Mindfulness principles

About the mindfulness principles

Jon Kabat-Zinn, an American professor emeritus in medicine, is the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), an eight week program that supports the management of stress, mental health, and pain. Kabat-Zinn studied with zen-buddhists and was inspired by yogic practices when he developed the programme’s philosophy and method. He reduced the religious influences and emphasized medicinal empirical research to implement mindfulness in the public health sector. In other words, he focused less on the existential and spiritual exploration and more on how MSBR could help people physically and mentally.

Kabat-Zinn offered nine principles that define the practice of mindfulness with the purpose to increase one’s self knowledge and wisdom.

Nine mindfulness principles

1. Acceptance
2. Non-judgment
3. Patience
4. Beginners mind
5. Non-striving
6. Trust
7. Non-attachment
8. Gratitude
9. Generosity

Defining the nine mindfulness principles

• Acceptance
  Acceptance refers to the ability to see things for what they are, and to accept life changes. We can change how we relate to an event, but if the bone is broken, it is broken. If tiredness hits then that is what it does. If the heart is ridden with grief, then it is what it is.
  Acceptance does not mean to give up, grasp onto or to like a particular situation. Rather, acceptance requires us to embrace reality for what it is and relate accordingly. Acceptance can be applied to oneself, as it permits you to be yourself in the knowledge that you are enough and welcomed for who you are.

• Non-judgment
  A foundational aspect in mindfulness is to practice being an objective witness to one’s subjective experience. In other words, to not judge and react to what occurs within us in the form of thoughts, feelings, pressures, sensory impressions and other people’s actions and opinions etc. This requires us to take a step back, to gain some distance to our experiences and therefore broaden our perspective.
  
  We pause and observe what happens, and subsequently choose how to act constructively in that situation. Easier said than done! Our thoughts are keen to value, categorize and control. Thus, we need to practice non-judgment even in our own mindfulness practice. Remember - you are not alone, most people experience this mind activity.

• Patience
  Patience is about understanding and accepting that sometimes certain things need to mature in their own time, and that we cannot always know what the future outcome is. We cannot force a seed to grow, but we can give it the right soil, water and nourishment to support its growth.
  
  One can easily forget to stop and be present when one’s thoughts are going at full speed. When we are present, our thoughts can serve as tools whereby we are no longer servants to habitual thought patterns, rather we can use our intellect to clearly discern which decisions are in line with our needs and values.

• Beginners mind
  Too often do we allow our thoughts and beliefs of what we “know” to hinder us from taking new perspectives and/or view things for what they really are. We tend to take things for granted and we miss out on the extraordinary in the ordinary.
  
  By developing a “beginners mind”, you can learn to appreciate the richness in the present moment whereby you see things as if it were for the first time. Similar to the awe that a child can experience in all its innocence.

• Non-striving
  Most of what we do is done with a goal in mind. However, according to mindfulness, such ambitions can become an obstacle that takes us out of the present moment. Non-striving is sometimes known as conscious striving whereby we leave the meditation pillow and step into everyday life. It means that we act consciously from within ourselves, rather than react in a random or habitual manner.
  
  Non-striving refers to following a direction while being present in the now, thereby letting go of any concerns about whether or not we arrive at our destination. For example, if we are to make a speech, then we focus on the speech itself rather than worrying about how the message will be received. We dedicate ourselves to the process, rather than the end result.

• Trust
  Trust is at the core of mindfulness in order to develop a confidence towards ourselves and our feelings. Rather than looking outside ourselves for guidance, it is important to trust our own intuition and authority, even if we make mistakes on the way.
  
  Trust does not mean that everything will go our way. Rather, it is about resting in the knowledge that we are capable of facing whatever happens, and that we can ask for help when needed.

• Non-attachment
  Us people have a tendency to place our worth or personality in what happens within or outside of us, and this can make us stuck. For example, we may believe that “this is how we are”, yet it is a thought that we have attached to. The thought can be there but we train ourselves to detach from it.
  
  As we begin to notice our inner experience and what lies beneath a thought or a situation, then we can open up to more possibilities of how to meet life from a broader and more flexible perspective.

• Gratitude
  Gratitude is a state of mind that can impact on our health. Gratitude can be practiced by appreciating the now and noticing what one is grateful for. It can occur when we stop for a moment, and begin to experience it within our body and mind.

• Generosity
  At times we may have thoughts that tell us that we do not deserve to receive. These thoughts lock us out of a trusting and safe presence. They can create a tension within us, when we do not receive from ourselves, life as a whole or from other people. Perhaps this attitude sounds contradictory, to practice both non-attachment while being generous and to receive. However, these are two sides of the same coin. When we release those fears, the bad conscience or the thoughts of not being deserving, then it becomes easier to unlock further possibilities.

Deepen your mindfulness practice online

If you wish to practice further then check out the online program Explore Mindfulness with Eleonora Ramsby Herrera. For classes, exercises and lectures, check out our audio and video library. All are included in a subscription.  New to Yogobe? Get a 14 day free trial period – get registered here! 

References:
mindful.org: Jon Kabat-Zinn: Defining mindfulness and mbrstraining.com: Mindfulness attitudes.

Fact checked by our yoga- and meditation teacher Eleonora Ramsby Herrera.