Mindfulness
M 
indfulness practice is the intentional cultivation of moment to moment awareness
without judgment or reaction. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of MBSR, explains: “The
key to mindfulness is not so much what you choose to focus on but the quality
of the awareness that you bring to each moment. It is very important that it
be non-judgmental-more of a silent witnessing, a dispassionate observing, than
a running commentary on your inner experience. Observing without
judging, moment by moment, helps you see what is on your mind without editing
or censoring it, without intellectualizing it or getting lost in your own incessant
thinking.”
Perhaps we might begin a mindfulness practice by simply sitting and noticing
the breath….Perhaps
by paying attention to all sounds that enter the ears right at this moment….Or
perhaps by noticing the tension rising in the body during incidents at work
or in personal relationships. . This is the practice of non-doing; of just
being. With committed daily practice, we begin to intentionally cultivate the
art of non-interference; that skill of watching, of being aware as events,
thoughts, emotions and sensations pass without letting our old reactions get
in the way.
The foundations of mindfulness are basic to many traditional meditative practices.
Also known as insight or vipassana meditation, these practices are non-sectarian
and non-religious in nature. Mindfulness formal practices include mindful sitting,
mindful walking and body scan meditations. Informal mindfulness practice refers
to the cultivation of present-moment awareness during daily activities. The
MBSR course facilitates the cultivation of both the formal and informal practices
of mindfulness. Through mindfulness practice, we encourage a greater experience
of openness, clarity and compassion.