The esoteric sources of the idea of mindfulness – the Polish context

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the interest in mindfulness exercises in the circle of Polish esoterics of the first half of the 20th Century. At that time, they were among very popular practices of the alternative spirituality. Their main source was located in theosophical books. Their model descriptions were thought to be the texts of H. P. Bławatska, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Ernest Wood, and Śri Ramana Maharishi. Many interpretations of the discussed phenomenon can be found there, referring to the area of sacrum, but at the same time connected with the popularization of the alternative spirituality and the modern lifestyle. The exceptional persistence and diversity of the offer of this unconventional exercises is worth attention and one of its main reasons is, inter alia, the vital work of Wanda Dynowska in Poland and in India.