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How Mindfulness works
Mindfulness is not simply a collectiion of tools or techniques. Rather, Mindfulness is a way of 'being' with one's experiences in such a way that experiences are perceived more clearly and fully.
To achieve this way of 'being' calls for the intentional and skillful application of concrete tools which are learned through guided instruction and then cultivated by sustained and discliplined practice. Mindfulness practice is based on a model which makes certain assumptions about the process of personal growth and healing. These assumptions can be expressed essentially in four attitudinal foundations.1
First foundation - we see ourselves as an ever-evolving process of becoming. In this way, life is perceived more as a journey of self-discovery than a destination or end-product to achieve. We are an array of strengths and growing edges; holdng this view with patience and respectful curiosity deepens our capacity for cultivating insights, awareness, and compasion for others and ourselves.
The second attitudinal foundation of Mindfulness is based on the assumption that any individual is in the best position to understand himself or herself better than anybody else could. In this way we learn to take more responsibility for our health and wellness, instead of relying exclusively on health-care providers to do it for us.
To achieve this way of 'being' calls for the intentional and skillful application of concrete tools which are learned through guided instruction and then cultivated by sustained and discliplined practice. Mindfulness practice is based on a model which makes certain assumptions about the process of personal growth and healing. These assumptions can be expressed essentially in four attitudinal foundations.1
First foundation - we see ourselves as an ever-evolving process of becoming. In this way, life is perceived more as a journey of self-discovery than a destination or end-product to achieve. We are an array of strengths and growing edges; holdng this view with patience and respectful curiosity deepens our capacity for cultivating insights, awareness, and compasion for others and ourselves.
The second attitudinal foundation of Mindfulness is based on the assumption that any individual is in the best position to understand himself or herself better than anybody else could. In this way we learn to take more responsibility for our health and wellness, instead of relying exclusively on health-care providers to do it for us.
The third foundation is a deep level of awareness of three elements of Mindfulness practice: body, thought, and emotion. As we become increasingly familiar with these elements, and more importantly how each one is an integral part of us, we see how intimately connected they are with each other.
The fourth foundation of Mindfulness is an ability to observe the incessant activity of our mind, especially its tendency to wander between past and future. Through disciplined and sustained practice, we recognize how many of our decisions and actions are driven more by old habits instead of by information contained in the present moment. By learning to recognize our habitual patterns, we discover that we can make new choices which empower us to skillfully respond to life challenges instead of reacting to them unconsciously.
The fourth foundation of Mindfulness is an ability to observe the incessant activity of our mind, especially its tendency to wander between past and future. Through disciplined and sustained practice, we recognize how many of our decisions and actions are driven more by old habits instead of by information contained in the present moment. By learning to recognize our habitual patterns, we discover that we can make new choices which empower us to skillfully respond to life challenges instead of reacting to them unconsciously.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we deepen our capacity to inhabit the only moment in which we can have any impact on the quality of our life experiences: Now
1 This information has been adapted from Kabat-Zinn's Full Catastrophe Living.
| © 2013: Peter V. Oliver, Ph.D. |