The current mindfulness trend in the Western world has its roots in Eastern religions. The concept was popularized in the fields of psychology and medicine by Jon Kabat-Zinn, who was trained by Zen Buddhist teachers. In order to widen the appeal to the broader culture, Kabat-Zinn stripped mindfulness from its religious roots, focusing instead on the underlying psychological mechanisms. As defined by Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness is “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.”
In his book “Living in the Presence: A Jewish Mindfulness Guide for Everyday Life”, Rabbi Dr. Benjamin Epstein brings examples of deeply insightful Torah teachings revolving around many important mindfulness techniques, making it quite clear that the concept of mindfulness is not new to Judaism. Yet, despite many of the overlaps, it is important to highlight potential points of distinction between a Jewish mindfulness practice and secular or Eastern mindfulness practices.
The Jewish term that is closest in meaning to mindfulness is yishuv hada’at, often translated as peace of mind. However, Rabbi Dr. Epstein suggests that yishuv hada’at does not mean peace of mind, but the act of settling into (unifying with) present moment awareness.
He writes: