2
Chapter
Chapter contents
Theories of mindfulness 9
Teaching mindfulness and mindful exercising 15
Mindful exercising
Theories of mindfulness
Introduction
Many patients start practicing yoga because of
discomfort or pain. Empirical and scientific evidence
has shown that a mindful state of being during
exercising makes a big difference to the effect of the
exercise. Mindfulness, awareness, and sensitivity,
instead of an emphasis on doing, significantly increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of exercising. Not
without reason, mindful practice has always been
used in the ancient meditation paths. The oldest
known sources are found in the yoga tradition, where
mindfulness is applied to physical practice, breath-
ing, and almost all aspects of life. Different schools
teaching mindfulness have developed. It is a core
concept in the Buddhist tradition, and is particularly
refined in Zen meditation practice, and it can also be
found in martial arts such as aikido, tai chi, and other
Asian training methods. Throughout the 20th century
mindfulness was integrated into psychological meth-
ods. Since the 1980s aspects of physical and mental
exercises, elements of yoga, and other ancient paths
of meditation have been combined with mind and
body therapeutic exercise and are now established in
evidence-based medicine.Mindfulness in the yoga tradition
In the yoga texts mindfulness plays a fundamental
role in everyday actions, in breathing, and in particu-
lar in physical practice. The first systematic summary