11/8/22, 8:45 AM What Is Mindfulness?

| Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing

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Brought to you by the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing
(https://www.csh.umn.edu/)

What Is Mindfulness?
“Mindfulness is awareness that arises
through paying attention, on purpose, Mindfulness Home
in the present moment, and non-
judgmentally.” (https://www.takingchar
ge.csh.umn.edu/explore
This is the off-cited definition from Jon
Kabat-Zinn, well-known author and -healing-
founder of the Stress Reduction Clinic
practices/mindfulness)
at the University of Massachusetts
(who is careful to add that it is an
Mindfulness for pain
operational definition and leaves out
some aspects of mindfulness).  Sources for guided
meditation
A similar definition comes from
psychologist Scott Bishop, who Mindfulness for racial
describes mindfulness as a justice
“nonelaborative, nonjudgmental,
What Is Mindfulness?
present-centered awareness in which
each thought, feeling, sensation that Benefits of mindfulness
arises ... is acknowledged and
How mindfulness works
accepted as it is.” 
Evidence for mindfulness
Simple as it may sound, mindfulness
transforms how we relate to events Begin mindfulness
and experiences.  It creates a more Mindfulness & education
spacious way of being in the world that
is less reactive and generally happier. Mindfulness for stress

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11/8/22, 8:45 AM What Is Mindfulness? | Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing

Try an online Mindfulness program taught by experts! (ht

tps
://
Mindfulness is different from our w
default mode w
Developing a steady and non-reactive attention is often radically different from the way
w.c
we are in the world.
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Many of us spend large parts of our lives on auto pilot, not aware of what we are um
experiencing, missing out on all the sights and sounds and smells and connections and
joys we could appreciate.  Some of that time our minds seem "switched off," and othern.e
times caught in thoughts from the past (often regrets) or plans for the future, much du
of
which is repetitive.
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When we do notice something in the present, our habit is often to judge instantly and ent
react quickly, often working from a faulty or limited perspective that restricts our options
s/
or creates issues.
mi
Mindfulness helps us be present in our lives and gives us some control over our nd
reactions and repetitive thought patterns.  It  helps us pause, get a clearer picture of a
situation, and respond more skillfully. ful
ne
ss-
Compare your default mode with a pro
mindful state gra
Consider how you react when you don’t think you are good at something: say solving
ms
brain teasers. When you are presented with a brain teaser, what do you do? Do you tell
)
yourself, “I am not good at this,” or “I am going to look stupid”? Does this distract you
from paying attention to working on the puzzle?

How it might be different if you had an open attitude with no concern or judgment about
performance, just a curiosity about how working on the brain teaser might be? What if
you directly experienced the process as it unfolded—the challenges, anxieties, insights,

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11/8/22, 8:45 AM What Is Mindfulness? | Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing

accomplishments—acknowledging each thought or feeling and accepting it without

needing to figure it out or explore it
further.

If you do this with some regularity, you

start to see the habitual patterns that
lead you to react automatically in
negative or unhelpful ways and create
stress. By observing instead of reacting,
you develop a broader perspective and
can choose a more effective response.

You can develop mindfulness in

different ways
If mindfulness is a different state than our normal default way of being, how can we
develop it?  There are many different practices that can support the development of
mindfulness, including different types of sitting meditation, movement, or even simply
being in nature. This site describes some of these mindfulness meditation techniques.
 In general, they seek to develop three key characteristics of mindfulness:

Intention to cultivate awareness (and return to it again and again)

Attention to what is occurring in the present moment (simply observing thoughts,
feelings, sensations as they arise)
Attitude that is non-judgmental, curious, and kind

Watch this animation to learn more about how these characteristics interact and
support each other.

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11/8/22, 8:45 AM What Is Mindfulness? | Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing

What Is Mindfulness?

What is mindfulness meditation like?

Sara, who has been practicing
mindfulness meditation for several years,
describes her typical practice.

“I sit in an upright posture, usually on a

cushion or bench on the floor, but
sometimes in a chair when my knees or
back are bothering me. I usually pay
attention to the sensations of breathing
in and out. (Sometimes I tune into
sounds or body sensations, but mostly
when I am sitting I notice my breath.)

