What the West Gets Wrong About Mindfulness

Discovering the true essence of mindfulness rooted in ancient traditions

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When I think of my earliest tryst with mindfulness, my mind nostalgically wanders to my Dadi’s (paternal grandmother) small village located at the bank of the holy Ganga River. Neither the scorching heat in summers with long power outages nor the incessant dripping from her leaky tin roof during monsoon ever stopped her from spending at least an hour praying in the morning. The memories of her sitting cross-legged on the cold, stone floor holding her prayer beads moving rhythmically between her fingers are still fresh in my mind.

I used to wake up to the sight of her sitting peacefully with her eyes closed, momentarily opening to observe the things around her, and softly chanting mantras under her breath. For me, that was the simplest illustration of mindfulness—devoid of a structured technique but an effortless integration of awareness, devotion, and surrender.

Another one of my memories includes watching my Naana (maternal grandfather) pray to her favorite deity, Kaali—a fierce Hindu goddess represented with a powerful, eerie image with a garland of skulls and a skirt made of severed limbs that often struck me as a child.

Quite opposite to the deity my Naana prayed to, he was the nicest, most humble, and calm human being I knew in my entire family. To satisfy my curious soul, he would tell me the story of how a loving goddess took the fierce avatar of Kaali to kill the demon Raktbeej and led him toward the path of liberation. I now wonder if it is a metaphor for our own struggles with our inner demons—anger, ego, attachments, and desire, as we eventually discover the ultimate truth of life.

The modern-day mindfulness

Fast forward to the present; mindfulness has become quite the buzzword around the world, especially in the West. You hear it everywhere on the internet, in magazines, in apps with hefty subscription fees, and in fancy retreats that promise to transform you into the ultimate zen master.

The West has carefully taken these practices from ancient cultures, stripped down of their souls to make them more palatable for the Western audience. But it hasn’t benefitted anyone, as much as it should. I wonder if my Dadi or Nana will recognize this version of mindfulness, or they will just shake their heads at how much has been lost in translation.

Before you reprimand me for being slightly annoyed at the Western version of mindfulness, hear me out. I’m utterly delighted that the West has embraced mindfulness, yoga, meditation, and all other spiritual practices that help people live more consciously.

The problem arises when mindfulness is sold as a cure for a stressful life. It’s projected as a product that you can buy; a set of instructions that you can follow to magically disappear all of your negative emotions and stress. It’s far from reality.

In my culture, mindfulness has never been about exclusivity or privilege. It’s meant to be accessible to everyone, from the wealthy merchant to the farmer tending his crops. I have often seen people on the streets being happier than those who just returned from a 10-day retreat abroad.

I have had a friend from the US tell me, "Oh, I’m too busy for all this meditation and mindfulness stuff.” This only suggests how mindfulness has been turned into an activity, just like yoga, deviating from the reality that it’s a way of life. Once we start to see mindfulness as a lifestyle shift, it doesn’t feel like a task and brings lasting change in our lives.

People from India, Nepal, China, and many other ancient cultures have adopted these practices for thousands of years before they became a trend on the internet. This is why we need to look at mindfulness beyond the commercial lens, which is only a shallow reflection of something profoundly spiritual.

The truth about Mindfulness

Mindfulness isn’t a quick fix or bandage for our childhood traumas, heartbreak, and negative emotions. Instead, it’s a life-long practice that requires consistent efforts. The way my grandma made chanting mantras in the morning a part of her routine and how my grandfather never failed to pray and sit in silence for a few minutes every day reminds me that mindfulness is simpler than I thought.

It is deeply woven into the fabric of life, from the ritual of praying every morning to communal gatherings of Satsang or helping someone in need. These practices allow us to look beyond the self and this strong feeling of ‘I'—it’s about connecting to something larger, whether it’s a community, a lineage, or the divine.

But wait, here comes the best (and my favorite) part.

Mindful living doesn’t require you to be religious. Even if you don’t dig into the idea of praying every day or going to a temple or church, you can adopt mindfulness into your everyday life. Like doing Karma Yoga, a Hindu Yogic philosophy that emphasizes focusing on your actions and embracing the flow of life without worrying about the consequences.

*So you’re telling me I don’t have to meditate, chant mantras, chakra cleanse, and stand upside down on my head every day?* Yup! That’s exactly what I’m saying.

I mean, doing the above will certainly help, but if it’s not possible, you can still embrace the practice of being ‘present’ in the moment in whatever task you’re doing.

You can be mindful even if you can’t afford pricey apps or retreats in Bali. True mindfulness is free for all and accessible to all.

Simply put, I can fulfill my responsibilities and moral obligations as a mom, wife, daughter, graphic designer, writer on Substack, and all other roles I have in this life with integrity and awareness. I have the choice to turn the most boring tasks into spiritual practices. Like cooking, cleaning, and even walking—all can be done with full awareness and intention.

This simplicity is often lost in the Western approach, where mindfulness is compartmentalized—a practice to be done at specific times, in specific ways. In reality, mindfulness is about bringing awareness to every moment, no matter how ordinary.

Reclaiming the Essence

Mindfulness in the West has done some good. It has introduced millions to practices that can genuinely improve their lives. But to truly honor its roots, we must go deeper.

We must move beyond apps and products, beyond the idea of mindfulness as a quick fix or a path to happiness. We must embrace it as a way of life—a practice that connects us to ourselves, to others, and to something far greater than we can imagine.

If we can remember this, perhaps we can bridge the gap between East and West, honoring the essence of mindfulness while making it accessible to all. Not as a commodity but as a gift—a gift that, like my grandma’s chants, flows freely and unconditionally to anyone willing to listen.

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Thank you for reading this till this end! If you enjoyed reading this, I’m sure you’ll also love the below essay I wrote a while ago.

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