20 Nov What Mindfulness is Not
Mindfulness is not:
A religion – Practicing mindfulness is a way of living found in may cultures, but it is not a religious belief. Buddhism has made mindfulness practices central to its practice. Our practice of mindfulness is secular.
Relaxation training – Relaxation training is a method to combat anxiety or pain, but does not include the cultivation of awareness or insight that mindfulness does. As a result of mindfulness, you may find that you feel more relaxed and thus it is a potential benefit. Jon Kabat- Zinn says that paradoxically, mindfulness brings you to a place so relaxed that it is okay to be tense.
A trance state – Mindfulness does not “turn off” thoughts or “make the mind go blank.” Rather, participants are asked to notice thoughts and through this noticing, the mind becomes more focused and quiet. Rather than disconnected from what’s happening, one tends to be fully awake to the present moment.
Concentration – Concentration is cultivated in mindfulness, but mindfulness also includes awareness and insight.
A way to distract myself from my problems – Whereas some guided relaxation techniques work by distracting people from their difficulties, mindfulness encourages one to look towards struggles as a way to investigate them more fully and find more skillful ways to meet those challenges.
A Technique – Mindfulness is not a technique. Instead, it is usually described as a path or a way of being.
Goal-oriented – Jon Kabat-Zinn says that because the “goal” is to experience what is present from moment to moment, it is impossible to “fail” if one is willing to bring whatever one is experiencing into awareness.
— Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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