MINDFULNESS

Certain aspects of mindfulness are relevant to mandala meditation – for example, the idea of letting go of irrelevant thoughts without judging yourself. Some meditations in this book feature mindful interludes.

Many practitioners of medical science accept the validity of complementary approaches to healing. Herbalism is long established in both Chinese and Western cultures. Acupuncture has become commonplace in the West and may even be prescribed – or even occasionally practised – by orthodox health professionals. Another discipline, less commonly embraced by the medical establishment, is reiki, the art of healing by the laying on of hands.

Since the later 1990s “mindfulness meditation” has built up to its recent crescendo of popularity. Originally the idea that there is therapeutic or philosophical value in being in the moment, without worrying about past or future, and without judging any thoughts that pass through the mind, was an Eastern one. It began as a theme in Hindu yoga around 1500 BCE, and later featured in Buddhism (in focusing on breathing). In Buddhism, “correct” or “right mindfulness” is one of the precepts of the Noble Eightfold Path.

A landmark moment in the popularization of mindfulness was the publication in 1991 of Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn. This book described how stress, pain and illness could be addressed through mindfulness meditation. Kabat-Zinn had founded the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and used an eight-week mindfulness meditation programme as a stress-busting technique with great success. This was the start of the mindfulness revolution that led in 2004 to the UK health organization NICE supporting a form of mindfulness meditation to reduce the likelihood that people with a history of depression might suffer from a relapse.

This book does not include mindfulness meditations, since they have no use for mandalas. However, certain mindfulness principles do play a part here, most notably the value of focusing intently on your own breathing, or in some of the 30 meditations on other sensations you might be experiencing. This is an aspect of being in the present, letting any distractions (especially any thoughts about past or future) drift away, without judging yourself for having them.

MINDFUL BREATHING: A MEDITATION

Here is a simple meditation that clarifies what is meant by mindfulness practice.

The key elements are:

being in the moment, letting any thoughts drift away without worrying about them, and not making judgments of any kind.

1

Sit comfortably, upright but relaxed in a chair.

2

Notice your body. Attend to all the sensations you experience, however small.

3

Focus your attention on your breathing. Notice where you feel it in your body. Tune into a part of your body where you feel your breath distinctly – perhaps the rise and fall of the lower abdomen or air entering and leaving the nostrils.

4

If your mind wanders, don’t judge yourself. Just be aware that you have lost your focus and move it back to your breathing.

5

Continue this for five or more minutes.