CogKnoSys

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Mental

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the skill of paying calm, non-judging attention to your thoughts, feelings and surroundings in the present moment.

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The idea

Mindfulness means paying attention, on purpose, to what is happening right now: your body's sensations, your feelings, your thoughts and your surroundings. The key is to notice these things without judging them as good or bad. This helps break the habit of going over the same worries again and again. The word can mean both a skill you practice and the aware state it leads to.

The term comes from sati, a word in the Pali language that is an important idea in Buddhism. Modern mindfulness borrows from Theravada, Chan and Tibetan Buddhist meditation. It is a non-religious form of meditation that grew from a blend of Eastern and Western ideas. Common practices include mindful breathing, body scans and mindful eating.

Clinical studies have found mental and physical health benefits of mindfulness in patients and in healthy adults and children. Early research was criticized for weak methods, but newer studies use stronger designs such as randomized controlled trials. Some critics say mindfulness has been over-marketed as a self-help product and cut off from its Buddhist ethical roots, a trend they call "McMindfulness".

Check yourself

Question 1 of 3

From which Pali word does the term mindfulness come?

Pick one. The first pick counts.

Composition

what it's made of

  • Present-moment attention — Noticing sensations, feelings, thoughts and surroundings moment by moment.
  • Non-judging attitude — Observing experiences without labeling them good or bad.
  • Breath awareness — Using the breath as an anchor to bring the mind back when it wanders.
  • Buddhist roots — Ideas drawn from sati and from Theravada, Chan and Tibetan meditation.
  • Clinical programs — Therapies built on mindfulness to help people with a range of psychological conditions.

Connection

how it relates

Under Human Consciousness

Related

  1. Meditationstrength 80 of 100

    Mindfulness is a non-religious form of meditation.

  2. Buddhismstrength 70 of 100

    The idea of mindfulness comes from sati, a key element of Buddhist traditions.

  3. Emotions and Feelingsstrength 50 of 100

    Mindfulness trains people to notice their feelings as they arise, without judging them.

Cause and effect

  1. Fear and Anxietystrength 50 of 100

    Mindfulness-based therapies are often used to help people manage stress and anxiety.

Change

how and why it evolves

Past
In the 1970s and 1980s, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Zindel Segal and Mark Williams built mindfulness into health programs and psychotherapy.
Now
Since the 1990s, secular mindfulness meditation has become widely popular in the West.
Next
Researchers are likely to keep testing which mindfulness programs work best, and for whom.

Knowledge you can walk. Read the idea, then step up, across or down.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the skill of paying calm, non-judging attention to your thoughts, feelings and surroundings in the present moment.

Learn, discuss, create, buy or invest

The idea

Mindfulness means paying attention, on purpose, to what is happening right now: your body's sensations, your feelings, your thoughts and your surroundings. The key is to notice these things without judging them as good or bad. This helps break the habit of going over the same worries again and again. The word can mean both a skill you practice and the aware state it leads to.

The term comes from sati, a word in the Pali language that is an important idea in Buddhism. Modern mindfulness borrows from Theravada, Chan and Tibetan Buddhist meditation. It is a non-religious form of meditation that grew from a blend of Eastern and Western ideas. Common practices include mindful breathing, body scans and mindful eating.

Clinical studies have found mental and physical health benefits of mindfulness in patients and in healthy adults and children. Early research was criticized for weak methods, but newer studies use stronger designs such as randomized controlled trials. Some critics say mindfulness has been over-marketed as a self-help product and cut off from its Buddhist ethical roots, a trend they call "McMindfulness".

Check yourself

3 quick questions, instant feedback.