Whenever my attention wanders from

my breathing to thoughts and feelings
that pop up, I just acknowledge that those thoughts or feelings are present right now,
and then gently return to my breath. Noticing the thoughts or feelings is actually a
moment of mindfulness!

This practice isn’t always easy—sometimes I get lost in my thoughts for a long time, but
eventually I notice I am lost, and I go back to my breath.”

There is no one right way to practice

Sara’s practice—awareness of breathing—is one of the most common ways to develop
mindfulness, but there is no one “right” practice. Other practices might place the
attention on sensations in the body, or sounds, or even an open awareness of whatever
is arising.  All of these help develop a steady attention that is firmly grounded in the
present moment.

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11/8/22, 8:45 AM What Is Mindfulness? | Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing

Mindfulness is not always easy because other experiences (thoughts, feelings, physical
discomfort) naturally arise and can pull our attention away. But with practice, our skill
 increases, and we can pay attention to our chosen object without getting lost in other
experiences. And we find that we can also simultaneously notice any underlying
reactivity, such as annoyance or frustration.

Try it out Guided Free

meditation webinar
This simple
exercise asks Try this short, Mariann
you to place 1-minute Johnson, an
your attention guided audio MBSR
on your for a taste of instructor and
thumb or meditation. mindfulness
finger while practitioner
cultivating a for over 25
curious, years, gives
engaged, and more tips on
non- how to
judgmental Listen practice.
relationship
to what
you’re
noticing.

Try it
out

Why practice mindfulness?

For some people, mindfulness is primarily a way to
enhance health or performance. For others, Learn more
mindfulness is a tool for self-exploration.  And for yet about the
others, mindfulness is part of a spiritual path, a way to benefits of
develop insight into the human condition and freedom mindfulness
from suffering.
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11/8/22, 8:45 AM What Is Mindfulness? | Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing

Regardless of the motivation, scientists find that practicing mindfulness is associated

with changes in the structure and function of the brain as well as changes in our
physiological responses to stress, suggesting that this practice has important impacts
on our physical and emotional health that are worth exploring. 

Where does mindfulness come from?

While there are many different techniques for practicing meditation, the practices that
cultivate mindfulness originally come from a more than 2,500 year-old Buddhist
tradition. As the West came into contact with these practices from the East, they were
taught from within the traditional Buddhist context, as well as adapted into a secular
context that did not incorporate the original cultural or doctrinal elements.

Twenty years ago, a person interested in mindfulness was more likely to find a
Buddhist-based offering than a secular mindfulness program. Nowadays, the reverse is
true. One of the oldest of these secular offerings is Mindfulness-Based Stress
Reduction (see box below).

What is Mindfulness Based

Stress Reduction?

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

(MBSR) is an eight-week program that
teaches mindfulness from a secular
perspective. It was originally developed
by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University
of Massachusetts Medical Center to
help patients who were dealing with
pain and other conditions. 

MBSR is now widely taught in hospitals,

as well as non-medical settings, such as
schools, prisons, athletic training
programs, and the workplace. It is often
used in research studies that seek to
assess the impact of mindfulness.

Watch our webinar about MBSR

Program History, Evolution, and
Possible Benefits. 
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=GheVTCrMZEo&feature=youtu.be )

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11/8/22, 8:45 AM What Is Mindfulness? | Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing

Are there other mindfulness-

based interventions?

Since MBSR was first offered in 1979, a

number of other mindfulness-based
interventions have been developed. The
one most often mentioned in research
studies is Mindfulness Based Cognitive
Therapy, which blends mindfulness
techniques with traditional cognitive
behavioral therapy.

Try an online class

The same people who created this website have also

created a 6-week online course.  Its called Mindfulness at
Work, but it is really relevant to all parts of your life. 

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11/8/22, 8:45 AM What Is Mindfulness? | Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing

Learn more and register. (ht

tps
We also offer weekly via Zoom Mindful Mondays
://
(https://www.csh.umn.edu/community-classes-and-events/stress-
w
busters-free-stress-reduction-classes-students-faculty-and-staff) for
free. w
w.c
sh.
um
n.e Haley, JD, MBA
Expert Contributor:
Louise Delagran, MA, MEd;
Alex
du
Reviewed by:
Mary Jo Kreitzer, RN, PhD;
Roni Evans, DC, MS, PhD
/ne
ws
References -
ev
ent

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