“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
Ancient origins
The concept of mindfulness originated in Buddhist thinking and meditation practice more than 2,500 years ago. Its original purpose was to address and relieve self-induced suffering caused by the dysfunctional ways people habitually tend to respond to their experiences. While mindfulness has its primary roots in Buddhism, most religions include some type of prayer or meditation technique that helps shift your thoughts away from your usual preoccupations toward an appreciation of the moment and a larger perspective on life. Over the last 30 years, mindfulness has become secularized and simplified to suit a wider Western context.
Modern applications
Professor emeritus at Harvard University Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder and former director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, helped to bring the practice of mindfulness meditation into mainstream medicine and demonstrated that practicing mindfulness can bring improvements in both physical and psychological symptoms, as well as positive changes in health attitudes and behaviors.
In recent years, it has become increasingly common for mindfulness meditation to be combined with psychotherapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy. This development makes sense since meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy share the goal of helping people gain perspective on irrational, maladaptive and self-defeating thoughts.
Taking a single step
Because of its ancient origins and its modern connection with medicine and psychology, some people feel intimidated or uncertain about how mindfulness can help them in their everyday lives. Some people may think they do not have time for mindfulness – especially when great value tends to be placed on how much one can do and how quickly it can be done. However, being more mindful is within everyone’s reach.
You can practice mindfulness throughout the day, even while answering e-mails, sitting in traffic or waiting in line. The first step is becoming more aware of your breath, your feet on the ground, your fingers typing and the people and voices around you. It is these little, regular steps that can add up and start to create a more mindful, healthy life.
