Paying Attention to Paying Attention

Sometimes I gain amazing insight from my students, both on the mat and in a mindfulness class. During my initial Koru Mindfulness class Wednesday night we were discussing the definition of mindfulness, as posited by the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn.  Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as “the act of paying attention to the present moment without judgment, and with compassion for yourself and others.” This succinct definition captures the essential elements of mindfulness, and it is used by many teachers in the Mindfulness Community.  In the discussion one of my students added, so then “we are paying attention to paying attention.”  I think that this is a great summary of how to best practice mindfulness and I am grateful for their inspiration.