Mindfulness

The roots of Mindfulness can be found in the early teachings of Buddha and has many associations with the early writings and practice of yoga.

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is renowned for his powerful teachings and writings on the art of mindfulness and has been one of the pioneers of bringing Mindfulness to the Western world. He travelled widely sharing the practice and evidence of this is Plum Village in France. This is the West’s largest and most active Buddhist monastery with more than 10,000 visitors annually, who visit from around the world to learn “the art of mindful living.”

Also in 1979, Jon Kabat Zinn was inspired to introduce meditation into the secular world of a hospital.  He left his career as a molecular biologist and started a stress reduction clinic in Massachusetts University Hospital.  His background included studies in Korean Zen, Yoga and meditation.

In the early 1990’s mindfulness reached a wider audience through the media of television through one 40 minute TV programme.

In 2002, psychotherapists in the UK and Canada, through the results of intensive research, began a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for Depression – this was the first publication weaving ancient wisdom with cognitive therapy to support people not to relapse into depressive episodes.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy is still used now, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction was also introduced to support a wider range of life’s challenges – including anxiety, stress, burnout, trauma, chronic pain, some forms of cancer, psoriasis, addictions, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and eating disorders.

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