Mindfulness is one of the trendiest words in the wellness world today. But, have you ever actually stopped to ask yourself what it really means?How do we define mindfulness?
This centuries-old practice has many different definitions, so let’s look at the two most significant influences on what mindfulness is today: Eastern Ancient Wisdom and Western Science.
We’ll do this by exploring how two of mindfulness’s most influential teachers, Jon Kabat-Zinn and Thich Nhat Hanh, define mindfulness in their own unique yet complementary ways.
The Science of Awareness: Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness Definition
When mindfulness first entered mainstream Western culture, it wasn’t through temples or poetry, it was through a hospital.
In the late 1970s, molecular biologist and meditation practitioner Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn introduced a program called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
His goal? To help patients manage chronic pain, anxiety, and illness, not with medication, but with awareness.
Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as:
“A particular way of paying attention: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”
This might sound simple, but in practice, it’s a powerful re-training of the mind.
Instead of reacting on autopilot, we learn to observe our thoughts, sensations, and emotions with calm clarity.
What sets Kabat-Zinn’s approach apart is that it blends ancient Buddhist principles with modern psychology and neuroscience.
It’s mindfulness without religion, but not without depth.
The Science of Awareness: Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness Definition
For Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness is not just about where we place our attention but how we relate to what we find there.
He identified several key attitudes of mindfulness that shape the quality of our awareness:
Beginner’s Mind – Meeting each moment as if it’s brand new.
Non-Judgment – Observing without labeling thoughts or feelings as good or bad.
Acceptance – Allowing things to be as they are without resistance.
Equanimity – Staying balanced amid ups and downs.
Letting Be – Releasing control and allowing experiences to unfold.
Self-Compassion – Treating yourself with kindness, not criticism.
These attitudes aren’t side notes—they are the heart of the practice. They guide us toward awareness that’s both clear and kind.
The Art of Presence: Thich Nhat Hanh’s Teachings
While Jon Kabat-Zinn introduced mindfulness to the scientific world, Thich Nhat Hanh made Buddhist mindfulness teachings deeply accessible to everyday people.
Born in Vietnam in 1926, Thich Nhat Hanh was a Zen master, peace activist, poet, and scholar. He was ordained as a monk at the age of 16 and spent decades blending ancient Buddhist wisdom with the pressing needs of modern life.
Offering mindfulness not just as a spiritual path, but as a way to heal suffering, cultivate compassion, and live more deeply.
He is widely credited with bringing Buddhist mindfulness teachings to the West in a way that was both simple and profound.
Through his books, dharma talks, and the creation of Plum Village, a mindfulness center in France, Thay (as his students call him) showed that mindfulness isn’t something reserved for monasteries, it’s something we can live in every moment.
In his book The Miracle of Mindfulness (1975), he wrote:
“Mindfulness is the miracle by which we master and restore ourselves.”
He continues:
“To meditate means to pay full attention to something. It doesn’t mean to run away from life… Mindfulness enables us to live.”
Whereas Kabat-Zinn focused on stress reduction through clinical programs, Thich Nhat Hanh emphasized mindfulness as a path to spiritual presence and compassionate action, starting right here, in the present moment.
Deep Looking and True Presence Define Mindfulness
Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings of mindfulness go beyond simply being aware; it’s about seeing deeply.
In Buddhist tradition, this is known as vipassana, which isn’t just the name for the intense meditation retreats, it’s insight that arises from steady, loving attention.
He often returned to the ancient Pali term sati, which is commonly translated as mindfulness.
But as Thay explains in Transformation and Healing, sati doesn’t just mean attention it means to “stop” and to “maintain awareness”. That stopping allows us to see clearly, with depth.
In other words, mindfulness isn’t about checking out; it’s about fully inhabiting your life.
The more present we are to ourselves, the more connected we become to others, to nature, and to suffering, not as something to avoid, but to understand and transform.
For Thich Nhat Hanh, even the most ordinary actions like washing a dish, walking through a doorway can become sacred when done in awareness.
When we are truly present, he taught, we can “touch the wonders of life in the here and now.”
Living each moment fully
Thich Nhat Hanh didn’t treat mindfulness as a tool for healing; he lived it as a way of being fully alive.
He taught that we don’t find presence later we practice it now.
One of his most well-known reminders is:
“The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments.”
