Moving into the third week of this learning project, I have chosen to continue learning more about the history of mindfulness. Last week, I listened to a podcast on the topic. I decided to mix it up this week and do a good old Google search. I scrolled through and landed on the website PsychCentral. It is more of a blog-style website, which I enjoyed as it was straightforward and user-friendly. This website also had a drop-down option that, when clicked on, took you directly to the topic headline.
Ever since I was in university, I have been a bit more cautious or hesitant, you could say when selecting websites or articles for “research.” Validity and reliability have been embedded in my head. I guess I am trying to say that I don’t think this online source would be considered “scholarly,” but that wasn’t a requirement for this project, so I guess it is okay!
Anyway, I will get straight into what I learned this week!
So, where did this whole mindfulness topic originate?
As much as mindfulness and meditation have been buzzwords lately, the practice goes back centuries. The term “mindfulness” comes from the Buddhist concept of “sati,” which translates to the “moment-to-moment awareness of present events.” It originated in the fifth century BCE by a man named Siddartha Gautama, most commonly known as Buddha. It wasn’t until the 1970s that mindfulness became widely practiced in the East.
Fast Forward- Where are we now with this whole mindfulness thing?
Jon Kabat-Zinn, a professor of medication and other health-related subjects, first learned about Buddhism’s “philosophical tenets” in 1979. He then opened a stress reduction clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. From here, he adopted the Buddhist teachings on mindfulness and created a program called “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).”
This is just the beginning of the spread of mindfulness, though. According to PsychClinic, in 2018, meditation was reported to be the fastest-growing health trend in the US. I think this kind of leaves us where we are now… the benefits are well-known, and it is a buzz topic that many people are dipping their toes into.
To wrap up what I learned this week, I’ll share some of PsychCLinic’s benefits of practicing mindfulness.
- A decrease in anxiety and depression
- Improve sleep quality
- Decrease blood pressure
- Curb stress
What’s up for next week?
I briefly mentioned how mindfulness is now used in the medical field to reduce stress and improve other aspects of health. I am curious to learn more about the medical side of mindfulness, which will be my focus topic for next week’s post!
I never really knew where mindfulness originated, but it makes sense that it has been derived from/inspired by Buddhism. I also wonder how far our modern conception of mindfulness has changed from the Buddhist practice. I wonder if you could write something about mindfulness in classrooms. I saw a mindfulness booklet be used in an elementary classroom once, and I thought it was an interesting concept.
Thank you for sharing. I have heard a great deal of mindfulness and I mention it a few times within my e-portfolio so it was refreshing to see that someone else is interested in that topic as well!! I would not have thought the origin would be that far back. I wonder what changed in the 1970’s to spark the buzz around mindfulness? I am interested in this topic so I will for sure be checking back in next week!
Thanks for sharing! I really like this topic for a learning project. While I was doing my first degree at the UofR, my minor was in Religious Studies, and during my courses on Buddhism I first heard about the concept of mindfulness. That was ten years ago, and I am really happy to see how this concept has spread into the mainstream. I think it is a really useful tool for anyone to practice to help improve their mental wellbeing.
Sounds like you’re really getting into mindfulness! I like that you’re mixing up your research…podcasts and blog posts are a great combo. Your take on its history is super interesting! I a also learning a lot about mindfulness through this learning project, so this post was very educational for me as well! Can’t wait to see what you find out about the medical side next week. Keep it going!
I find it very fascinating that ‘mindfulness’ was created very long ago and wasn’t used widely till the 1970’s. The definition “moment-to-moment awareness of present events.” is a great, simple way to understand mindfulness. Good job!
-Elyse Woodard