I’m often asked what Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) really is and why we should bother. Isn’t it just meditation and maybe some yoga? But it’s so much more but like many things we experience, it’s very hard to find the right words. For example, how do you really explain to someone what chocolate tastes like if they’ve never had it before? The taste, the temperature, the texture, the after taste… and what if you add a strawberry?
Jon Kabat-Zinn founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: MBSR programme in 1979 whilst working with chronic pain patients based on buddhism and buddhist practices. He explains quite nicely that:
“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”
Foundational Attitudes covered in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
This isn’t just about meditation but it also about curiosity, kindness, compassion, non-judgement, non-striving, acceptance, gratitude, patience, trust, generosity … even humour. It’s a tough journey and humour helps us not take ourselves too seriously. We learn these attitudes and how to practice and strengthen them in our everyday lives.
Non-striving is one that should perhaps we mentioned separately as we don’t mean that you give up on goals and hard work. On the contrary it means that we are fully present in the moment without striving to change it. No moment can be perfect and so we should just be open to what is happening now and therefore we just ‘are’. This is different to working towards something. Essentially we do the best we can and we accept the outcome.
The MBSR course covers these attitudes and how we can cultivate them. We learn loving-kindness and compassion meditation practices along with group discussions and self-inquiry. This is carried out alongside the backdrop of the 4 Foundation of Mindfulness:
- 1- Mindfulness of the body
- 2- Mindfulness of feeling tones
- 3- Mindfulness of the Mind
- 4- Mindfulness of how the mind operates
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is about viewing life unfolding without judgement, whilst being at ease with the consequences of one’s actions. Being able to reflect on different perspectives and letting go of our beliefs and prejudices is all part of this process. Jack Kornfield states in the Wise Heart that “most mental suffering comes from how tightly we hold onto our beliefs and how much weight we put on our destination”. This was probably one of my greatest shifts in that I was brought up with the belief that the destination was the most important aim. In addition, my destination revolved around gaining material goods meaning that over the years, I had become a workaholic.
Finally, as Jon Kabat-Zinn explains, a question to ask ourselves is whether we can we live with the way things are and to come into harmony with all things and all moments. Of course we can impact these but as mentioned, we can learn to accept the outcomes without judgement or being overwhelmed with emotions. This is mindfulness and it is within all of us.