As of late, I relish words like “thoughtless” and “thoughtlessness,” as well as words like “mindless” and “mindlessness.” They appear ever more often in my writings, and especially those about yoga. I just decided to look them up in dictionaries available on the World Wide Web so as to make sure that I use these words properly. First I looked up the word “thoughtless,” as well as its meaning and synonyms. And here is what I found:

Meaning: lacking in consideration for others, inconsiderate, tactless.

Synonyms: antisocial, boorish, impolite, indiscreet, insensitive, reckless, rude.

Then I checked the word “mindless.” Here goes:

Meaning: having or showing no ability to think, feel, or respond. Also, showing no use of intelligence or thought, having no purpose.

Synonyms: foolish, gratuitous, senseless, silly, thoughtless.

Having done that, I checked the word “thoughtlessness.” Here is what I found on the web:

Meaning: marked by or showing lack of due forethought or care, carelessness. Also, the trait of not thinking carefully before acting.

Synonyms: carelessness, disregard, heedlessness, inattention, inconsiderateness, neglect, negligence.

Finally, I checked the word “mindlessness.” Here goes:

Meaning: lacking intelligence or good sense, foolish. Also, having no intelligent purpose, meaning, or direction.

Synonyms: brainlessness, denseness, foolishness, simpleness, slow-wittedness, slowness.

All in all, I was quite pleased with the results of my search. When I use the above words, I indeed have in mind what dictionaries say these words mean in the English language. This holds for all the synonyms, as well. However, I take their meanings and synonyms positively, as it were. I take them to be ideals to aspire to rather than imperfections or flaws to avoid. In other words, I am both thoughtful and mindful when I raise these words to the pedestal of yoga as I understand it.