While mindfulness has come to us through the Buddhist meditation tradition, there is nothing particularly Buddhist about cultivating our ability to pay attention. In this respect, mindfulness is a universal skill.

Mindfulness can be described as our capacity to pay attention in a particular way – on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally. This kind of attention nurtures greater awareness, clarity, and acceptance of what is happening for us right now.

Many of us are aware that negative emotions like stress, anger, disappointment and frustration can adversely affect our mental and physical health. While negative emotions cannot be avoided in life, mindfulness offers a simple, yet powerful approach to experiencing these feelings without injuring our health or well being.

Developing the skills for mindful attention provides us with simple but powerful tools for experiencing the richness and depth in our lives – waking us up to the knowledge that our life is made up of moments. If we are not fully present for these moments we are at risk of living life automatically and unconsciously – possibly missing what is most valuable in our lives.

Learning to live mindfully can help us to take charge of the direction and quality of our lives and to live intentionally, deliberately and with awareness. In a world of ever-increasing pace and pressure, the centuries-old origins of mindfulness are perhaps even more relevant today than ever before.