What does it mean to be mindful?

We tend to get stuck ruminating about the past or worrying about what could happen in the future. Do you ever wish you could stop the ping-pong game in your head? Focusing your attention on the past or the future robs you of the present. 

Mindfulness enables you to live in the “now,” fully experiencing and appreciating the present moment. It allows you to be intentional with your thoughts—and your actions.

Mindfulness has gained mainstream popularity in recent years and is even being taught in schools and businesses. Many people incorporate meditation into their daily routines. In
increasing numbers, clinical studies are proving the many benefits of mindfulness meditation, from reducing stress to enhancing sleep and even improving memory. This trend is a welcome antidote to the rise of anxiety, depression, and violence in our society.

Unfortunately, becoming mindful doesn’t happen after just a few sessions with a meditation app on your phone. While sitting in meditation cultivates mindfulness, being mindful needs to be a way of life.

What is Dispositional Mindfulness?

Mindfulness involves suspending judgment as you observe, describe and act. In a mindful state, you’re able to focus on the present moment—without ruminating about the past or worrying about the future. And when distractions crop up, they no longer hijack your attention.

This state of mindfulness isn’t limited to the 10 or 20 minutes of sitting in meditation. Rather, you can incorporate it into your daily life—and mindset. Dispositional mindfulness, an emerging niche within the discipline, refers to mindfulness as a trait … one you can develop, over time and with repeated practice.

Dispositional mindfulness allows you to continually experience the present. No longer simply drifting through time, you’re mindful when you walk, talk, eat, work, and even complete household chores. You notice these seemingly insignificant moments that cumulatively add up to the richness of life.

In his book, the Miracle of Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hanh talks about washing dishes:

While washing the dishes one should only be washing the dishes, which means that while washing the dishes one should be completely aware of the fact that one is washing the dishes … If while washing dishes we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not ‘washing the dishes to wash the dishes.’

Thinking about what comes next (or, for that matter, what happened in the past) renders you incapable of fully experiencing what you are doing—and who is around you—right now. The next time you find yourself distracted by thoughts of the past or the future, remind yourself to return to the present moment. Fully experience the here and now.

Chopping wood is meditation. Carrying water is meditation. Be mindful 24 hours a day, not just during the one hour you may allot for formal meditation or reading scripture and reciting prayers. Each act must be carried out in mindfulness. Each act is a rite, a ceremony.

– Thich Nhat Hanh

My Personal Mindfulness Journey

Several years ago, I started a daily meditation practice. It was an immediate game-changer.

The stress of being caught up in the professional rat race, chasing one goal after the next, all while trying to play Super Mom, was taking its toll. I knew I needed to do something to slow the pace, to quiet the noise in my mind, and to help me reflect on my path. Upon the recommendation of a close friend, I discovered Transcendental Meditation (TM). Adhering to its guidelines to meditate for 20 minutes twice a day, with five to eight hours between sessions, I quickly found a greater sense of calm in dealing with both external and internal stimuli—especially immediately following a meditation session. I stayed in that peaceful, calm state, did not react to other people or situations quickly anymore, and most importantly, I enjoyed every moment of my life regardless of what is happening around me.

The effects were so impressive that, while maintaining a daily TM practice, I was drawn to other types of meditation, including loving-kindness meditation and soul realization meditation. The more I learned, the more I practiced … and the deeper my spiritual awakening became.

As I progressed along this spiritual journey, I felt an increasing urge to be in a meditative state while engaged in everyday activities—walking, exercising, cooking, and especially
spending time with my kids. That’s when it dawned on me: I wanted to become “a person who is mindful” (trait) rather than to learn to be “mindful in a given situation” (state). Although I wasn’t able to articulate it at the time, I later realized that I was seeking dispositional mindfulness.

Dispositional Mindfulness as a Way of Life

Mindfulness-based interventions derived from Buddhist-based theories posit that you can increase your propensity toward mindfulness in everyday life—i.e., displaying dispositional mindfulness—by repeatedly evoking the state of mindfulness during meditation sessions over time.

As I learned—and experienced, first-hand—repeatedly achieving a deeper state of mindfulness during meditation does prompt greater tendencies to exhibit mindfulness in the context of daily life. From a neurological perspective, it makes sense; chronic activation of the neural networks that facilitate mindfulness in meditation leads to permanent changes in the brain’s neuropathways, thus reinforcing dispositional mindfulness.

Contrary to another common public misperception, mindfulness meditation is not “relaxation therapy,” nor is it “mood management.” Rather, it is a form of mental training to reduce cognitive vulnerability, reactivity, and emotional volatility.

It is no coincidence that meditation is referred to as “practice.” The capacity to evoke mindfulness is one that you develop over time, and with dedicated practice. This training relies on continuous, intentional, and focused repetition. With each practice, you increase your capacity for self-regulation.

Just as an athlete trains for an upcoming competition, engaging in mindfulness meditation trains you for life. If you’re new to meditation, your journey to cultivating dispositional mindfulness begins with a single session—and a deep desire to embrace a higher quality of life.