Mindfulness is a term that refers to a set of mental training practices and skills which originated in ancient Hindu and Buddhist contemplative traditions, but are now also receiving widespread adoption in modern Western culture. An estimated 17 percent of the US population reports having practiced mindfulness and related forms of meditation, spawning an economic industry projected to be over $4 billion per year by 2027.
Paralleling this cultural interest, mindfulness has also become a focus of intense, multi-disciplinary scholarly investigation, engaging researchers not only within psychology, neuroscience, and medicine, but also in fields such as philosophy, education, social work, business, and public health.
An exponentially growing scientific literature has documented clear benefits of mindfulness for cognitive functioning, socioemotional development, brain health, and psychological well-being, including reductions in loneliness, isolation, and inter-group bias.
Approach
With seed funding from the Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures, Mindfulness Science and Practice has brought together a diverse set of researchers, scholars and mindfulness practitioners that represent a wide range of schools as well as other units at the university and other institutions and community partners in St. Louis, to transform the science and practice of mindfulness. Our team produces innovative and pioneering collaborative research while applying a critical scholarly lens toward what has been termed the “modern mindfulness movement.”
Our group has advanced university-wide strategic initiatives through a range of activities, including:
- Building a vibrant, diverse community of students, faculty, staff, and community partners across Arts & Sciences, Medicine, Business, Design, Social Work, and more, all united by a passion for advancing mindfulness research and practice.
- Secured major external funding, including a $1M NIH grant to investigate whether culturally adapted mindfulness program can reduce Alzheimer’s risk in Latino older adults.
- Launched high-impact initiatives including an international scientific conference (M4), a bi-annual “Mindfulness & Anti-Racism” lecture series, an annual educational program (evolving from Mindfulness Day 2023 to Week 2024, and Month for Fall 2025), and public service offerings in the local community (including Earth Day, the Missouri History Museum, and a Community Mindfulness Retreat).
Ambitions
The cluster will advance Arts & Sciences and university-wide strategic initiatives through a range of activities, including:
- Developing a new interdisciplinary undergraduate minor
- Expanding mindfulness programming to support campus and community needs
- Hosting high-visibility, public-facing events, including interdisciplinary seminars, lecture series and a scientific conference
- Launching a first-of-its-kind mindfulness certification program
