A framework for learning meditation

Hopefully by now this series has convinced you that mindfulness meditation has something to offer people who develop software.

The benefits in managing stress and burnout, developing focus, learning to deal with impostor syndrome and other difficult emotional states are what have inspired me to write this guide.

In my experience as a teacher, I've discovered that learning to practice mindfulness requires three key elements:

• Information - key concepts and facts about meditation, how it helps and how to practice it
• Practice - you apply some of this information in informal and formal mindfulness practices, including meditations
• Reflection - you consider the effect that practice is having on you, ask questions and share you experiences

Information can be gathered by reading articles like this series, or books about meditation, or talking to people who know about it (like a teacher). Taking courses is also a great way to learn.

I’ve done all of these and each has unique benefits.

Practice is up to you really! I’ve covered the practices that you might engage with during this series - head back and try some out now!

Practice is simply a matter of turning up and doing it. You can get a long way with just five minutes daily.

There are many different meditation practices - it can take a while to figure out the practices that will suit you and it makes sense to try a variety, as well as experiment with ways of integrating them into your day.

Reflection is the process of examining what effect practice is having. This involves:

• Self reflection, where you journal or sit in reflection of your meditation practice. It can be useful to have some questions to sit with to guide this process
• Reflection with others - typically a group or a teacher - where you can have a more in-depth conversation about your experience with meditation. For me, this is where the gold happens! Learning about other people’s experience, knowing that they share the same struggles and benefits, is very reassuring.

The Mindful Developer

I’ve JUST launched my online course - The Mindful Developer. I’ve designed it especially for devs to learn meditation. It’s a deep dive into the topics that I’ve covered in this series, spaced over four weeks.

You can check it out here. I’m offering a $20 discount to Dev.to readers - use the code “devto191” to unlock this.

I use the four weeks to impart all of theinformation that you need to get started with meditation. You’ll experiment with 8 different mindfulnesspractices and find which ones suit you. And I’ll be available forreflection and feedback via email support.