Mon Nov 24, 2014 9:07 pm
I don't have a good definition, yet, but here are some thoughts.
1. Mindfulness can, and needs to be, applied to all aspects of our experience. As Jon says, we can usefully apply it to our thoughts and emotions, as well as to our sensory experience. If we limit mindfulness to a certain range of experiences, then we set up the idea that when we're mindful of one thing that's good, and when we're not mindful of it, that's bad. See point 2 below.
2. There are problems with restricting mindfulness to the 'present moment', because — strictly speaking — we can never actually be aware of the present moment. And in practice, we usually only become aware of our thinking some time after it has been going on for a while. And even our sensory perceptions take time to reach the brain for processing and interpretation. The present moment definition also gives rise to the notion that we can fly off into the future or past — via our thoughts — when in fact, a thought about the future occurs right now, and we can be just as mindful of that.
3. Nor can we say 'without judgment', because this certainly can lead to a lot of misinterpretation and confusion. a) because we will always be making judgments, and b) because — good — judgment is actually just what we need.
I can't remember where I found the following definition, and it's not perfect, but I think it works quite well:
Mindfulness helps to change the way you think and feel about your experiences, especially stressful experiences. It involves paying attention to your thoughts and feelings in order to become more aware of them, less enmeshed in them, and better able to manage them.
