What is Mindfulness?
The meaning of the word is “remembering to be aware”, or “remembering to pay attention”. It encompasses both the quality of presence and of recollection, the latter being the term’s previous translation. “Recollection” also implies the idea of coming back to ourselves.
The use of the term “mindfulness” has spread in the West in the past 50 years, as part of the acquaintance with the spiritual and meditative traditions of Buddhism. It is the focal point of most Buddhist traditions. One may go even further in saying that the need to be aware, in its different forms, is a fundamental component of any spiritual tradition. Mindfulness is one of the techniques of spiritual practice that had developed in the monasteries of Burma and Thailand and later arrived in the West in a form suited for Westerners. This path is similar to the one of Yoga practice, that has originated from a spiritual Hindu source.