Mindfulness: paying attention to the present, on and off the mat

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness means paying attention, on purpose, to what is happening in the present moment, and meeting it with curiosity rather than judgement. That might be the taste of your food, the feeling of your feet on the ground, or noticing that you are worried, without immediately getting swept away by the worry.

Most of the day we run on autopilot: eating while scrolling, driving while planning, listening while preparing a reply. Mindfulness is the habit of stepping out of autopilot for a moment and actually being where you are.

The idea is old. Awareness of the body, breath and mind (sati in Pali, smriti in Sanskrit) is central to Buddhist practice and runs through yoga too. Modern programs such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) adapted it into a secular, structured course.

Mindfulness and meditation: the difference

• MeditationA set time of formal practice, usually sitting, training attention on one thing such as the breath. See our meditation guide.
• MindfulnessA quality of attention you can bring to anything, during formal meditation or in ordinary life.

Formal meditation is like going to the gym for attention; everyday mindfulness is like taking the stairs. Both help, and each makes the other easier.

Eight simple everyday practices

1. Mindful chaiFor the first three sips of your tea or coffee, do nothing else. Notice the warmth of the cup, the smell, the taste.
2. The STOP pauseStop. Take one slow breath. Observe what you feel in your body and mind. Proceed with what you were doing. Ten seconds, any time.
3. Five senses checkName one thing you can see, hear, feel, smell and taste right now.
4. Mindful walkingFor one minute of any walk, feel each foot touch the ground. When your mind wanders to plans, come back to the feet.
5. The first biteEat the first few bites of each meal without the phone or TV, noticing taste and texture.
6. Doorway remindersEach time you pass through a doorway, take one aware breath.
7. Listening fullyIn one conversation a day, listen without planning your reply.
8. A 5-minute body scanLying in bed, move your attention slowly from the toes to the head, noticing each area without trying to change it.

Mindfulness in yoga practice

Yoga is mindfulness in movement when you pay attention to how a pose feels rather than how it looks. Try these on the mat:

• Notice where you feel a stretch, and where you are holding unnecessary tension, such as the jaw or shoulders.
• Let the breath set the pace of movement. If the breath becomes strained, ease off.
• Stay curious about differences between the left and right sides.
• In Shavasana, notice the urge to get up and the thoughts that arrive, without following them.

This attention is also what keeps practice safe: noticing early when something does not feel right. See our yoga safety tips.

What the research shows

A 2015 meta-analysis by Khoury and colleagues pooled 29 studies of MBSR with 2,668 healthy adults. The program had a large effect on stress, moderate effects on anxiety, depression, distress and quality of life, and the benefits lasted at follow-up of around four to five months. The studies varied widely, so exact sizes should be read with caution.

A large 2014 review by Goyal and colleagues in JAMA Internal Medicine found mindfulness meditation programs gave moderate improvements in anxiety, depression and pain. Most research is on structured 8-week programs, but the same skill is what the everyday practices above build.

Common myths

• "Mindfulness means emptying your mind."No. It means noticing thoughts, not stopping them.
• "You have to feel calm."You can be mindful of feeling irritated or anxious. Calm often follows, but it is not the goal.
• "It takes too much time."A ten-second pause counts.
• "It is religious."It has roots in Buddhist and yogic traditions, but it can be practised by anyone, with or without faith.
• "It fixes everything."It is a helpful skill, not a treatment for every problem.

A note of care

Most people find mindfulness calming. A few, especially those with past trauma or severe anxiety or depression, find that turning attention inward brings up difficult feelings. If that happens, keep your eyes open, focus on the outside senses or the feet, keep sessions short, and work with a trained teacher or therapist. If you are struggling, Tele-MANAS offers free support on 14416.

Mindfulness: common questions

Sources

• Khoury B. et al. (2015): Mindfulness-based stress reduction for healthy individuals, a meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research
• Goyal M. et al. (2014): Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being. JAMA Internal Medicine