(The Miracle of Mindfulness)
This teaching isn’t just poetic, it’s pretty practical.
When we anchor ourselves in the now, we interrupt the cycle of overthinking, regret, and anxiety. Mindfulness pulls us out of autopilot and brings us back to what’s real.
Instead of rushing through life, Thich Nhat Hanh invites us to arrive softly, fully, and over and over again. In Peace Is Every Step, he writes:
“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the earth revolves.”
That’s the essence of his mindfulness: transform the smallest act into something sacred, and let the simplest moment feel whole.
We don’t need silence or stillness to begin. We can start with the next breath, the next step, the next sip of tea.
And ultimately, Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us that mindfulness doesn’t end with awareness, it opens the path to deeper connection. As he writes:
“Understanding is love’s other name. If you don’t understand, you can’t love.”
(Peace Is Every Step)
When we practice mindfulness, we grow our capacity to understand. When we understand, we open the door to love, toward ourselves, each other, and the life unfolding right in front of us.
Where the Two Meet: Shared Principles of Mindfulness
At first glance, Jon Kabat-Zinn and Thich Nhat Hanh may seem to speak different languages. One draws from Western medicine and science. The other shares from Buddhist tradition and poetic presence.
But when we look closely, their teachings point to the same essential truth:
Mindfulness is not just about paying attention. It’s about the quality of how we attend.
Both teachers describe mindfulness as conscious awareness of the present moment. But they go further. They remind us that awareness is not enough without curiosity, care, and openness.
Kabat-Zinn teaches mindfulness as a disciplined form of attention shaped by attitudes like non-judgment, patience, and self-compassion.
Thich Nhat Hanh guides us to look deeply into our experience with gentleness and compassion.
Both invite us to stop running from discomfort and to meet what’s happening with presence.
Whether we’re feeling stress, calm, confusion, or joy, mindfulness helps us turn toward our experience instead of away from it.
Mindfulness is not about fixing anything. It’s about being with what is.
Kabat-Zinn frames this through a scientific and psychological lens. Thich Nhat Hanh frames it through spiritual teachings and everyday rituals.
Either way the result is the same.
We become more present, more grounded, and more aware of our relationship to life.
Whether we sit in meditation, take a mindful breath before speaking, or walk slowly through the kitchen, mindfulness brings us back to the present moment, the only true moment we have.
A Working Definition of Mindfulness
So how can we define mindfulness?
There are many beautiful interpretations, from scientific to spiritual, but at some point, we each have to decide what it means for us.
My own working definition is this:
Mindfulness refers to a particular way of paying attention to our present experience with a curious and non-judgmental attitude towards everything that we may experience.
This includes the world around us, what we feel through our five senses, and the world within us, made up of thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations.
In mindfulness, we learn to meet all of it with openness instead of judgment. We don’t have to fix what arises; we just have to notice it with care.
A big part of this practice is noticing when our attention drifts. Because it will, and when it does, the invitation is simple: bring it back.
To the breath. To the body. To this moment. Without blame. That quiet return is where the practice deepens.
The more we pay attention in this way, the more we start to understand how we respond to life. And with that understanding comes choice.
Mindfulness isn’t about mastering your mind. It’s about meeting your experience honestly, and returning with love.
I invite you to spend time exploring your own definition of mindfulness. Let it grow from your experience. Not only define mindfulness, but let it be something you can actually live by.
Where to go from here
If you’re still here, reading this slowly and curiously, you’ve already begun.
Mindfulness doesn’t require a special cushion or long hours of silence.
It starts with paying attention, on purpose, with care. It begins with the breath you’re taking right now.
And maybe you’re wondering… why does this matter? What does mindfulness actually shift in your life, your mind, your nervous system?
In the next article, I’ll explore why we practice mindfulness, and how it supports emotional resilience, mental clarity, and a deeper sense of connection, not just to others, but to yourself.
Then, we’ll move into the how: how to start practicing mindfulness in real life. We’ll talk about the difference between formal practices like seated meditation, and informal mindfulness, the kind you can carry into a conversation, a walk, or your skincare routine.
Mindfulness is simple, but it’s not always easy. These next pieces will help you understand the why and how behind the practice, so you can begin (or return) with more intention.
Whenever you’re ready, you can keep reading:
→ Why Practice Mindfulness?
→ Formal vs. Informal Mindfulness: How to Practice
