The art and science of planting seeds of mindfulness

Abstract

This article explores the Art and Science of Mindfulness from the perspective of a Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, an author of five books in the Mindfulness Essentials series and that of an American medical doctor, Jon Kabat Zinn, who founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) clinic at the University of Massachusetts. Mindfulness training for stress reduction is discussed with positive results in pain reduction, blood pressure reduction, and a greater sense of well-being. Mindfulness practices used with educators are examined including the Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) program developed by Patricia Jennings, a professor at the University of Virginia; Stress management and Using Relaxation Techniques (SMART) designed by Margaret Cullen, a therapist and MBSR instructor; and MindUp a mindfulness program for elementary and middle school students sponsored by the Hawn Foundation. Mindfulness practices have the capacity for transformation in students and their teachers, as well as in parents and their children.