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Mindfulness: the power to notice

Original Academy introduction. Keep its interpretation distinct from the linked traditions, authors, and research sources.

Content scope: complete authored record

Published source · Plain text

{
  "slug": "mindfulness",
  "title": "Mindfulness: the power to notice",
  "shelf": "Ways of noticing",
  "kind": "Contemporary practice with Buddhist roots",
  "lead": "Mindfulness is the deliberate practice of noticing experience as it unfolds. It can make a little space between an event and a habitual reaction.",
  "question": "What is happening before I decide what it means?",
  "sections": [
    {
      "title": "Related, but not identical",
      "paragraphs": [
        "Attention practices appear in many traditions. Modern secular mindfulness programs, including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, developed in conversation with Buddhist meditation, but they are not the same as Zen, nor a substitute for a religious practice. Research studies particular programs and outcomes; it does not certify every claim made in mindfulness's name.",
        "Noticing can include the room, the body, thoughts, and other people. It need not require closing your eyes or staying still. For some people inward attention can be uncomfortable; looking outward, moving, or stopping is a valid choice."
      ]
    },
    {
      "title": "Attention as a usable capacity",
      "paragraphs": [
        "When you catch yourself replaying a conversation, the aim is not to erase the thought. You can notice the replay and also notice the chair beneath you, the next person in front of you, and what needs doing now.",
        "Academy interpretation: a brief return to the observable world can help you choose a response. It makes no promise of serenity, treatment, or a particular result."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "practice": "Name three things you can see, one sound, and the next task in front of you. If this does not help, leave the exercise.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "label": "Mindfulness and health · UMass Chan",
      "url": "https://www.umassmed.edu/contentassets/df303ddceb3c4fcd84283d5e2aee9970/mindfulness-and-health.pdf",
      "note": "University overview of practice and research."
    },
    {
      "label": "Mindfulness · NHS",
      "url": "https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/tips-and-support/mindfulness/",
      "note": "Plain-language overview and practical limits."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "zen",
    "self-determination"
  ]
}

End of record.