Mindfulness
Mindfulness arose across many cultures. Modern science is revealing how this ancient practice affects body and mind.
Mindfulness is very much on trend, and this isn’t just in yoga studios or meditation classes. From CEOs to sport stars, everyone knows the value of mindfulness, even if they are not sure what it is or how to achieve it. While mindfulness is a hot topic today, it would be a mistake to think that it is a recent creation in the human search for meaning. In fact, mindfulness is an ancient principle that was probably first generated by Eastern philosophy and was later embraced and enlarged upon by Western thinkers. If you want mindfulness to be part of your way of living, it is important to know where it came from and what science has to say about its effects. After all, a mindful approach to mindfulness demands full awareness.
Hailing from the Hindus
Hinduism is considered the world’s oldest religion and it is also the most ancient, documented example of humanity’s quest to be mindful. From the Bhagavad Gita’s discussion of yoga and Vedic meditation, the history of Hinduism reads like a history of mindfulness.
Although the word “Hindu” is relatively recent, the philosophies that underpin it are very old. Vedic writings date back to around 1500–1200 BCE, making them at least 3200 years old. The teachings in these writings form the basis of Hinduism and emphasise a mindful way of being. These Vedas are written in Sanskrit, an Indo-European language and emphasise emotional management, stress reduction and mental focus as important goals. You can see the essence of what we call mindfulness as being held in these ambitions.
The Sanskrit term smriti means remembering but its connotation is of remembering yourself and in the process being in touch with your relationship to the things that your awareness rests on. In Hindu thought, paying attention followed by concentration, meditation and contemplation are the steps on the path to enlightenment. Paying attention is also the first and essential element of mindfulness.
Hindu philosophy also emphasises dhyana, which is translated as meditation but more accurately means contemplation during yoga exercises. Dhyana is a method by which one attains samadhi, a state of meditative consciousness where the mind becomes still and merges with the object of attention. Central to this is being able to still the mind and observe your internal thoughts without becoming caught up in them. This ancient practice of self-awareness and self-mastery is a clear call to what we call mindfulness in modern times.
Buddhist beginnings
Buddhism began around 500–400 BCE with Siddhartha Gautama, who became known as the Buddha. Since the Buddha’s lifetime, Buddhism has split into several traditions including Theravada and Zen. All Buddhist schools aim to show the path to enlightenment and sati, or mindfulness, is considered to be an essential step.
According to the Buddha, there are four noble truths:
• Life is dukkha (suffering)
• The cause of suffering is trsna (a Pali term meaning craving. Pali is the language of Buddhist scriptures.)
• Cessation of suffering comes from freeing yourself from attachment.
• The way to free yourself from attachment is to follow the eight-fold path.
Mindfulness meditation is one of the most important elements of the Buddha’s eight-fold path. In the Buddhist philosophy, mindfulness is viewed as becoming aware of the causes and sources of suffering, allowing enlightenment, or awakening, to be achieved.
Buddhist mindfulness meditation is a way of looking deeply into yourself in a spirit of self-inquiry and self-understanding. This is done by releasing your identification with the contents of your mind and moving into a broader realm of consciousness that allows you to be aware of what really lies beneath your ego.
Mindfulness therefore allows you to be less egotistical and gain insight into the state of “no self”. Buddhists believe that true insight into the non-self is what is required to achieve full freedom of mind.
The full Pali phrase for mindfulness is samma sati, which means “wise mindfulness”. Samma sati goes with wise concentration/understanding and wise effort to make an essential component of the eight-fold path. According to Buddhist teachings, without wise understanding and wise effort/intention, mindfulness is aimless. Equally, understanding and effort require mindfulness for the individual to flourish in daily life.
Stoic embrace
When we talk about mindfulness in the modern world, we tend to credit Eastern culture with its origins but mindfulness also features prominently in Western philosophical traditions such as Stoicism.
