what is mindfulness ?
More than meditation. A different way of relating to your experience.
Rob nairn, founder of the mindfulness association
Knowing what is happening,
while it is happening.
Without preference.
a simple yet profound definition …
It captures the essence of mindfulness: learning to meet our experience as it unfolds, without immediately judging it, resisting it, or trying to change it.
Mindfulness is the practice of bringing awareness in the present moment to our thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and the world around us with openness, curiosity, and compassion.
It is not about emptying the mind or stopping thoughts. Our minds naturally think, plan, remember, and imagine. Instead, mindfulness helps us develop a different relationship with our thoughts and emotions, allowing us to notice them without becoming completely caught up in them.
Through regular practice, we begin to recognise our habitual patterns and create more space between what we experience and how we respond. This can support greater clarity, emotional balance, resilience, and a deeper connection with ourselves and others.
more than meditation
Mindfulness is often associated with meditation, but it is much more than sitting quietly. At its heart, mindfulness is a simple practice of bringing awareness to our present-moment experience with openness and kindness.
Simple does not mean easy. Learning to stay present with our thoughts, emotions, and sensations — rather than being carried away by them — requires practice and training. Like any skill, mindfulness develops over time through regular practice.
the roots of mindfulness
Mindfulness is far from a modern trend. Its roots can be traced back over 2,500 years to the teachings of the Buddha, where the cultivation of mindful awareness was central to understanding the mind, reducing suffering, and developing wisdom and compassion.
Over the centuries, these practices were preserved and refined within Buddhist traditions before gradually making their way to the West. Today, mindfulness is often taught in a secular, evidence-informed way, making it accessible to people of all backgrounds while acknowledging the rich contemplative tradition from which it emerged.
Finding stillness in a changing world
mindfulness in the modern world
In 1979, molecular biologist Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn introduced mindfulness into healthcare by developing the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. By presenting mindfulness in a secular, evidence-informed way, he made these ancient practices accessible to people of all backgrounds.
Today, mindfulness is practised around the world and is widely explored in healthcare, education, workplaces, and community settings. While its applications have evolved, mindfulness remains rooted in the simple practice of paying attention to the present moment with openness, curiosity, and compassion.
the mindfulness based living course (MBLC)
The Mindfulness-Based Living Course (MBLC) is an eight-week mindfulness programme developed by Rob Nairn and the Mindfulness Association. It was created to make the practice and wisdom of mindfulness accessible to people living in the modern world, while honouring the contemplative traditions from which it originated.
Drawing from Buddhist psychology and meditation practice, the MBLC places particular emphasis on cultivating both awareness and compassion — learning to meet ourselves and our experiences with greater kindness and understanding.
Taught within a supportive group setting, the MBLC recognises the importance of connection and shared humanity. Practising alongside others offers a reminder that, although our stories are different, we are not alone in experiencing familiar human patterns such as worry, self-criticism, reactivity, and the desire for things to be different.
Whether you are new to mindfulness or have already explored approaches such as MBSR, MBCT, or other mindfulness-based programmes, the MBLC offers an opportunity to deepen the practice by bringing mindfulness into the realities of everyday life. It is not only about meditation practice, but about developing a more mindful way of relating to ourselves, others, and the experiences we encounter each day.
Samye Ling Tibetan Buddhist Monastery, Scotland — a place of practice, study, and contemplation, and an important centre for the transmission of Tibetan Buddhist teachings in the West since its establishment in the 1960s. It is also where my own journey as a mindfulness teacher began.