It seems like every day interest in mindfulness is reaching new heights. All the major news networks have covered it and recently Sharon Salzberg was on the Katie Couric show explaining how to achieve mindfulness. But the question on many people’s minds is; has mindfulness become another form of snake oil, claiming to cure everything under the sun from anxiety to sneezing? Last week a post broke out on the New York Times claiming there is a “Mindfulness Backlash” afoot where some people are questioning the science, seeing it packaged as a commodity and even warning against it.
A Backlash: True or False?
Before we answer that question, it seems the concern by a number of mindfulness experts is that the science is being sensationalized and mindfulness as it is conveyed today is a commodity that is being sold for all the wrong reasons. When you trace mindfulness back to its roots, you’ll find that it is a practice among many in life to create freedom around suffering. When this happens there is complete peace and ultimately this will be healing to all beings.
First, is it true that mindfulness, as a practice and way of…
