Mindfulness (I practice Tai Chi) is fundamentally a practice of increasing relaxed awareness. Increasng awareness, permits us to make more skillful choices in life, without any assurance of outcome. It can be analogized to navigating while sailing. Relaxation enables us to perform this navigation while minimizing the amount of energy required.

I imagine that there are many modes of practices that can reach relax the mind and increase awareness, Tai Chi suits me while meditation or other practices may suit others. Anything performed in a relaxed manner will increase physical, emotional, and spiritual flow which seems to lead to better overall health while stagnation seems to have the opposite effect.

As far as happiness is concerned, it seems to come in waves and moderate happiness helps mitigate and moderate sadness. In other words, the Middle Way.

1. Do you buy into the scientific evidence that supports the notion that mindfulness has benefits for both physical and mental health? — Brian

It's pretty well established, as far as I know. Why wouldn't someone buy into it?

2. Does it make sense that increased mindfulness could lead to increased happiness and general well-being? — Brian

General well being? Absolutely. I find that our modern fetishization of happiness detracts from our general sense of well being, so I'll leave that one alone.

3. Do you practice mindfulness at all (or have you in the past) and if so, have you received any benefit from it? Any negative effects? — Brian

Yes, and yes. I am more emotionally self-aware. I act less rashly. I experience anxiety, anger, boredom and/or despair less frequently and they aren't, as a rule, the primary drivers of my behavior.

4. Does anything else in Buddhism meaningfully add to any benefits of mindfulness or should the rest of Buddhist practice and philosophy be rejected? — Brian

One might derive benefit from Buddhism in the same way that one might derive benefit from Christianity (there's some good general life advice in most scriptures), but as far as I'm concerned, there is no element of Buddhism that is required to practice mindfulness to beneficial effect. Michael Taft is a proponent of secular mindfulness. https://themindfulgeek.com/

Mindfulness was one tool that helped me out of a two decade battle with addiction. I am incredibly pleased with my life right now, and there have been a number of elements that led me here, mindfulness is one. I don't suppose I'll ever be able to quantify to what degree.

As a side note, I don't often do mindfulness meditations anymore, but I do try, and I believe succeed to a large degree, to incorporate mindfulness into all sorts of elements of my daily life.

Do you buy into the scientific evidence that supports the notion that mindfulness has benefits for both physical and mental health? — Brian

Sure, I'll drink to that. ANY concerted effort to manage one's mental transactions toward a positive outcome are likely to be beneficial. There are numerous methods--secular and religious--to achieve these ends.

I have practiced yoga at times (and I should be practicing it now, for the sake of physical flexibility and range-of-motion, if nothing else) and found it beneficial. Prayer, fasting, exercise, time management, meditation, to-do lists, practicing helpful habits, eating a healthy diet, maintaining an active mental life, getting enough exercise, listening to music (whatever is enjoyable) etc. are all beneficial (I haven't done all those things, mind you, like prayer and fasting).

One example of mindfulness and depression: depression often involves 'perseverating' -- obsessing -- about something one finds annoying. The longer one thinks about it, the more upset one gets. Mindfulness has helped me nip obsessive thinking in the bud. However, I couldn't do this when I was really depressed. Perseverance took on a life of its own. Now, thankfully, depression has faded and I feel pretty good--mentally healthy. I am functioning very well, now. Mindfulness and yoga didn't produce that result. (I don't know what, exactly, is responsible. Probably retirement.)

I think it would be helpful to teach mindfulness to children in school. We need a way of monitoring what is going on in our heads, so we don't get carried away with our emotions before we even know what is happening.

Mindfulness (I practice Tai Chi) is fundamentally a practice of increasing relaxed awareness. Increasng awareness, permits us to make more skillful choices in life, without any assurance of outcome. It can be analogized to navigating while sailing. Relaxation enables us to perform this navigation while minimizing the amount of energy required. — Rich

Yes, I find that to be true about making more skillful choices. I also find that I just enjoy things more. Even mundane things like washing dishes: when I do it in a rote, mindless way, it's something I wish not to be doing. When I put my full present awareness into it, I become absorbed in it and actually enjoy it.

Thanks for posting!

It's pretty well established, as far as I know. Why wouldn't someone buy into it? — Reformed Nihilist

Perhaps it is. I wasn't too sure of the state of the scientific research. It seems to me to be pretty well established though, yes, though with the caveat that science is always up for possible revision down the road with new evidence to the contrary.

General well being? Absolutely. I find that our modern fetishization of happiness detracts from our general sense of well being, so I'll leave that one alone. — Reformed Nihilist

That's an interesting point Nihilist - A great topic for another thread that maybe already exists - but you may very well be right about that.

Yes, and yes. I am more emotionally self-aware. I act less rashly. I experience anxiety, anger, boredom and/or despair less frequently and they aren't, as a rule, the primary drivers of my behavior. — Reformed Nihilist

That's awesome! I feel I've had a lot of positive results with it too in a similar way.

Thanks for your post RN (great username btw) - your thoughts are much appreciated. : )

So I guess you can call me a believer. — Brian

That's a revealing comment. I would have thought 'practitioner' more appropriate.

What are your thoughts on mindfulness & mindfulness meditation? — Brian

I think there is a fair amount of reporting that indicates that this kind of practice is beneficial. How could it not be? How could paying attention to what you're thinking and feeling not be beneficial, in an environment of constant distraction? So, yes, I think it is definitely beneficial.