The definition of Mindfulness is explained by the 5 Circles paradigm. Mindfulness is presence of the spirit wholly in the body. The 5 Circles descending (logo above) shows gaining mindfulness: becoming present. The 5 Circles descending also depicts learning.
When you're fully "here," in the 1st Circle (blue), you're at your best.
Mindfulness and learning via the 5 Circles are fully explained in the book at the left.
Everyone knows that when we're present, we are our most-capable selves. We can stay true to ourselves. We feel empowered and safe. We can access what we know. We can "download" answers we need in the moment, or make it possible to download them later. We respond in a way that represents us well.
We know we should be present all the time! But we're often in such a hurry that we are partially somewhere else.
Mindfulness vs. absent-mindedness
Presence vs. absence
Mindfulness vs. panic
Degrees of absence are daydreaming, distraction, fearfulness, and panic. In each of these states, there's an altered level of self-control compared to mindfulness.
As a human being, we are comprised of a physical and a non-physical self. We call our non-physical aspect, "self, spirit, consciousness, me." It's our awareness, our consciousness.
Imagine a world where all teachers saw presence as the number 1 goal of teaching! You'd learn anything you set out to learn—just as a baby learns to walk and talk.
Learning is a process of going from the red circle to the blue.
Learning is increasing mindfulness: the process of gaining control over—increasing your presence to— information, movement, and behavior.
At the beginning of learning something, there is no presence to the new information. You hear about a topic but you have no ownership of it. That's the leftmost (red) circle in the diagram.
As your presence increases, you gain control. You, as a spirit, descend into your body to connect to information that's already there, so that now you can use it to be in control. When you're fully present for it, you've learned it; that's the rightmost (blue) circle in the diagram. "I've got it down."
To guarantee learning, you simply need to stay present until you need a break, then rest, then practice presence again. This is what 5 Circles Mindfulness is about. It virtually guarantees learning. It displaces panic.