“With mindfulness, you can establish yourself in the present in order to touch the wonders of life that are available in that moment. It is possible to live happily in the here and the now . . . You don't have to run into the future in order to get more.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

In the Western world, the practice of mindfulness has been gaining traction over the years. But what exactly is mindfulness? You’ll get different answers depending on who you ask. Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh writes that mindfulness is “the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment, the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life.” He continues, saying that “to be mindful is to be truly alive, present and at one with those around you and with what you are doing.” However, this definition has been simplified by the multinational corporation, Google, which recently rebranded the practice for its own purposes as “Search Inside Yourself (SIY).”

Time Magazine recently dubbed this increasing popularity of mindfulness practices as the “Mindfulness Revolution”. From business offices and universities to more surprising locations like prison centers, mindfulness is no longer only practiced by Buddhist followers and dedicated yogis, but by people all over the country. Health professionals have incorporated a mindfulness-based treatment program known as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for patients suffering from chronic pain and other afflictions. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy is increasing in popularity as a method of depression treatment. It isn’t only medical professionals who are joining the movement -- the United States military is implementing mindfulness training for active-duty soldiers to improve cognitive resilience, and Google is offering mindfulness-based courses for its employees.

In the United States, a growing population of citizens identify themselves as “spiritual, but not religious.” A 2012 poll shows that over one-third of American adults identify as such. Even though mindfulness meditation stems from Buddhist traditions and beliefs, as the West adopts Eastern practices, religious components are filtered out to fit under a global, non-religious lens. As a result, people from more diverse backgrounds are being drawn to the practice of mindfulness. But along with the ongoing tide of mindfulness-based programs comes a wave of criticism. This backlash against the movement stems from critics who worry that by stripping mindfulness of its Buddhist roots, contemporary followers of the practice are not truly being mindful, and are instead exploiting the practice, as seen with programs put forth by the military, for example. Buddhist traditions, and meditation practices have always been grounded with the knowledge of karma, the knowledge that our actions make a difference. By taking away the moral values prevalent in Buddhism, some argue that the West is doing more harm than good, in terms of bringing awareness to Eastern traditions. However, regardless of controversies and debate, mindfulness is a practice that is here to stay, and NYU students here in New York are increasingly taking advantage of opportunities offered by the university.

New York University plays a role in the “Mindfulness Revolution” through its Global Spiritual Life center; the New York campus offers many resources to students on mindfulness and meditation, such as the Mindfulness Project. I recently had the chance to speak about resources offered by the university with Yael Shy, the senior director of the NYU Global Spiritual Life (GSL) Center and founder and director of the Mindfulness Project at NYU. She tells me, “The Mindfulness Project was established in 2009. The Project grew rapidly from 5-10 regulars to 20-40 regulars every week. Once the Global Spiritual Life center was established, the Mindfulness Project became one of the most popular offerings, with meditations held twice weekly, yoga held twice daily, and a spin-off student organization, Generation Meditation.” She explained the functions of GSL more to me, saying, “Global Spiritual Life at NYU is an open, authentic, and vibrant community at the forefront of international conversations on religion and spirituality in higher education. Our mission is to offer environments and tools for transformative multi-faith and spiritual encounters at NYU and beyond.” When asked if GSL has noticed an increase in popularity in mindfulness-oriented programs, Shy affirms the sentiment. “Absolutely. Of all our programs, our meditation and yoga classes are some of our most popular, attracting students from all faith backgrounds -- and people of no-faith backgrounds -- to gather together, explore some of life's big questions, and practice mindfulness and meditation.”

In addition to programs offered by the university, student-run groups centered around meditation and mindfulness have sprouted up all over campus as well. I had the pleasure of speaking with NYU senior Gordon Fan, a Tisch student who runs the Buddhism Club on campus. When asked about the vision of his club, he says, “Our mission is to introduce the culture of Zen Buddhism to the NYU community, and welcome anyone and everyone. Zen meditation is the first step to gaining control in life and using a peaceful clear mind to solve our problems. Our ultimate goal is to retrieve our existing Buddha nature, thus having good karma...With the input of all of our club members, we aim to cultivate wisdom, encourage spiritual growth and walk a path of non-dualism.”

I ask him if he’s seen any increase in interest towards mindfulness and meditation during his time here in New York, and he agrees, saying “Absolutely. Every club meeting, we get students from undergraduate and graduate, different schools and ethnicities. Most students have either practiced meditation before or know about it. So there has been a popularity and increasing curiosity and interest in meditation. Most people are also interested in Buddhism, but don’t know the specifics and details of the teachings or ways to practice in everyday life.” Buddhist traditions, meditation practice has always been grounded in an understanding of causality, or karma: our actions make a difference.

On how NYU students can incorporate mindfulness into their already busy and packed lives, Fan says, “NYU students can incorporate mindfulness into their everyday lives by practicing meditation 5-10 minutes a day. You can meditate in the morning or at night before you go to sleep. Find a quiet room, count your breaths in and out from 1-10, and try not to raise a single wandering thought during that ten minutes. You will find that your mind gets recharged and reenergized, and you have the better ability to concentrate on studying and make clearer decisions. Meditation can also be practiced in the subway or before classes -- it is really the most efficient way to calm and reflect oneself.” He gently adds that incorporating vegetarian meals at least one day a week is another great way to practice mindfulness by feeling sympathy towards animals.

Note: The NYU Buddhism Club has a Facebook page! You can join the group or email Gordon at: [email protected]. This article has been written by Katie-Rose Nunziato, studying Applied Psychology and Global Public Health at Steinhardt as part of the Class of 2018.Photo Credits: Jolanta Burke