You may think meditation requires a quiet room, closed eyes and a mind free from distractions. But Buddhist monk Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche offers a different approach. In a recent interview with The Guardian, he explained that you can incorporate everyday sounds and interruptions into your meditation practice.
That idea can change how you approach meditation. You do not need to wait for the perfect moment or find complete silence before you begin. You can practise awareness while life continues around you.
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Let distractions become part of your practice
When you hear traffic, a conversation or someone watching videos nearby, you may instinctively try to block the sound. Mingyur suggests that you can take another approach.
“You can make everything support meditation,” he told The Guardian. He also said you can meditate “anytime, anywhere, with anything.”
You can start with sounds that feel easy to accept. Listen to music without judging it. Then try natural sounds such as birds or running water. As you become more comfortable, you can bring louder conversations or construction noise into your practice.
The goal is not to force yourself to enjoy the distraction. Instead, you can notice the sound, return your attention to it and allow your mind to settle.
What can you learn from uncomfortable emotions?
Mingyur also suggests that you do not always need to escape uncomfortable feelings. You may reach for your phone when boredom or loneliness appear, but he encourages you to sit with those feelings instead.
He describes difficult emotions as something you can explore rather than immediately push away.
You can try this when boredom appears. Put your phone aside for a few minutes. Notice what you feel in your body. Pay attention to your breathing. Instead of asking how quickly you can make the feeling disappear, ask what it might reveal about your current state.
This approach can also help you respond differently when anger appears. Mingyur suggests noticing the emotion before you react. He compares awareness with sunlight and emotional patterns with frost, saying that awareness can help those patterns melt without a fight.
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Build a daily practice, not a perfect routine
Mingyur describes Tibetan Buddhist practice through three ideas: view, meditation and application. View shapes your mindset, meditation helps you practise awareness, and application helps you build new habits.
You can bring this idea into your day through small actions. Notice something specific that you appreciate. Offer kindness to someone you usually find difficult. Take a few natural breaths before responding to anger.
You do not need to spend hours meditating to begin. You can use ordinary moments to practise awareness.
Mingyur also connects lasting happiness with breathing, love and compassion rather than constantly chasing new experiences. His approach suggests that you can work on your relationship with your thoughts and emotions instead of waiting for your surroundings to become perfect.
