In an episode titled “Definitions of Mindfulness” on “The Mindsprings Podcast,” Alisatair Aplleton touches on the misconceptions that surround mindfulness as well as where mindfulness stems from. He begins with the notion that it is a misunderstanding that mindful meditation is about isolation, when really it is about making connections. The goal is to connect to all that is around us. Appleton states that “Beingfulness” is actually a better term than mindfulness. He explains that when practicing mindfulness, “We are really opening up to the full extent of our being.” He goes on to the historical background of mindfulness. He points out that mindfulness finds its roots in traditions practiced hundreds to thousands of years before Christ in India. These traditions lead into Buddhist and Hindu beliefs.
While listening to this podcast, I learned that meditation stemmed not only from one part of Buddhism or Hinduism but many parts. One tradition seen in meditation is Bhavana which centers itself around visualization. Another tradition that meditation is based upon is Samadhi, which is focusing our existence to one point. Sati is the Buddhist practice that is the center of where mindfulness comes from. It is about the quality of awareness. Appleton mentions that the path of mindfulness does not prefer good things to bad things, but accepts all. We think that we must hide negative things but Appleton counters this by saying that “The great spirit of mindfulness is really that we say yes to everything! We say yes to feeling really crappy, we say to feeling ecstatic, we say yes to blue, we say yes to yellow.” This was a new idea to me that I really stood out when listening to Appleton speak. Through learning about the misconceptions about mindfulness, Appleton’s podcast episode added to my knowledge of what mindfulness is as well as the historical background of mindfulness.
Appleton, A. (2017, August 28). Definitions of Mindfulness [Audio blog post].
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