What is Mindfulness

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., the creator of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course, has described mindfulness as, “a way of learning to relate directly to whatever is happening in your life, a way of taking charge of your life, a way of doing something for yourself that no one else can do for you — consciously and systematically working with your own stress, pain, illness, and the challenges and demands of everyday life. In contrast, you’ve probably encountered moments of ‘mindlessness’ — a loss of awareness resulting in forgetfulness, separation from self, and a sense of living mechanically. Restoring within yourself a balanced sense of health and well-being requires increased awareness of all aspects of self, including body and mind, heart and soul.”

Mindfulness has also been defined as the practice of paying attention to in a particular way … on purpose … in the present moment … and without judgment. Doing so opens us to other options, possibilities and wise solutions to the challenges of life. It also opens us to moments of joy that we often miss due to the hectic pace of daily life.

This kind of attention nurtures greater awareness, clarity, and acceptance of present-moment reality. It wakes us up to the fact that our lives unfold only in moments. If we are not fully present for many of those moments, we may not only miss what is most valuable in our lives but also fail to realize the richness and the depth of our possibilities for growth and transformation (Kabat-Zinn, 1994).