History and Roots of Mindfulness, MBSR, and Mindfulness Now

Mindfulness is a practice with ancient roots, stretching back over 2,500 years in Buddhist traditions, where it was taught as a path to awareness, compassion, and freedom from suffering. At its core, mindfulness is about paying attention to the present moment with openness and without judgment.

In the late 1970s, mindfulness entered mainstream Western healthcare through the work of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, who founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Kabat-Zinn showed through scientific research that mindfulness could reduce stress, improve mental health, and support people living with chronic pain or illness. His 8-week MBSR program quickly became the global benchmark for secular mindfulness training.

Building on this, the UK developed Mindfulness Now, a modern 8-week program that integrates the strengths of MBSR with Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). This approach makes mindfulness accessible, flexible, and relevant for contemporary life — not only supporting those with stress, anxiety, and low mood, but also helping anyone who wants to live with greater clarity, resilience, and connection.

Dharma Sun’s 8 Weeks to a More Connected You course is rooted in this lineage. It draws on the history of mindfulness practice, the pioneering research of Jon Kabat-Zinn, and the structure of Mindfulness Now. Participants are guided step by step through eight weeks of practice — moving from awareness, to presence in daily life, to shifting old patterns, and finally to cultivating deeper connection.

This combination of ancient wisdom and modern evidence-based practice ensures that the program is both authentic and practical. It honours the origins of mindfulness while giving participants tools that work in everyday life.

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