Mindfulness In The Western World

Mindfulness is an incredible skill, it is a practice that is taking the world by storm and helping more and more people live in their present.

On our first day of eighth grade, we were introduced to the word mindfulness. According to Jon Kabat-Zinn (the founder of modern day mindfulness), “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.” Mindfulness involves a conscious direction of awareness about everything that is happening around you. But, there is a difference of being aware of something to being mindful about something. To be mindful, you have to be purposely aware of something, not just vaguely aware.

Mindfulness is a yoga practiced used to self-assess for awareness in the present moment (Leland, 2015) When practiced in the moment, mindfulness has been shown to reduce the negative effects of excessive worry, in the moment, and self-doubt (Jennings & Jennings, 2013). Mindfulness is an important component of Eastern religions but has been used in schools to help students increase their awareness of their focus and anxieties in an attempt to overcome them. In the classroom, the purpose of mindfulness is not an attempt to permanently move mountains, but rather to find a way around the stumbling block in the mental path.

Adopted as the latest craze, mindfulness is more than just a passing fad. This meditation technique stretches back thousands of years in Eastern cultures. While it was once a technique used primarily by Buddhist monks, modern researchers have discovered some of the immense benefits of being mindful in every day life.

Mindfulness Meditation is paying attention to where we are in any given moment; regardless if that moment is joyful, painful or anywhere in between. It is a practice and skill that can be developed over time. The results range from improved physical and emotional well being to a deeper connection to self and others.

Mindfulness should be a basic human quality. When I observe those people in the group, I once took part of, that are completely unaware of not only themselves but everything around them with their lack of manners and obtuse sense of presence; I feel as if it drops all meaning of humanities feats and leads it down an endless spiral of abhorrent barbarity. Once could not even imagine the abundance of obliviousness mixed with the absence of common humanistic qualities, that at first may not be readily apparent. These people hold a complete lack of basic human qualities in which to think about the emotions and feelings of others, let alone themselves. Only going out of their way to do something if they get a tangible benefit. Such ungratefulness

The notion of mindfulness has come to pervade Western culture over the past forty years. Whether it be through retreats, workshops, classes, or even apps, Westerners are delivered a daily dose of so-called mindfulness, leading some to feel more capable of dealing with the stresses of modern life. Along with this widespread adoption of mindfulness practices comes a disregard for the whole of Buddhism. Many people in the West believe the practice of Buddhism is simply sitting on a mat and closing one’s eyes, and have little to no awareness of the many other aspects that constitute Buddhism. In this research paper, I will explore mindfulness in the larger context of Buddhism, how it has come to permeate Western culture, and its uses and effects

Mindfulness is the ability to be completely aware of all that one experiences internally within the body, mind, heart, and spirit; and be attuned with the surrounding environment (Boyatzis & McKee, 2005, p. 112). It is self-awareness; having vast insight of yourself, knowing your areas of strengths and weaknesses, and being able to understand others and their perceptions. Mindfulness provides the ability to circumvent conflict or reduce its severity should it arise. It is an essential

If you are like millions around the world, you may be frustrated with the state of the education system. A system which leaves us in debt, grants degrees that do not guarantee jobs or happiness, earns us only ordinary jobs that are not fulfilling; jobs where we survive instead of thrive. When I went to high school, I spent a large amount of time studying subjects such as geography, math, history, and etc. kids are still studying these subjects, and these are truly important, but the

Mindfulness can be described as the physiological approach of a person bringing his or her attention on the internal and external occurrences taking place in the present moment. It is usually the situation where a person is conscious of what is happening in their surrounding and environment (Schonert-Reichl and Roeser, 2016). Many mindfulness approaches and theories which have been developed mainly from Buddhist psychology have revealed that mindfulness is one of the most remarkable ways that help in the practice and study of mental health. Mindfulness is one of the best ways that may help people to enjoy good health and wellness across their lifespan.

Burnout is commonly found in intensive care personnel. Many studies in recent years showing that mindfulness-based group intervention is effective in reducing stress and burnout in healthcare professionals; however, only few studies have been on individual treatment of burnout among geriatric healthcare professionals in Chinese population. The case illustration and analysis in this study examine the application of individual mindfulness-based intervention to alleviate burnout in geriatric healthcare providers in Hong Kong nursing homes.

Mindfulness, defined as a ‘practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experience on a moment-to-moment basis’ (Merriam Webster, n.d.). It is known as being in a state of awareness, giving attention on purpose, and in the moment while being objective. Mindfulness has become one of the most popular interest in the psychological field, however, compared to the total amount of research and studies concerning mindfulness, only 8% of the studies are done on children. In addition, only 1% of research and studies deal with mindfulness in school based settings. Due to the lack of research and studies done with school based mindfulness interventions, there is no set experimental design

The technique of mindfulness involves “attentional focus on present moment experience and an open, accepting, and non-judgmental attitude toward what unfolds in the present” (Newcombe & Weaver, 2016). This practice is derived from ancient Buddhist traditions. Those struggling with mood disorders being treated with the mindfulness technique are taught to have more compassion and empathy toward themselves as they work through their struggles. The technique of mindfulness trains patients to not be so harsh on themselves, allowing them to heal in an accepting environment. Kearney and Trull (2015) point out that mindfulness allows “greater acceptance of symptoms and how the symptoms can be experienced without severe avoidance” (p. 140). This

Mindfulness is gaining a growing popularity as a practice in daily life, apart from buddhist insight meditation and its application in clinical psychology.[32] In this context mindfulness is defined as moment-by-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, characterized mainly by "acceptance" - attention to thoughts and feelings without judging whether they are right or wrong. Mindfulness focuses the human brain on what is being sensed at each moment, instead of on its normal rumination on the past or on the future.[126]

Modern clinical investigators and meditation teachers have offered different explanations of mindfulness (Baer, 2003; Bishop et al., 2004; Kabat-Zinn, 2003b; Salzberg & Goldstein, 2001). Baer (2003) believes that mindfulness is all about awareness, which has a considerable role in individuals’ well-being. Flammia and Sadri (2011) claim that “if we are aware of the requirement to be sensitive to and considerate of the alikeness among cultures, we will be more hopeful to accomplish the crucial movements to achieve the proficiency needed to communicate mindfully” (p. 104). Likewise, according to Kabat-Zinn (1994), mindfulness is ‘‘paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally” (p.4).