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Mindfulness practices are not about filling the mind, but about the mind filling the present moment. Gentle attention is placed on a point of focus in the here-and-now, and each unique and changing moment is witnessed, or 'surfed', without inviting judging thoughts or rumination. Whatever has already arrived and is necessary on the broader scale of things is met with an open and accepting awareness - with an open heart. In this way it delivers long-term inner peace as it enables people to gain a tolerance for the constantly changing and unpredictable natural world they live in. These practices have been present within different cultures at different times around the world; especially in Asia - perhaps most famously in ancient China as 'Zen', which was then carried over to Japan, and also in ancient India as yoga. Now mindfulness has a modern secular form which is rooted in scientific understanding. Read more about mindfulness in the East >>>

Scientists have extracted the basic mindfulness meditation method from various global religious and cultural frameworks and have studied and reframed it so that it can be secular, non-mystical, and grounded in a combination of neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, biological systems theory, and the known psycho-physiological effects of the stress response. Read more about the supporting science >>>

Secular mindfulness is being used to enhance human performance by lowering stress within all spheres of society, and to even help people with clinical depression. Read more about modern uses of mindfulness >>>

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction was made popular by the work of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn; an MIT graduate who is now Professor of Medicine Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. In 1998 he published a paper in the peer-reviewed journal Psychosomatic Medicine which showed that secular mindfulness meditation increased the healing of psoriasis skin lesions compared to a control group who received a normal treatment for the condition. After this evidence, many other scientists became interested in the applications of mindfulness and now an increasing number of top universities have departments dedicated to researching the potential of mindfulness meditation. See the dedicated sites for Oxford University, Harvard Medical School, UCLA, and University of Massachusetts Medical School for examples.

This website provides an access-point for general secular mindfulness information, teachings, and external resources. It also offers first-hand insights into various traditional Chinese mindful practices, reframed through the lens of a secular mindfulness teacher. All content is provided with the aim to empower and inspire anyone interested in developing a personal mindfulness meditation practice. Read more about this site >>>

The author of this site has practiced mindfulness meditation and related arts for more than 10 years, and has completed the standard 8 week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction/Cognitive Therapy (MBSR/CT) course. In addition, he has attended mindfulness teacher development training under the highly experienced therapist, mindfulness trainer & coach Dr Patrizia Collard of Enter Mindfulness, who is the author of various mindfulness books, including 'Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy For Dummies'. Dr Collard has studied mindfulness meditation directly from Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn as well as Prof. Mark Williams of Oxford University's Mindfulness Centre. Enter Mindfulness has formally certified the author to teach the standard 8 week MBCT course mindfulness practices. Read more about the site author >>>