Mindfulness, and the next step: Restful Awareness

Mindfulness is a good place to begin, and many people stay with it for life. Restful Awareness does not replace it. It takes the next step: instead of holding your attention on something, you rest in the awareness that notices. That is why the name is Mindfulness Restful Awareness.

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Huan Minh Vuong meditating with hands together on a cushion in a calm meditation hall lit by candles

Step 1: mindfulness

Mindfulness trains you to notice the breath, the body, sounds and thoughts as they are, without judging them. It builds calm, focus and a little distance from the stories in your head. For many people this is exactly what they need.

Where effort can creep in

When the mind is loud, holding attention on the breath can start to feel like one more task you are failing at. You bring the mind back again and again, and the effort itself becomes tiring.

Step 2: resting in awareness

Restful Awareness asks a simple question: what is aware of the breath, the sounds and every thought? You do not have to force the mind to be quiet. You let go and rest in the stillness and presence that is already here under the thinking. Thoughts and feelings come and go, like weather in front of a window, and the window is not touched. The word mindfulness comes from the Pali sati, to remember, and here to remember means to recognise.

The two side by side

	Mindfulness	Restful Awareness
What you do	Notice and return your attention	Let go and rest in awareness
When the mind wanders	Gently bring it back	Notice you are still fine, and rest
It builds	Calm, focus, perspective	Effortless stillness
It can feel like	Training a skill	Coming home

How to take the step: three minutes

Begin with mindfulness: feel your feet and breathe out slowly five times.
Notice the breath, the sounds in the room and one passing thought.
Ask quietly: what is aware of all this?
Stop doing. Rest in that awareness for a minute, and let anything that comes simply come.

Not either or

Mindfulness stays useful, and you can return to it whenever the mind is very busy. The two work together. The Restful Awareness app offers both: guided mindfulness sessions and sessions that rest in awareness.

This is a lived practice with a long tradition behind it, not a clinical treatment, and it supports well-being.

“The present is not a place to reach. It is what you already are.”Restful Awareness

Questions people ask

What comes after mindfulness?

Many people begin with mindfulness and later want to go one step further. Restful Awareness rests in the awareness that notices, instead of holding attention on an object.

Is Restful Awareness mindfulness?

It builds on mindfulness and goes one step further. You can start with mindfulness and move into resting in awareness at your own pace.

Do I have to stop practising mindfulness?

No. Mindfulness remains useful, especially when the mind is busy. The two practices work well together.

Where does the word mindfulness come from?

It comes from the Pali word sati, which means to remember. Restful Awareness understands remembering as recognising the stillness that was never lost.

More guides

The paradigm shift in mindfulnessThe paradigm shift in mindfulness is not learning something new. It is returning to the calm and presence you were born with and forgot in the busyness of life.Mindfulness without effortClassical mindfulness asks the mind to focus, and effort makes it push back. The sun and the keyhole show how resting in awareness works without force.What is mindfulnessWhat is mindfulness in plain words? A simple guide to mindfulness meditation: what it is, two ways to practise and a first three-minute exercise.

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