Making sense of common mindfulness terms

The disciplines of mindfulness and meditation have their own languages and cultures. Sometimes it is hard to make sense of and understand what they all mean. It helps to be familiar with a few basic concepts and terms if you intend to take mindfulness seriously. These words have been used for centuries and typically have multiple roots. Often they are everyday terms that we don’t always fully appreciate what they mean.

Here I try to break down these concepts in relation to mindfulness and meditation, in easy-to-understand terms.

Acceptance

A mindset that is developed through mindfulness practise to allow our experience to unfold and exist, regardless of what it may be, without attempting to change it in any way. The feeling of not "fighting" with experiences that we would prefer not to have and may not like right now is acceptance, not liking a specific experience or feeling resigned.

Anchoring/Anchor

When practising mindfulness, we frequently use the breath, sound, or physical sensations in our bodies as "anchors." During practise, an anchor is a place we decide to put our attention so that we can come back to it repeatedly when the mind wanders (and it definitely will!). It keeps us centred and "grounded" in body awareness rather than engrossed in the thoughts of the thinking mind.

Attention

Being mindful involves being aware of your inner or external experience. When speaking, cleaning, or operating a vehicle, for instance, your mindful attention is primarily developed through various types of meditation, whether formal, traditional, or informal.

Attitude

In order to practise mindfulness, one must be aware of certain attitudes, such as curiosity, acceptance, and kindness.

Autopilot

A way of working where we are not fully focused on what we are doing. The mind may not be fully focused and be in a mode of habitual patterns of thought and behaviour, lost thought and thinking, planning, analysing, etc., or some other form of distraction even though the body may be physically engaged in an activity, such as driving.

Beginner’s mind

The development of a mindset that is ready to perceive everything as though it is for the first time is the idea behind the beginner's mind.

Without prejudiced opinions, preconceived judgments, or biases, it's as if we are viewing the world through the eyes of a child. Think of yourself as an empty vessel that is ready and willing to be filled with new ideas.

Body Awareness

Body awareness, or paying attention to and focusing on aspects of the body and breath, is when we pay attention to physical sensations of the breath (such as the tummy moving in and out as we breathe), or other areas of the body

Compassion

The definition of compassion is "to suffer together." According to researchers who study emotions, it is the sensation you have when you witness someone else's suffering and are moved to try to alleviate it. Despite the fact that the concepts are related, compassion and empathy and altruism are not the same.

Curiosity

An attitude that we work to cultivate as our mindfulness practise advances and that allows us to move from automatic mode. It allows us to directly and unbiasedly explore our experiences and fits with the beginner's mindset. If we develop skills of curiosity, we are less likely to base our interpretation or perception of a situation on assumptions and what we "think, we know" at any given time.

Groundedness

To feel truly grounded, you must locate your feet and become aware of how they relate to the surface beneath you. In a metaphorical sense, it serves as a reminder that despite the fact that the sands are constantly shifting, bedrock exists somewhere, and that regardless of my current situation, I am connected to its stability.

Intention

What you hope to gain from mindfulness practise is your intention. You may want to reduce stress, achieve greater emotional balance, or discover your true nature. The strength of your intention influences the quality of your mindful awareness and motivates you to practise mindfulness on a daily basis.

Letting Go

Related to acceptance.  Simply put, letting go is the act of not trying to change our current experience, even if it's one we'd rather not have. Letting go refers to the desire or need to get rid of unpleasant memories or to have more enjoyable ones.

MBCT

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, a program developed by Prof. Mark Williams at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre

MBSR

Mindfulness-based stress reduction, a program developed by Prof Jon Kabat-Zinn, founding Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness

Meditation

Meditation can be defined as a set of techniques designed to promote heightened awareness and focused attention. Meditation is another consciousness-altering technique that has been shown to have numerous psychological benefits.

Mindful Movement

Your attention and focus are directed toward observing and sensing what happens to your body as you move. It is a practise and mental focus of being conscious of our entire body. We can recognise the potential and capability of our bodies through mindful movement.

Monkey Mind

Thousands of years ago, the Buddha discussed this mental state, saying:

“Just as a monkey swinging through the trees grabs one branch and lets it go only to seize another, so too, that which is called thought, mind or consciousness arises and disappears continually both day and night.”

That is to say, your attention is similar to a monkey's. Your mind generates thousands of unique thoughts each day. Your ability to focus is thus challenged. It swings from branch to branch instead (thought to thought). For instance, you might be trying to focus all of your attention on a task at work. But all of a sudden, your thoughts start to wander. What should you make for dinner tonight? Or, what will you do at the weekend? 

Non-Judgemental

Non-judgmental refers to not passing judgement on someone or something. That someone could be yourself! This means you don't think less of someone because they make mistakes or because you disagree with them. It can also mean that you do not say anything negative about someone, even if you believe they are wrong.

Non-Striving

One of Jon Kabat-nine Zinn's interconnected fundamental attitudes of mindfulness is non-striving. It is a way of being that embodies an openness to the present moment as it is, as opposed to acting. Non-striving in mindfulness is about being in the present moment without looking for ways to make things better or wanting to be somewhere else.

Present Moment

Living in the present moment entails being aware of what is going on right now. This includes being aware that you are thinking about the past or the future. And understanding that they are only thoughts, not realities. It could become a reality one day, but it could also not. Or it may have occurred in the past, but it is no longer present. 

Are there any terms or concepts that you find confusing? Let me know in the comments below.