Mindfulness refers to human's capacity to be aware of the present moment. The practice of this state of presence, is something that has been known for millennia. It appears in Sanskrit texts (smrti स्मृति) and pali (sati सति) in contemplative traditions. Mindfulness is a practice that is growing more and more in practitioners worldwide
This way of perceiving and living reality, which seems simple and natural, requires, however, a training due to the erratic nature of our mind. In the East there is a long tradition that has developed a practice in which meditation and mindfulness are fulcrums of a wider system
In the 1970s, scientists working in the field of neurosciences became
interested in the effects of meditation on Tibetan monks and yoguis. Laboratory tests gave
astonishing results related to cognitive functions, memory, immune system,
relationship with stress and other areas
Mindfulness helps to create a space between ourselves and our thoughts and emotions, allowing us not to react impulsively to them but respond in a conscious way. The ability to observe this process instead of living them as a real entity (by identifying ourselves with them), helps to respond freely, instead of mechanically and, generally, unconsciously, making the decisions that are made appropriate to what the situation demands and what you want to do. It's about breaking that "identification" or "fusion" that we have with thoughts giving them an entity of reality which is the main cause of stress, anxiety and other pathologies.
Today studies of the western scientific community around mindfulness have grown exponentially demonstrating that this practice not only changes our mind but also our brain.