I'm not sure popularization of the practice of mindfulness is anything very new. E.g., Alan Watts made a big name for himself doing this back in 1950's and before, and est was a big thing in the 1970's (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erhard_Seminars_Training ) It's been around as a major cultural thing since then and before.
In any case, it seems to me that even more "scientific" subjects, like, say diet or exercise science, have similar levels of "faddiness". It can be hard to separate the legitimate from the merely titillating.
In any case, it seems to me that even more "scientific" subjects, like, say diet or exercise science, have similar levels of "faddiness". It can be hard to separate the legitimate from the merely titillating.