Mindfulness where does it come from?

Mindfulness practice is paying attention at the moment, without judgment. It sounds simple enough, but it can be challenging for many people to keep the mind focused on the present moment rather than considering future potentials, thoughts from outside events, or the past. Mindfulness itself is derived from multiple practices utilized in Buddhist and Hindu traditions. Still, the version of it commonly incorporated at present derives from a version of mindfulness constructed based on these but focusing on science and secular ideas instead of religious ideas or themes.

In the 1970s, Jon Kabat Zinn and others created the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or MBSR at the University of Massachusetts, which served as a base for other mindfulness programs. Mindfulness is appealing for people because of its secular approach that means people of any religious background can utilize it, research that demonstrates its effectiveness with multiple conditions and issues, and because it’s a skill that everyone has and can develop further with practice.

Mindfulness is also accessible because of the many programs available online, in local yoga studios, and downloadable applications. Much of the information about mindfulness is available for free so that practice can be built without a large investment. Research supports the use of mindfulness with depression, anxiety, stress, chronic pain, and much more. Because its effectiveness is research-proven, an investment in mindfulness courses, books, or apps, can be worthwhile if you prefer to learn it with guided tools.

Some of the research available on mindfulness illustrates changes in the brains of people who committed to an eight-week-long mindfulness program. The amygdala or region of the brain responsible for the fight or flight response showed decreased size when researchers compared brain images. The area of the brain that supports down-regulation of the anxiety response had increased in size.

If you’re interested in starting a mindfulness practice, there are videos, apps, and online programs to help support you along the way. You can also work with a therapist that utilizes a mindfulness-based approach to address specific issues.