Mindfulness and ecologically responsible behaviour : exploring lived experiences of meditation practitioners

Abstract

It's believed Western worldview assumptions, such as utilitarianism, anthropocentricism, duality, and consumerism, affect perception and behaviour towards the natural world. Mindfulness has been explored for its benefit to wellbeing and its potential to shift perception and behaviour towards the planet. This re-search is a qualitative exploration, guided by hermeneutic phenomenology and thematic analysis, into lived experiences of five meditation practitioners and the effects mindfulness had on their lifestyle, wellbeing, perception and behaviour. The findings of this study show that while mindfulness may not prescribe lifestyle shifts, it can unveil hidden assumptions and patterns of behaviour that lead to healthful or unhealthful relationships with one's self and all others. Some key health and environmental benefits the participants experienced included: slowing down, training in attentiveness, reconnecting with their body, becoming aware of interconnection and cause and effect of actions, engaging in simplicity, learning to not react blindly, and taking time to care for them selves.