The history and science of mindfulness

Watch Craig and Richard provide an overview of the history of mindfulness, and explore the science and the research that’s informed the use of mindfulness in clinical settings.

The origins of mindfulness

The essential elements of mindfulness such as being present, connected to the senses, accepting, compassionate, non-attached and not living in a mental dream world are to be found in all of the world’s great wisdom traditions.

In fact, any time you have a moment of being truly aware and present you are discovering the origins of mindfulness for yourself. In the modern day, many of the world’s leading practitioners and researchers of mindfulness have been inspired by the Buddhist tradition but you don’t need to be Buddhist to apply mindfulness in your own life. It can be applied in an entirely secular and practical way.

Wisdom traditions generally refers to the philosophical stream within religions such as Gnosticism within Christianity, Buddhism, Vedanta, Daoism, and Sufism within Islam as well as non-religious philosophical traditions such as Platonism. It could also include wisdom derived from these traditions and expressed in the world’s great literary works.

See also

If you’d like to read more about the origins of mindfulness, its history and how mindfulness relates to wisdom traditions, consider exploring these articles if they are of interest to you. Doing so is optional.

• History of Mindfulness: From East to West and Religion to Science

• Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: a review of empirical studies.

• Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits. A meta-analysis.

• Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density

• Can meditation slow rate of cellular aging? Cognitive stress, mindfulness, and telomeres

Please note, these papers have been included to demonstrate some of the research in this area, but we do not expect learners to purchase a subscription in order to read the full paper.

Hopefully reading the summary provided in the free abstract will be sufficient for those who want to know more about the study.