Mindfulness — Definition

Mindfulness is a translation of the Pali word sati, originally referring to a specific quality of remembered awareness in early Buddhist practice. In modern usage, especially in clinical settings, it has been adapted into secular programs like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. The core move is the same: notice what is happening in body, feeling, thought, and surroundings without immediately judging or trying to change it. Sustained practice tends to widen the gap between stimulus and response.

Origin

A 19th-century English translation of the Pali sati, "memory" or "presence of mind."

Example

Stopping to notice three breaths before answering a hard email is a small mindfulness practice with outsized returns.