Everyday Mindfulness

Hello there.
A nice chap by the name of Chris Ingrao has got in touch with me via email.
He's the Community Manager for a social work program offered by Simmons College School of Social Work. He would like to feature Everyday Mindfulness as a prominent voice in the program.
All we need to do is sum up mindfulness in two or three sentences.
All contributions would be gratefully received and I will pass them on to Chris for use in his project.
Thanks in advance,
Jon

Well there's the often-quoted definition (I think it's Jon Kabat-Zinn) about paying attention to our experience in a particular way, on purpose, non-judgementally. (That's not word-for-word, but I'm sure you've heard it)

If it's of any help, I recently defined it as follows in an info sheet for beginners that I wrote for my drop-in group:

Mindfulness means paying attention to present-moment experience in a gentle, accepting way. With mindful awareness, we learn to inhabit our direct, sensory experience in the body, and this gives us more choice in how we respond to difficulty.

In general, I often tend to describe it in 2 words - "Being With".

Hope they get what they need for the project,
S

This might be late - but a good exercise none that less.

The below is one sentence to surmise the following “Jon Kabat-Zin quotes” I have found to be of great help.

My Sentence:

Mindfulness is a personal discovery of one’s own uniqueness that comes about through the practice of letting go of one’s fallibility, and paying attention to what is left.
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“Meditation is the only intentional, systematic human activity which at bottom is about not trying to improve yourself or get anywhere else, but simply to realize where you already are.” Jon Kabat-Zin

That one is a favorite of mine, because it reminds me just how much of a trap self betterment can be. Specifically with regards to the intent under which it is so commonly sold and or imprinted.

“To let go means to give up coercing, resisting, or struggling, in exchange for something more powerful and wholesome which comes out of allowing things to be as they are without getting caught up in your attraction to or rejection of them, in the intrinsic stickiness of wanting, of liking and disliking.” Jon Kabat-Zin

Just found this one. It is how I came to sum up, in my one sentence above. Very powerful quote and speaks well to me.

“Note that this journey is uniquely yours, no one else's. So the path has to be your own. You cannot imitate somebody else's journey and still be true to yourself. Are you prepared to honor your uniqueness in this way?” Jon Kabat_Zin

Again, very personal to me. I was raise that there was only One Way. I was beaten into submission on many counts to ensure I learned that one way. I also see rigidness taken to the extreme within many learning institutions that have only served to keep me from myself. This quote is my own moto, in how to escape such oppression and seek my own freedom no matter my circumstances.

“Concentration is a cornerstone of mindfulness practice. Your mindfulness will only be as robust as the capacity of your mind to be calm and stable. Without calmness, the mirror of mindfulness will have an agitated and choppy surface and will not be able to reflect things with any accuracy.” Jon Kabat-Zin

I finish with this one for now. Mindfulness is the Journey I seek in order to maintain mental stability from a life suffered in sickness based on and still subject too, emotional addiction and needs. Whilst I have learned and still practice to accept what has been and what is ... I can only do so by first obtaining the strength to focus by which only comes when I wrestle my rages, discontent, frustration, sadness and deep sorry . Its a search for peace that often requires quite some effort. However the effort does become less so and my anxiety gives way to a very real sense of peace. It comes more naturally for some than others and is why hard knocks can be viewed as no more than yet another path or door.

Lest one continues banging their head on a wall.
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Thanks for the question.

Thanks David and Sheila. Great stuff.
I will pass them on.
Still time for more contributions…
Cheers,
Jon, Hove

For me, mindfulness is being present in my body, in my life moment by moment. If this doesn't sound too poncey mindfulness is being aware of breathing in and out, the sound, smell, feel and taste I'm experiencing right now.

Thanks Fee. Spot on.
I've now submitted those to Chris.
All best,
Jon

Thanks for your contributions, folks.
Here's the finished article:
http://socialwork.simmons.edu/what-is-mindfulness/
With profuse thanks from Chris, the man behind the project.
Cheers,
Jon

Mindfulness definitions.
In my book, The Path of Mindfulness Meditation, I frequently use the term "engaged presence" - the process of choosing to bring direct conscious awareness to something (an object, a sensation, an emotion, a thought, a memory, a person).

Mindfulness is choosing to be fully present with each moment of experience.

But mindfulness is much more than just awareness...

Mindfulness = Awareness + Investigation + Compassion

Mindfulness is turning toward experience with a passionate interest in the object being observed. It is the expression of love at its most fundamental level.

Lots more to say, but I hope this helps.