Islamic Mindfulness Practices

The course will specifically focus on the muraqabah techniques (such as silence and opening reflections) used in classical Islamic spiritual traditions and engage in comparative analysis between these practices and mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, meditation, transcendental meditation, mind-body techniques (meditation, relaxation) and body-mind techniques. We will also highlight ethical issues, emphasizing that not all Islamic mindfulness practices might be effective for all mental health issues and the importance of familiarity with classical Islamic spiritual traditions before applying Islamic mindfulness techniques.