFor Work

00:00

00:00

Cory Muscara

4.7

Duration

Scan the following QR code with your camera app to open it on your phone

Don't Be Non-Judgmental

Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:

Hi, welcome back to

your Daily Mindfulness.

In today's session, I'm going to share

why you shouldn't be non-judgmental.

Now, this is a provocative statement

because if you've been in the

mindfulness world at all, you know

that non-judgment is a key part of

nearly any definition of mindfulness.

One of the most popular definitions

by Jon Kabat-Zinn is mindfulness

is the awareness that arises from

paying attention on purpose, in the

present moment non-judgmentally.

And for the record, I really love what

that is pointing to as a definition.

But let me share one of the concerns

I have with that word non-judgment is

it sets up a negative relationship to

judgements that can arise, which is not

the intention of mindfulness, nor is

it the intention of anyone that puts

non-judgment in a mindfulness definition.

Non-judgement essentially is

pointing to the recognition

that it's complex to be human.

There are going to be lots of

thoughts, lots of emotions, different

sensations, different pains that arise.

And instead of beating yourself up

for having those experiences, can

we make space for them to exist?

But that also includes judgements

that could arise in the mind.

This is good.

This is bad.

This is right.

This is wrong.

And if we start noticing those judgments

are there and then judging ourselves

for having those judgments, because

we're supposed to be non-judgmental.

Well, that can be an

insidious mental loop.

So my suggestion is if you've

found yourself caught in this place

andfrustration with non-judgment is

to replace that word with curiosity.

The beautiful thing about curiosity is

that it's inherently non-judgmental.

When you start bringing curiosity to

an experience, including a judgemental

thought, it's simply there to

understand what is this experience.

It invites the experience

into a non-judgmental space

and just seeks to understand.

I encourage you to explore anything

that you might try to be non-judgmental

with and instead, replace that with

curiosity and see how it works.

As always thank you for your practice.

You're doing great.

And I'll talk to you

soon in the meditation.

Take care.

Get Unlimited Access

Start your mindfulness journey today.

A Mindfulness Plus+ subscription gives you unlimited access to a world of premium mindfulness content.

  • Over 1,800 meditations, sleep, calm music, naturescapes and more
  • Daily mindfulness video meditations 365 days a year
  • 100s of courses and tools to help manage anxiety, sleep and stress

Get started today

Start your 7-day free trial
Or sign up with

Email Missing

We couldn’t detect your email with the SSO provider you have selected.
or

Mindfulness Guarantee

We are here to make a positive impact on the world. We never want to sell you something that hasn’t helped you live a better life. That’s why if you’re unhappy with any purchase from us, you have 30 days to get a full refund and your money back.

If you subscribed to Mindfulness Plus+ and are unhappy with your purchase, please get in contact with us within the 30-day period and we’ll refund your purchase.


Learn more about our Mindfulness Guarantee.

Mindfulness

Bring balance into your everyday life.

We believe in a world where everybody has access to the life-changing skills of mindfulness.

  • 2,000+ Guided Meditations
  • Daily Coaching
  • Sleep Content
  • Mindful Exercises
  • Mindful Radio
  • 10+ Courses from world-class teachers

Private Browsing

Added to your cart!

Checkout

Claim your free access

Create a mindfulness account and we’ll unlock this premium session in your account forever.

or continue with
By continuing, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Do you already have an account?

Start a free trial to play this session

7-Days free trial, cancel anytime.

Finish personalizing your account

Complete a few quick questions to make your own personalized mindfulness plan.