What is Mindfulness?

'Mindfulness' is a translation of the world 'sati' from the ancient language of Pali, the language of the early Buddhist texts.

This word means 'remembering to be conscious' or 'remembering to pay attention'; it has a quality of presence, and of returning or remembrance. The previous translation to English was 'recollection', a word which also includes the idea of coming back to ourselves

The idea of mindfulness has become known in the Western world in the past 50 years, as part of the familiarization with the spiritual and meditative traditions of Buddhism.

Mindfulness is the main foundation of most Buddhist traditions; it's possible to say that the need to be aware, in one form or another, is one of the basic pillars of each spiritual traditions. Mindfulness is one of the techniques for spiritual practice that has arose in the monasteries of Burma and Thailand, and has come to us in a new package that is more suitable for Westerners – similarly to Yoga, that emerged from a spiritual Hindu origin.