Photo credit – Jordan McQueen via Unsplash

Recently a report entitled Mindful Nation UK was released.  This emerged from a mindfulness initiative from which the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group was set up to:

• review the scientific evidence and current best practice in mindfulness training
• develop policy recommendations for government, based on these findings
• provide a forum for discussion in Parliament for the role of mindfulness and its implementation in public policy

The report covers the role of mindfulness in different sectors and settings, including health, education, the workplace and the criminal justice system.  It is great to read this report and learn of the impact of mindfulness in these areas and the interest in it as a practice.

To quote one of the paragraphs from the report’s preface:

We have been impressed by the quality and range of evidence for the benefits of mindfulness and believe it has the potential to help many people to better health and flourishing. On a number of issues ranging from improving mental health and boosting productivity and creativity in the economy through to helping people with long-term conditions such as diabetes and obesity, mindfulness appears to have an impact. This is a reason for government to take notice and we urge serious consideration of our report.
~Mindful Nation UK, p3

It is heartening to see mindfulness and its implementation being considered seriously in the UK.  I hope that there is a flow-on effect in other nations. While it is piecemeal I think its impact will be limited.  For systemic change, it will need to be disruptive – to make people take notice.  Time to watch this space with interest!