Gemstones to help you become more Mindful

In the dim and distant past, I was once a Buddhist monk deep in the forest hills of eastern Thailand. Before I exchanged the saffron robes and quiet contemplation for the material beauty and spiritual power of gemstones I had many hours of conversation with my abbot or Pra Ajaan.

Much of our discussions dealt with mindfulness. I was aware of the basic meaning of the word but not so much of its context within Buddhism. With my poor Thai and his slightly better English, he managed to teach me enough for a basic understanding which I try to use in my daily life.

We could practice mindfulness during meditation sessions which happened every morning (very early) and every evening but also throughout the day. Brushing your teeth could become a process where you focus entirely on the brushing, nothing else should enter your mind – just experience the present.

Mindfulness seems to cover so many aspects of life and words such as honor, attention, awareness, responsibility, concentration, diligence, care and wisdom were often used during our chats – with constant referring to our dictionaries as this was long before the days of Google translate and Triplingo!

With this in mind, (excuse the pun) I have come up with a selection of gemstones to help with your mindfulness exercises. They can be worn as jewelry, kept in your pocket, placed on a mat or in a crystal grid and will be a source of strength for a variety of aspects, both physical and spiritual.

Fluorite

Meditation is closely linked with mindfulness and Fluorite is my top pick as a meditation gemstone with its major benefit being focus and the ability to balance physical and mental energy. It calms what my old abbot would call my ‘monkey mind’ where thoughts would leap in my mind like monkey from branch to branch!

Clear Quartz

Known as the ‘Master Healer’, this gemstone crystal will improve alertness and diligence and elevate your conscious during any activity. Clear Quartz can also magnify the energy of other gemstones making it perfect for use in grids or bowls.

Tiger's Eye

With living in the moment being such an important part of mindfulness we need a gemstone that will give us the feeling of security and grounding needed for us not to be worried about the future. Tiger’s Eye is just the one – boosting our confidence and courage like no other stone.

Kyanite

Kyanite is known as a stone to bring about stillness and tranquility so is ideal for meditation but its added benefit of helping to accept personal responsibility for your actions makes this an ideal mindfulness crystal. A core belief of Buddhism is that you are accountable for all the thoughts and feelings that you may have.

Black Tourmaline

Although mindfulness is seen around the world as a wholly beneficial practice, being alone with your deepest thoughts is not always a comfortable feeling. A bit of emotional protection may be needed. Black Tourmaline always gets my recommendation as protection for negative energies.

Rose Quartz

Mindfulness encourages feelings of compassion for the world and an intention to do as little harm to your surroundings as possible – you could even say this ancient practice has been promoting environmental sustainability and protection long before the world took notice. Rose Quartz is a gemstone of all types of love, including the love of all people and nature.

Amethyst

Deep, relaxed and focused breathing is an essential part of the mindfulness process. Amethyst is not only calming and soothing but is also one of the best gemstones when it comes to dealing with any physical lung-related problems. As an extra bonus, Amethyst is connected to the Third Eye Chakra – which deals with spirituality, intuition and perception.

Sodalite

Any discussion of mindfulness will include the terms wise intention or wise understanding. In the simplest terms this means our intentions and thoughts influence the way we act in our day to day lives. Wise speech, wise action and a wise livelihood will lead to greater personal peace and well-being. Our final crystal today is the gemstone of wisdom, sodalite which brings rational thought, emotional balance and order to the mind.