Mindfulness meditation instructions couldn't be simpler. While there are variations about what you put your attention on that I'll discuss in a moment, the gist is always the same:

Put your attention on the object of concentration and keep it there without interruption.

Simple, right?

Well, as anyone who has tried this can tell you, No, it's not simple.

How 'bout this instruction:

Stand on your head, without falling, for 4 hours.

The instruction itself is just as simple. That's why I semi-joke that to be a meditation teacher all you need to do is nod your head knowingly and say, "Go back to your practice."

It's the execution of that instruction that's the problem.  If it's not impossible, it would take a lot of time, a lot of practice, and you would probably need some natural skill to even want to put in the time to master it, let alone to be able to do it properly.

I've seen many meditators who believe that their difficulty in doing mindfulness practice, or any other concentration-type meditation (mantra, awareness of breathing, labeling experiences, etc.) is because there is something wrong with them, or because they need some brilliant adjustment to their technique.

I can tell you that's not the case.

Keeping your attention on one thing (even if that thing is something that changes), is NOT EASY. Even in monasteries, not every monk is able to do the practice well.

And, speaking of monks, there's a reason why these techniques were developed and perfected by monks who left their family, their job, and their responsibilities behind. And there's a reason why these monks have a hard time meditating when they leave their monastery or their meditation cave. It's because the fine level of awareness that it takes to do mindfulness properly is hard-won and easily disturbed.

I find it interesting that here in the West we seem to think: "Well, sure, this meditation practice is supposed to be done for hours at a time with no distractions, but I'm sure it'll be just as effective if I do it for a few minutes in the corner of my living room."

Or, maybe the thought is: "Hey, if 10 hours a day of meditating can make BIG changes, then 20 minutes a day will make small changes… and all I need is some small changes."

Regardless, the real question should be: "Is mindfulness meditation practice, or any of the concentration practices, the best way for me to get the benefits that I want?"

Part of the problem with that question is that most people don't think to ask it. And that's because they don't even know that there are other options. For various reasons — though, mostly about about the personalities of the teachers that made these practices popular — mindfulness and concentration is all most people have heard of.

There are other options though. Other ways of meditating. Ways that aren't about being monk-lite. (That's a pun, not a typo.)

In the Tibetan tradition, these practices are in the Dzogchen teachings. In Hinduism, they're in the authentic Advaita Vedanta (not to be confused with what some call Neo-Advaita, or the way Advaita has been watered down in the West). In Kabbalah, there are practices focusing on the world of Briah. I don't know enough about Christian mystical practices to point in that direction, but I'm sure there are similar techniques in that universe.  The Instant Advanced Meditation Course includes 10 practices that lead to relaxation, expanded awareness and inner peace, none of which require mindfulness meditation and all of which can be done easily and quickly. The actual practice, in fact, is easier than the instruction.

Next Category: Buddhist meditation

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