Mindfulness is the practice of being attentive to whatever you are doing and whatever you are feeling in the present moment.
It is about waking up to your life so that you are fully living it in this moment. Mindfulness has its origins in both Eastern and Western spiritual traditions of meditation, but its application within psychotherapy has to do with its capacity to help us find calm and stability in the face of painful emotions.
Therapies in recent years have emphasised change and self-control. While these approaches have their place, they fall short in helping us deal with emotional distress that recurs over and over, despite our best efforts.
Often the most effective method of dealing with our negative moods is to gently acknowledge what's happening and let them be - without becoming pulled into doing battle with ourselves.
Using the breath as an anchor to bring your attention to the present moment, mindfulness encourages an attitude of acceptance and kindness towards your experience instead of one of self-criticism. It offers a way to be with your bodily sensations, your feelings and thoughts, without becoming overwhelmed by them.
The foundation of mindfulness is a compassionate attentiveness to your experience, so that you can begin to be present to what is actually happening in your life in the here and now.
Mindfulness meditation is essentially about taking time to be in touch with yourself, so that you feel embodied and grounded, instead of disconnected and alienated.