- seCtIon tHRee: BoDY AnD WoRLD
Mindfulness lies at the heart of most meditation methods and can be practised
in the rest of life as well as when sitting in meditation. It is usually defined in
terms of an acceptant, nonjudgemental focus on the present moment, without
discrimination, categorisation, judgement, or commentary. It is ‘the active max-
imising of the breadth and clarity of awareness’ (Mikulas, 2007, p. 15). Mindful-
ness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a technique developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn
at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the 1970s and now used
widely for conditions ranging from depression and anxiety to pain manage-
ment and heart disease. He defines mindfulness as ‘the awareness that emerges
through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudg-
mentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment’ (2003, p. 145). This
is surprisingly hard to achieve more than very briefly. Training is usually for eight
weeks and includes a mixture of mindfulness meditation and yoga.
Despite their different origins, the basics of all types of meditation might be summed
up in the words ‘pay attention and don’t think’. It is hard to believe that such a sim-
ple practice could create the kinds of transformations and insights claimed by some
meditators, yet this is essentially the task undertaken. It is surprisingly difficult, as
you will know if you have tried, and the many varieties of meditation can be seen
as different ways of easing the task. If you have never tried it, just take ten seconds
now and see whether you can not think for that short length of time.
Meditation usually involves sitting in a special posture, such as the full lotus or
other less strenuous crossed-legged positions (see the website for more detail),
but there is nothing mysterious about this. The postures all serve to keep the
body both alert and relaxed, while keeping still for long periods. It is possible
to meditate in any position at all, and TM suggests just sitting comfortably in a
chair, but the two main dangers are becoming too tense and agitated, or falling
asleep. The traditional postures help to avoid both, as well as encouraging good
breathing and an upright spine.
During long meditation retreats, sitting is sometimes alternated with very slow
walking meditation, or even fast walking or running meditations, to provide
some exercise and stimulation without
disturbing the practice. In fact, for some
traditions the ultimate aim is to integrate
meditation into all life’s activities.
She then became haunted
by a suspicion which she was
so reluctant to face that she
welcomed a trip and stumble
over the grass because thus her
attention was dispersed, but in
a second it had collected itself
again. Unconsciously she had been walking faster and faster, her
body trying to outrun her mind; but she was now on the summit of
a little hillock of earth which rose above the river and displayed the
valley. She was no longer able to juggle with several ideas, but must
deal with the most persistent, and a kind of melancholy replaced her‘[Mindfulness is]
the awareness that
emerges through paying
attention on purpose,
in the present moment,
and nonjudgmentally
to the unfolding of
experience moment by
moment’
(Kabat-Zinn, 2003, p. 145)
FIGURE 7.6 • Traditional meditation postures all
achieve a stable and comfortable
position with an upright spine,
to encourage a state of alert
relaxation. Sitting on a low bench
achieves the same objective and
is more comfortable for those not
used to sitting on the floor.