Stage 1: Initiating Awareness

The journey to the final stage of mindfulness begins with initiation. Realizing the importance of being fully present in each moment and embarking on a path of self-exploration. Filling your attention to your thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations and the world around you, which contributes to a sense of heightened awareness.


Stage 2: Deepening Self-Awareness

As mindfulness develops, there is a transition to the second stage, the stage of deepening self-awareness. Here one delves deeper into the inner world, observing the complex workings of the mind with increasing clarity. This stage develops a non-judgmental attitude toward thoughts and feelings, allowing them to arise and disappear without attachment.


Stage 3: Cultivating Present-Moment Resilience

In the third stage, resilience to the present moment is developed. One begins to release the craving for regrets about the past and worries about the future by focusing on the present and the now. This stage develops an attitude of equanimity, where the fluctuations of life experience are met with an open heart and a calm mind.


Stage 4: Embracing Impermanence

In the fourth stage, awareness deepens further as the concept of impermanence is introduced. There is a realization that all things-thoughts, feelings, and circumstances-are in a state of constant change. This stage involves recognizing impermanence as a fundamental aspect of existence and accepting it as a catalyst for growth and transformation.


Stage 5: Integrating Acceptance

As progress is made, there is a transition to the fifth stage, characterized by the integration of acceptance. Here there is not only an understanding of impermanence intellectually, but also an education into deep emotional acceptance. This stage involves giving up resistance and accepting the inherent uncertainty of life with compassion and mercy.


Stage 6: The Inevitable Acceptance of the Inevitable

The final stage represents the pinnacle of mindfulness practice. In this stage, deep realizations - the inevitable acceptance of the inevitable - are achieved. They accept change and impermanence as an integral part of the experience, moving beyond mere understanding and embodying this wisdom in life. At this stage, there is a profound sense of liberation when fear of the unknown is replaced by an unwavering trust in the natural flow of existence.