It was a rainy October afternoon in Huddersfield two years ago. I was fresh off a silent retreat – 10 days in the countryside being instructed in sitting and watching my thoughts, and I was brimming with epiphanies. I was between gigs at the new music festival, whiling away time with some old friends and new acquaintances, and trying not to bore them with my breathless "insights".

But in every case, with each new person, I was blindsided or scotched by their response to my enthusiasm. It seemed that I was the last person to have discovered meditation, as composer after performer after radio presenter said, "Powerful, aren't they, retreats?" or "Have you read/tried such-and-such book/technique?" Eventually, it was not just a penny that dropped, but a whole cascade of them.

It dawned on me that meditation naturally appeals to musicians, as clearly evidenced by my mini vox pop. Musicians spend a lot of time – even as children – in a state of solitary absorption, called practice. And when we perform, we seek and occasionally know (generally by not seeking) those elusive "flow states" where, in the coming together of all our preparation and the right circumstances, playing feels wonderfully natural and unselfconscious. The latter is something that people sometimes get mystical about, but there is increasing research to suggest that it has a physiological and neurological basis.

For me, the practise of meditating – in its more secular usage, the cultivation of mindfulness – has brought an enormous amount to my life and music-making. A sense of clarity and control, less neurosis about ambitions and "career", greater efficiency, awareness and body sense as a pianist. As a composer, I'm more in touch with the sources of my own creativity. Wouldn't it be wonderful, it occurred to me, if more musicians (and more people generally, come to that) could benefit from this straightforward practice?

Science is increasingly endorsing mindfulness. It's been shown as an effective treatment of stress, anxiety, psoriasis and depression, and approved by the Mental Health Foundation. It is taught in prisons and schools and widely used by sportsmen. And among the enthusiastic proponents of this approach is no less than the Dalai Lama. With our western thirst for scientific corroboration of experience, there is now more and more data emerging about the proven effects of mindfulness practice in many trials. But none yet specifically geared to musicians …

So when the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where I teach, suggested I apply for funds to instigate a course with students, I leapt at the chance.

With my friend and colleague, Chris Cullen, an eight-week course was devised to introduce some techniques and encourage the participants to make mindfulness a part of their practise and life. We also wanted to develop a specific form of mindfulness-teaching tailored for musicians. To me, there were four key areas that might benefit: developing a practise routine, dealing with nerves, gaining an increased awareness of the body, and unlocking creativity. All of which could, I hoped, help in all aspects of music-making and listening.

Chris, a highly experienced and effortlessly motivating teacher of mindfulness, brought a wealth of warmth and kindness to the sessions. Indeed a participant wrote: "To be kind to yourself is … very important, but in an environment of pressure and competition, I keep forgetting about it." There was sufficient buzz from the first course that we were able to run it again the following term.

Its structure was based on the groundbreaking work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, who has been bringing mindfulness meditation into the US medical mainstream since 1979. A version of his mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course is recommended by Nice (the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) in the UK for sufferers of recurrent depression and anxiety. Kabat-Zinn has worked with the management of chronic pain as well as with specific clients with particular needs: prisoners, the mentally ill, sportsmen and lawyers to name but a few groups.

The students meet for two hours a week. The time is filled with a guided meditation, a discussion relating to their progress with the practices they have been taught, and suggestions of ways in which they can develop mindfulness as a tool in their musical lives. One of the key practices is the guided body scan – you lie on your back and slowly work your way around your body, trying to feel it from within. Particular themes are explored - embodiment, or dealing with one's inner critic. Between sessions the students are encouraged to practise often, ideally daily, using worksheets, exercises and CDs provided by Professor Mark Williams at Oxford University's Centre for Mindfulness. His recent book, Mindfulness - a Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World recently rose to No 7 on Amazon's bestseller chart. (Oxford is one of four universities that now have Mindfulness Centres, along with Bangor, Exeter and Aberdeen.)

If there is not the time for a longer daily meditation (and even if there is) the students are encouraged to see if they can carry out some everyday activities mindfully: while you are brushing your teeth, being fully immersed in the sensations; walking to the tube you are feeling the sensations of your feet on the pavement, the air on your exposed skin, and so on. You're fully living the experience. They also take three-minute mindfulness breaks when things are in danger of getting hectic.

The tenor of these sessions has been one of gentle inquiry: nothing is assumed or prescribed. A sense of group identity has been forged and there has been a very small drop-out rate from the 30 or so originally participating. One student commented: "I am really enjoying the idea that we can come together in a small group and share – this is what we are lacking so much in London, simply listening to each other without 'HURRY!'"

The feedback has been relentlessly positive. Some students have used the term "life-changing". "I have become less prone to stress and anxiety, my self-image has become more stable (I feel like I know myself better) and my concentration has improved hugely," says one. Another writes: "I think the course is a must for musicians wanting to fulfil their potentials."

A partner in this research has been Spitalfields Music, which will be hosting an event where Chris and I talk about the course and its findings next week. This talk precedes an evening concert in which Chroma and the clarinettist Stuart King play a programme that includes a new piece of mine, Sit, Stand, Walk, my own personal response to the practice of meditation.

It's a piece with calm episodes, but also moments of high anxiety, excitement and violent joy. This seems to surprise people, who, when you've come off a retreat, generally say: "Oh, I'm so jealous. Did you have a lovely relaxing time?" Well yes … to an extent … although you would be surprised what an ecstatic cacophony emerges from your mind when there's nothing around to distract it.

Chris Cullen and Rolf Hind discuss mindfuless at 5.30pm on 20 June at Shoreditch Church, London, followed by the premiere of Hind's Sit, Stand, Walk . Details: 020-7377 1362. For more on music and mindfulness visit: musicandmindfulness.org