{"id":73,"date":"2026-10-05T13:04:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T13:04:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/wordpress\/?page_id=73"},"modified":"2026-10-07T16:29:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T16:29:18","slug":"what-is-mindfulness","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/?page_id=73","title":{"rendered":"What is Mindfulness?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex wp-block-hidden-desktop wp-block-hidden-mobile wp-block-hidden-tablet\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<ul style=\"text-decoration:none\" class=\"better-links wp-block-page-list\"><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item has-child\"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link\" href=\"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/?page_id=10\">Our Story: How Bridge of Breath Was Born<\/a><ul class=\"wp-block-navigation__submenu-container\"><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item \"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link\" href=\"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/?page_id=73\">What is Mindfulness?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item \"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link\" href=\"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/?page_id=144\">What is Sangha?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item has-child \"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link\" href=\"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/?page_id=75\">Plum Village Tradition<\/a><ul class=\"wp-block-navigation__submenu-container\"><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item \"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link\" href=\"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/?page_id=283\">The Five Mindfulness Trainings<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\"><div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"880\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Lotus1-edited-1024x880.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-269\" style=\"object-fit:cover\" role=\"none\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Lotus1-edited-1024x880.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Lotus1-edited-300x258.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Lotus1-edited-768x660.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Lotus1-edited-1536x1320.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Lotus1-edited.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is Mindfulness?<\/h1>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Lotus1-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-253\" style=\"aspect-ratio:4\/3;object-fit:cover;object-position:0% 58%;width:350px;height:auto\" role=\"none\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Lotus1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Lotus1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Lotus1-768x1151.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Lotus1-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Lotus1-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Lotus1-scaled.jpg 1708w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For many, the word &#8220;mindfulness&#8221; brings to mind an image of sitting cross-legged on a cushion in a quiet room, surrounded by burning incense with eyes closed. While dedicated cushion meditation is a wonderful anchor, mindfulness in the Plum Village tradition is far more than a practice confined to a single quiet space. It is certainly not a task to check off a daily to-do list. Rather, mindfulness is an energy of awareness that carries through our entire day, offering a continuous invitation to step outside of our endless mental chatter, preconceptions, and worries, and simply experience what is right in front of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In our tradition, this awareness begins by returning to the breath and the body. We do not rely on complex visualizations or abstract concepts; instead, we anchor ourselves in what is tangible, real, and happening right here, right now. When we connect our conscious mind to the rhythm of our breathing and the physical reality of our body, the world around us awakens; becoming more present, vibrant, and alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When we bring full, gentle presence to whatever we are doing, the ordinary becomes sacred and profound. As Thich Nhat Hanh famously taught, when we wash the dishes, we wash the dishes just to wash the dishes. We enjoy the warm water, the soap, and the gift of being alive in that moment. Whether sweeping the floor, going for a walk, or sitting across from a loved one, living mindfully transforms daily routines into moments of deep beauty and significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By cultivating this continuous mindful awareness, we touch the Buddha nature (the innate seeds of peace and clarity) that already resides within each of us. From this quiet presence, true insight naturally arises. We gain a genuine understanding of ourselves and the world around us, uncovering an automatic, deep sense of connection and compassion for all living beings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is Mindfulness? For many, the word &#8220;mindfulness&#8221; brings to mind an image of sitting cross-legged on a cushion in a quiet room, surrounded by burning incense with eyes closed. While dedicated cushion meditation is a wonderful anchor, mindfulness in the Plum Village tradition is far more than a practice confined to a single quiet &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/?page_id=73\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;What is Mindfulness?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":10,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-73","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/73","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=73"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/73\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":620,"href":"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/73\/revisions\/620"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridgeofbreath.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=73"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}