Mindfulness as action

When mindfulness captures the imagination of platforms like schools, healthcare, and workplaces, is there a danger of things remaining in status quo? Can change be perceived, leave alone measured, in just the present moment? Can there be mindfulness without compromise on necessary change?

The philosophy of yoga perhaps understands the essence of change even as it advocates mindfulness. Sadhana is the process of disciplined and dedicated learning where both discipline and the dedication are subject to the ability and willingness of the learner. In such an understanding, the Kriya, or action, is of relevance only to the sadhaka, or the individual. The sadhana pada recognises that physical, intellectual, and spiritual capacities vary from person to person. Starting with the organs of action and senses, the action is limited ideally to the amount of practice, discipline, and reflection an individual is capable of.

The sadhana then consists of three kinds of action. First, the desire to practice or tapasya. This is the physical willingness to push the body to abstain. It is essentially a process of purification. Dietary restrictions, restrictions on speech, and developing endurance are all part of tapasya, which makes one keenly aware or mindful of action. The Greeks advocated dialogue, meditation, and intuition along with music, logic and even geometry for the same purpose. Second, the desire to acquire knowledge and the willingness to understand oneself is called swadhyaya. This completely voluntary act can be intuitive. As Shankara admonished a grammarian who kept repeating the principles of grammar, knowledge need not be from books. Finally, comes the willingness to have faith and to surrender with humility to a superior power. This process is called isvarapranidhana. 

The obstacles to kriyayoga, that is tapasya, swadhyaya, and isvarapranidhana, come from ignorance, misunderstanding, misrepresentation, ego, and attachment, the worst of the attachment being the fear of death. 

Mindfulness comes when each person proceeds at her own pace. There are no deadlines, and all individual changes happen as internalisation. When knowledge becomes understanding and wisdom, there is detachment, and with detachment comes discernment and compassion. 

In the Bhagavad Gita when Lord Krishna chooses Arjuna for this discourse on action, he is clearly distinguishing him from Yudhisthira, who is a superior mind, and Bhima, whose strength needs restraint. The mindfulness that comes from action or kriya is individual. The social benefit is incidental.