The Satipatthana Sutta: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness: A Workshop Reflection & Simple Exercise to Try

     For both newcomers to mindfulness meditation and experienced practitioners, Ajay Kapur’s half-day workshop, “The Satipatthana Sutta: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness” provided an approachable, information-rich, and hands-on approach to deepening one’s mindfulness practice. I decided to take the workshop because, having dabbled in various forms of mindfulness and Buddhist meditation, I was drawn to the idea of putting some “foundations” to all the terminology and concepts that teachers emphasize or reference.

     Let’s start with the basics…what is mindfulness, anyways? Mindfulness, or sati in the Buddha’s language, is simply “presence of mind, present-moment awareness.” For me the three-hour course on a recent Saturday morning was a series of moments where I said to myself, “Now that makes sense!” It was a morning of increasing clarity, connecting themes, trying out short practical exercises, and perhaps most importantly, sharing personal experiences so as to gain insight into what we all want—ways to use mindfulness to our benefit in everyday life.

    As usual, Ajay worked with his students in a gentle way, eager to impart wisdom, while careful to foster the individual experience by inviting questions and comments. The emphasis on using mindfulness in every day life helped discussion flourish from the start of the course—whether it was a woman wondering how to remain mindful while interacting with a stress-triggering boss, or an inquiry (mine!) into the Buddhist view of how to balance freedom from discontent with compassion-based activism.

So what are the four foundations of mindfulness, anyways?

1. Mindfulness of the Body

We began with “mindfulness of the body”—my personal favorite form. Ajay highlighted three ways to practice this dimension: mindfulness of breath, mindfulness of the body’s postures (walking, sitting, standing, etc.), and mindfulness of daily activities like hygiene and talking.

2. Mindfulness of Feelings

Next is “mindfulness of feelings,” or vedana, in which one pays attention to the moment-by-moment stream of consciousness. Simpler than “emotions,” "feelings" are rather the experience of pleasantness, unpleasantness, and/or neutrality.

3. Mindfulness of Mind

“Mindfulness of mind,” the third foundation, entails noting of the mind’s “unwholesome” states (greed or ignorance, for example), and “wholesome” states (like loving-kindness, peace, or empathy). Ajay points out that at times, it can be helpful to attempt to replace unhealthy thoughts with healthy ones, usually, simple awareness of an unwholesome thought is enough to help it pass out of the mind.

4. Mindfulness of Dhammas (Mindfulness of the “Five Hindrances”)

Finally, we come to the fourth pilar of mindfulness, which is really built of five “hindrances,” or “mental states that prevent growth and enlightenment.” The mind frequently holds onto one of these states, limiting it from freedom and advancement: desire, anger, “sloth-and-torpor” (a.k.a. dullness or drowsiness), worry and restlessness, and skeptical doubt.

    I will close by sharing one of the simple exercises that we took part in during the workshop, in order to dig into the second foundation, mindfulness of feelings. This exercise is best to do with a friend or partner—although, if that is not an option or you prefer to practice alone, some of the workshop participants shared that they felt triggered just by writing down their phrase on paper, which you certainly don’t need a buddy to do. You’ll see what I mean!

An Exercise to Practice Mindfulness of Feelings

On a scrap of paper, write down one phrase that makes you feel happy or nice, and one phrase that makes you feel upset or unpleasant. Have your partner read the phrases to you one at a time, pausing to allow you to meditate on the words, feeling their impact and noting the feelings that pass through your mind.

In closing...

If you are interested in delving into the practice of mindfulness with Ajay, I encourage you to check out his weekly class on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m., Mindful Living for Peace and Happiness, in which you can explore segments of last Saturday’s workshop in an extended format across multiple weeks. Or, take a look online at the full offering of classes and workshops on yoga, meditation, and more at Sohum, located on Lyman St. in Westboro: www.sohum.org.