The Stoic school of thought was founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium around 300 BCE. The name Stoic came from where the Stoics met, the Stoa Poikile, a painted porch located in the city centre of Athens. Zeno was the first head of the Stoics, and he was followed by Cleanthes, then Chrysippus. There is the possibility that Zeno was influenced by Pyrrho of Ellis, who travelled to the East with Alexander the Great in 334 BCE. Stoicism evolved over subsequent centuries in the Western crucible of Greece and Rome and is based around recognising that much of life happens outside of what you can control and emphasises recognising the areas that are under your influence and living within that realm. To do this, Stoicism emphasises four virtues: Courage, Temperance, Justice and Wisdom.
Courage refers to not seeing the difficulties that life throws your way as being inconveniences or tragedies, but as opportunities. Temperance is about moderation, doing the right amount of the right thing in the right way. Justice is simply doing the right thing. Finally, Wisdom refers to the learning, the understanding and the experience that is required to navigate the world.
While cultivating these values is essential, Stoics recognise that you have no control over much that happens to you. This is not pessimistic; it acknowledges that certain facts about existence are unchangeable and that it is your reactions that determine your life. Hence, training those reactions so that you behave in alignment with the four virtues is central to Stoic practice. If we look at the writings of Roman Stoics, we see that without using the term, they strongly advocate mindfulness. Marcus Aurelius wrote in his Meditations: “Every hour focus your mind attentively … on the performance of the task in hand, with dignity, human sympathy, benevolence and freedom, and leave aside all other thoughts.”
Epictetus wrote in his work Discourses about prosoché, which translates as “attention”, stating: “Is there any part of life to which prosoché does not extend?” He added: “… once you have let your mind go wandering, it is no longer in your power to recall it, to bring it back to what is right, to self-respect, to moderation”.
To the Stoics, paying attention is fundamental to all other aspects of living a good life. Prosoché is continuous vigilance, a self-awareness that never rests, and is the essence of mindfulness.
Science on mindfulness
With a mindful approach to life being present in many ancient cultures, it is not surprising that we embrace it today. Of course, the most widely accepted modern philosophical premise is the scientific method, and science has applied its method to mindfulness to see what effects it has. The results are profound.
Changes your brain structure
Mindfulness training for eight weeks leads to an increase in grey matter in a part of the brain known as the hippocampus, which is important for learning, memory, self-awareness, compassion and introspection. There is also a reduction in grey matter in the amygdala, which plays a role in stress and anxiety.
Eases stubborn depression
Mindfulness therapy can ease depression when other methods of treatment have failed.
Reduces opioid cravings
Mindfulness can help rewire the brain’s response to natural healthy pleasure, leading to reduced opioid cravings.
Increases motivation to exercise
Combining step tracking with mindfulness training can significantly boost people’s desire to exercise.
Reduces bladder leakage
Latchkey incontinence, or situational-urgency urinary incontinence, is bladder leakage triggered by specific environments or scenarios. Common cues include one’s front or garage door, running water, getting into a car or walking past public toilets. Mindfulness practice reduces bladder leakage in people prone to it in these situations.
Improves performance at work
Creating a culture of mindfulness in a workplace improves focus, enhances how employees work together and improves the ability to manage stress.
Lowers blood pressure
Mindfulness leads to significant reductions in blood pressure to the extent that mindfulness interventions could prevent or delay the need for drug therapy.
Improves decision-making
Mindfulness training reduces how much people focus on the past and future when making decisions and can reduce negative emotions. This improves decision-making skills by allowing people to evaluate situations on their current merits.
Eases menopausal symptoms
Women who score higher on mindfulness scales report to have fewer menopausal symptoms.
Reduces food and drug cravings
Mindfulness reduces the extent to which people feel the need to act on their cravings. Researchers believe this is partly because mindfulness-based strategies occupy a part of the mind that contributes to the development of those cravings.
Ultimately, mindfulness is a way of living embraced by diverse cultures throughout the ages, and modern science supports the wisdom of its use. We are living in a time of dislocation when external supports no longer operate. Mindfulness will provide you with the internal structure to allow you to navigate these turbulent times.
