Why 'Blissing Out' Shouldn't Be The Goal Of Your Practice

The goal of mindfulness isn’t to ‘bliss out’. Whilst enjoyable, it is just another variation of consciousness, but something to be observed. There is a risk of striving for bliss. This may cause us to think of sessions as failures when we don’t attain them or else may make us less mindful. Simply observe it and let it go.

Transcript

There's a little bit of a misconception going around about mindfulness meditation,

Particularly relating to the goals of our meditation practice.

I'll be in dialogues with people online or in person,

And they'll be saying to me,

Oh my god,

My meditation is finally working.

I blissed out.

I had an amazing session.

It felt so incredible.

And whilst those feelings and those reactions are positive on one level,

Those feelings aren't the goal of mindfulness.

Our goal of mindfulness is to observe reality as it is for what it is.

To step back,

To detach,

To see the workings of our mind,

To note the changes in consciousness.

So,

Although those blissful feelings are amazing,

They're just another sensation,

Another mental phenomena,

Another thing to be observed.

Just another change in the play of consciousness.

So the next time you're meditating and a quote unquote good feeling comes,

Just take a moment and observe it,

Without judgment,

Without attachment.

Just watch it.

Because the reality of our mindfulness practice is that there's no state that we're trying to attain.

We're not trying to get anywhere.

We're not trying to do anything.

We're just trying to observe reality as it is for what it is.

Bad things will come.

We observe them and we let them go.

Good things come,

We observe them and we let them go.

That's what we're aiming for.

That's our goal.

If you can even say that mindfulness has a goal.

So enjoy those good feelings,

But don't get trapped by them.

Yeah?

Have a great day.

Reviews

Great reminder to be mindful of what's so. Thank you.

I liked this one a lot! Thank you for the clarity! ❤️

Yes - setting expectations - such as “bliss”- is sabotage to a meditation practice and a mindful life - as it establishes predetermined conditional disappointments and infatuations, which are negative and positive judgements from the outset perpetuating the cycle of mindless judgementalism the practice offers freedom from.
Wiser to not set a goal to attain anything, but to set an intention of Self Awareness. This is not an objective but a subjective Way of Being that transcends judgement.