From therapeutic relaxation to mindfulness in the twentieth century

Abstract

This chapter is based on a talk given by historian Ayesha Nathoo at the 'Mindfulness Unpacked' symposium at Wellcome Collection in February 2016, which was linked to the 'Tibet's Secret Temple' exhibition. While the exhibition contextualized mindfulness within the Buddhist tradition, Ayesha's research on the history of therapeutic relaxation provided an opportunity to demonstrate the social and structural links between secular mindfulness and twentieth-century relaxation practices.