Mindfulness: What It Is and How To Do It

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is an ancient concept dating back 2,500 years to the time of the Buddha. Research suggests that it can help people deal with stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, eating disorders and other issues (Williams, Kolar, Reger, and Pearson, 2001; Astin, 1997; Shapiro, Schwartz, and Bonner, 1998; Kabat-Zinn, Lipworth, and Burney, 1985). Generally speaking, it can also enhance our ability to function interpersonally and professionally.

Mindfulness is a central component of Buddhist psychology which, simply put, means "moment-by-moment awareness" (Germer, 2005). A broader definition refers to mindfulness as paying attention to the present moment, without judgment and with a sense of acceptance for what it is (Kabat-Zinn, 2003). While paying attention, one may focus on anything experienced, including physical sensations, thoughts, emotions, sounds, smells, etc.

Mindfulness can be cultivated through practicing mindfulness meditation as well as by simply paying attention to the present moment in everyday experiences. For example, when you are washing the dishes – just wash the dishes. Pay attention to what the water feels like, the smell of the dish soap, the texture of the sponge, notice the excess food as it washes off the plate into the sink, etc. As the mind wanders off to seemingly better things, such as thinking about “what’s on TV tonight” or “I can’t stand doing the dishes,” gently bring your attention back to simply “doing the dishes.”

As Jack Kornfield, Buddhist teacher, author and psychologist so eloquently put it, "mindfulness is an innate human capacity to deliberately pay full attention to where we are, to our actual experience, and to learn from it. Much of our day we spend on automatic pilot. People know the experience of driving somewhere, pulling up to the curb and all of a sudden realizing, ‘Wow, I was hardly aware I was even driving. How did I get here?’ When we pay attention, it is gracious, which means that there is space for our joys and sorrows, our pain and losses, all to be held in a peaceful way.”

How it can be helpful

Buddhist psychology recognizes that life is inherently full of pain, no matter who you are or where you live. Fear, loss, sickness, aging and death are things we all experience (to greater and lesser degrees). But, instead of simply feeling our discomfort or pain, as humans we often add a layer of emotional suffering by adding an unhealthy narrative or "story" to the experience.

For example, say you have a skiing accident and break your leg. Clearly, this will be painful and the recovery period will be disruptive to your life. You won't be able to get around as easily and you won't be able to do certain things you enjoy, such as walking freely or taking a jog. That in and of itself is "painful" on both a physical and psychological level. Where we get into trouble, however, is by adding an additional layer of suffering in the form of negative self-talk (i.e., the narrative). We may ruminate on the accident and judge ourselves, saying things like, "oh, I was such a dummy for going skiing that weekend" or "I'm never going to be able to ski again," or "if only I was a better skier, this wouldn't have happened." Viewing the accident from these vantage points will contribute to uncomfortable emotions, such as fear and shame, but won't do much beyond that.

Alternatively, mindfulness offers a way to experience whatever has happened, without adding to it. Using the same skiing example, if we pay attention to the physical sensations and discomfort and notice our thoughts without feeding into them (both of which are are mindfulness techniques), we will likely be in a position to respond more skillfully to this trying situation. We'll be more "freed up" to think clearly about the situation, rather than getting lost in the judgmental narrative. From this perspective, we may find ourselves cultivating more self-compassion and empathy for others who have broken a limb. We may also grow more appreciative of our physical abilities by having this experience of "loss" in the form of a broken leg.

Mindfulness can have a transformative effect by "creating more space" around problems. Let's take a metaphor to illustrate this point. If you put a tablespoon of salt into a 12 ounce glass of water, the water will taste very salty. Alternatively, if you put the same amount of salt into a huge freshwater lake and then take a sip, you won't taste any salt at all. Applying the same principle to a difficult emotional state such as fear or anger, mindfulness can create more space around the fear and anger so that it moves from "front and center" in our minds, to more of a background role. We then can operate and make decisions from a broader perspective, rather than one that is narrowly defined from the vantage point of anger or fear. This is liberating.

Dr. Daniel Siegel, UCLA Professor of Psychiatry and Co-Director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center has done extensive research that suggests mindfulness can actually change our brains, contributing to healthier minds, bodies and relationships. He states that "the ancient and universal practice of mindfulness has been shown recently to improve physiological, mental, and relational well-being. Mindfulness is often thought of as a way of being aware of one’s present moment sensory experience without grasping onto judgments. An Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) exploration of mindful awareness suggests that mindfulness can be considered a relational process in which you become your own best friend.”

Want to learn more about mindfulness? Try one of the exercises below. These are based on the work Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD., founder of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and author of best-selling book, Wherever You Go, There You Are. These exercises are most powerful if guided by another, so ask a friend or your spouse to read the instructions to you slowly while you follow. Pause after each step.

