Mindfulness Glossary

In mindfulness, the willingness to experience thoughts, feelings, and sensations as they are without trying to change, avoid, or judge them.

A brain structure involved in processing emotions, particularly fear and threat detection. Mindfulness has been shown to reduce its reactivity.

The state of performing activities without conscious awareness, relying on habitual patterns. Mindfulness is the deliberate practice of stepping out of autopilot.

The attitude of approaching each experience with fresh curiosity and openness, as if for the first time, without preconceptions.

A meditation practice of systematically directing attention through regions of the body to notice physical sensations without judgment.

A practice focused on developing feelings of warmth and care for those who are suffering, often paired with the wish that their suffering be relieved.

The ability to observe one's thoughts as transient mental events rather than facts, reducing their emotional impact.

A network of brain regions active during mind-wandering and self-referential thought, whose activity is modulated by mindfulness meditation.

A state of psychological stability and composure, undisturbed by experience of or exposure to emotions, pain, or other phenomena.

A practice of sustaining attention on a single chosen object, such as the breath, and redirecting focus back when the mind wanders.

The perception of internal bodily signals such as heartbeat, breathing, and visceral sensations, enhanced through mindfulness practices like body scans.

A meditation practice of cultivating unconditional positive regard and well-wishes toward oneself and others, fostering compassion and reducing hostility.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, a therapeutic approach blending mindfulness with CBT techniques to prevent depressive relapse.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, an 8-week program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn combining meditation, body awareness, and yoga for stress management.

A broad term for practices that train attention and awareness, often involving focused concentration, open monitoring, or guided visualization.

The capacity to be aware of one's own thinking processes, observing thoughts as mental events rather than being fully absorbed in their content.

The foundational practice of directing attention to the sensations of breathing — the rise and fall of the abdomen, air flowing through the nostrils — as an anchor for present-moment awareness.

The practice of intentionally paying attention to the present moment with an attitude of openness, curiosity, and non-judgment.

The brain's capacity to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life, the mechanism by which meditation changes brain structure.

The practice of observing experiences without categorizing them as good or bad, a foundational attitude in mindfulness.

A meditation style of maintaining broad, non-reactive awareness of all arising experiences without fixating on any single object.

The brain region behind the forehead responsible for executive functions such as attention, planning, and impulse control, strengthened by mindfulness practice.

Repetitive, passive focus on symptoms of distress and their causes and consequences, a major risk factor for depression.

The body's physiological reaction to perceived threats, involving cortisol release and sympathetic nervous system activation. Mindfulness has been shown to attenuate this response.

An ancient Buddhist meditation practice meaning 'insight' or 'clear seeing,' focused on observing the nature of reality through direct experience of bodily sensations.