5 Minute Mindful Breathing Exercise

1.) Find a comfortable and stable posture either sitting or lying on your back. Allow your back to be straight but not rigid. Let your arms and hands rest in a relaxed position.

2.) Close your eyes, if it feels comfortable. If not, soften your gaze.

3.) Bring your attention to the present moment by noticing how you’re feeling physically. Scan your body from head to toe and consciously try to let any tension slip away. Take a moment to notice your environment - any sounds you might hear in the background, what the temperature feels like in the room.

4.) After that, bring your attention to your breathing from three vantage points:
--First, notice the sensation of your breath going in/out of your nostrils or mouth.
--Second, as you breath, pay attention to the rise/fall of your chest.
--Third, notice the rise/fall of your belly as you breath.

5.) Pick the vantage point that seems to be the easiest for you to focus on. Follow the breath for its full duration, from the start to finish. Notice that the breath happens on its own, without any conscious effort. Some breaths may be slow, some fast, some shallow or deep. You don't need to control the breath, you just need to notice it.

6.) If you find it helpful, you can say "1" to yourself on each in-breath and "2" on each out-breath.

7.) Each time your mind wanders away from the breath (and this will happen many times!), notice where it goes and then gently bring your attention back to the feeling of the breath going in and out.

When the mind wanders, you can make a mental note of it. For example, if you drift away from your breath to thinking about the future, you can say to yourself "planning, planning." If your mind is pulled to a sensation of pain in your body, you can say to yourself "pain, pain." Or, if you notice you're focused on something worrisome from the past, you can say "worry, worry" and then gently bring your attention back to the present moment - noticing the breath.

8.) Your mind may wander hundreds of times or more during these 5 minutes - that's ok and quite natural! Your “job” is to catch yourself when you've wandered and to gently bring your focus back to the breath every time, without judging yourself for how "well" or "poorly" you're doing the exercise.

9.) Try to practice this exercise for 5 minutes (or longer if you’d like) every day, for at least one week. Notice how it feels to spend some time each day just being with your breath.

Practicing mindful breathing is like strengthening your muscle of living in the present; as you practice more, you'll find it easier to remain in the here and now, rather than being caught up in the past or in some fantasy about the future.

Mindful Eating Exercise

Note: requires use of raisins; other types of foods can be substituted such as other fruit, popcorn, peanuts.

1.) Find a comfortable seated position. Come into the present moment by taking a few breaths, noticing how you feel physically.

2.) Place a few raisins in your hand. Notice the impulse you might have to pop them all in your mouth right away.

3.) Look at the raisins, examining them with curiousity as if you've never seen one before.

4.) Notice how they feel in your hand - the texture, shape and weight. You may want to close your eyes while doing this.

5.) Notice the color of the raisins and if they have any unique features.

6.) Imagine where the raisins came from, how they started as juicy grapes on the vine. Picture the workers on the farm harvesting the grapes and another set of workers transporting the raisins to the store.

7.) Slowly bring one raisin to your nose to see what it smells like. Notice how naturally your arm moves to do this.

8.) Continue to notice any thoughts of like or dislike you might have of as you observe the raisin. Notice whether you're anticipating what it will taste like. Perhaps you're starting to salivate or feeling an impulse to put the raisin into your mouth right away.

9.) Ever so slowly, place the raisin in your mouth, without biting into it. Explore what it feels like in your mouth, notice what your tongue is doing. Keep it in your mouth without chewing for at least 10 seconds. Notice what it's like to take this time before eating the raisin.

10.) When you are ready, slowly and softly bite into the raisin, taking one or two bites.

11.) Without swallowing, notice what it tastes like, how its flavor and texture changes as you chew. Notice your natural impulse to swallow it.

12.) When you are ready, swallow the raisin.

13.) Sit quietly and notice what you are feeling.

In the words of Jon Kabat-Zinn: you are now one raisin heavier!

Resources to help you learn more about mindfulness meditation

Note: most major cities have several types of meditation centers or communities. Below you'll find some well-known and respected retreat centers that teach insight meditation, also known as Vipassana.

1.) Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): located in Worcester, provides training in MBSR and has a directory of MBSR programs throughout the world.

2.) Spirit Rock Meditation Center: located in the San Francisco Bay Area, extensive program of mindfulness talks, retreats and special events.

3.) Dharma Seed: extensive collection of informative and inspiring talks on insight meditation. All audio files can be freely downloaded or streamed.

4.) Insight Meditation Society and Barre Center for Buddhist Studies: meditation retreat center located in western Massachusetts.