2022/06/01

Wherever You Go, There You Are: Kabat-Zinn, 왜 마음챙김 명상인가?

[eBook] 존 카밧진의 왜 마음챙김 명상인가?

존 카밧진 (지은이),엄성수 (옮긴이)불광출판사2019-05-31

원제 : Wherever You Go, There You Are

책소개

스트레스나 통증, 질병 같은 당면 문제들이 지배하는 삶을 살고 있는 사람들과 그렇지 않은 사람들 모두에게 마음챙김 명상의 핵심과 그 활용법들을 간단히 또 쉽게 설명해준다. 특히 체계적인 프로그램들을 싫어하는 사람들, 이렇게 하라 저렇게 하라 지시받는 걸 싫어하지만 마음챙김 명상에 대한 호기심이 있어 여기저기 흩어진 약간의 힌트와 암시들만 가지고 조각그림 맞추기를 할 수 있는 사람들이 보면 좋을 만한 책이다.

미국에서만 100만 부 이상 팔리는 메가셀러가 되었고 이미 전 세계 20여 개 이상의 언어로 번역되었다. 출간 이래 아마존닷컴의 ‘베스트셀러’ 자리를 한 번도 내준 적이 없고 급기야 10주년 기념판에는 ‘THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER’라는 타이틀이 붙었다.

1부. 꽃처럼 피어나는 현재 순간

마음챙김이란 무엇인가?

단순하지만 쉽지 않은

멈춤

자 지금이다

당신의 순간들 포착하기

마음속으로 호흡하기

수행, 수행, 수행

수행은 리허설이 아니다

당신의 방식을 벗어나 수행할 필요는 없다

깨어 있기

복잡하게 만들지 않기

파도를 멈출 순 없어도 파도를 타는 법을 배울 순 있다

명상은 누구나 할 수 있는가?

무위를 찬양하며

무위의 역설

행위 속의 무위

무위를 행하기

인내

손에서 놓기

판단하지 않기

믿음

너그러움

강하지만 약할 수도 있어야 한다

자발적 단순함

정신 집중

비전

명상은 전인적 발달을 가능하게 해준다

길로서의 수행

명상: 긍정적인 사고와 혼동하지 말라

내면으로 들어가기

2부. 수행의 핵심

앉아서 하는 명상

당신의 자리를 잡아라

품위

자세

두 손은 어떻게 하나?

명상에서 빠져나오기

얼마 동안 수행해야 하나?

정해진 길은 없다

‘내 길은 어디인가?’ 명상

산 명상

호수 명상

걸으면서 하는 명상

서서 하는 명상

누워서 하는 명상

적어도 하루에 한 번은 바닥에 눕기

수행하지 않는 것도 수행이다

자애 명상

3부. 마음챙김 정신으로

불가에 앉아서

조화

이른 아침

직접적인 접촉

달리 더 하고 싶은 말이 있나요?

당신 자신의 권위

당신이 어디를 가든 거기에 당신이 있다

위층으로 올라가기

바비 맥퍼린의 노래를 들으며 스토브 청소하기

이 행성에서 내가 해야 할 일은?

유추의 산

상호연결

비폭력 - 아힘사

카르마

전체성과 유일성

개별성과 본질

이건 무엇인가?

자아 형성

분노

고양이 밥그릇 교훈

수행으로서의 육아

두 아이의 육아

길에 깔린 함정들

마음챙김은 영적인 것인가?

10주년 기념판 후기

접기

책속에서

첫문장

마음챙김이란 옛 불교에서 행해지던 수행 방법으로, 오늘날의 우리 삶과도 깊은 관련이 있다.

P. 28 현재 순간을 제대로 인식하지 못할 경우, 우리 마음속 깊이 잠재해 있는 두려움과 불안감이 살아나 무의식적이고 습관적인 행동들을 하게 되면서 각종 문제들이 발생한다. 그리고 그 문제들은 제대로 해결 못하면 시간이 지날수록 점점 더 커져, 결국 우리는 덫에 걸린 듯 꼼짝달싹 못하는 상태에 빠지게 될 수도 있다. 이런 식으로 더 많은 시간이 지나면 결국 자신감을 상실하게 되고, 자신의 에너지를 활용해보다 큰 만족감과 행복감을 느끼고 보다 더 건강해질 수 있는 능력까지 잃게 된다.

마음챙김은 우리에게 덫에서 빠져 나와 우리 자신의 지혜와 활력을 되찾을 수 있는 간단하면서도 강력한 길을 제시해준다. 그 길은 우리 자신의 삶의 질과 방향을 바로잡아주는 길, 그러니까 가족 내에서의 관계를 비롯해 일과의 관계, 보다 큰 세상 및 지구와의 관계, 그리고 특히 한 인간으로서의 우리 자신과의 관계를 바로잡아주는 길이다.

「마음챙김이란 무엇인가?」 중 접기

P. 261~262 당신의 집에서 일어나는 일상적이고 반복적인 일들을 마음챙김 명상 수행의 초대장으로 활용해 보라. 현관문 쪽으로 가거나, 전화를 받거나, 집 안에서 얘기를 나눌 누군가를 찾거나, 화장실을 가거나, 건조기에서 세탁물을 꺼내거나, 냉장고 쪽으로 가거나 하는 일들이 전부 마음을 진정시키고 현재 순간에 보다 충실해질 수 있는 기회가 될 수 있다. 벨이 울리자마자 바로 전화기나 현관으로 달려가게 만드는 내면의 감정들을 잘 살펴보라. 대체 이전 순간에 살고 있던 삶에서 끌려 나와야 할 만큼 그리 다급하게 응답해야 하는 이유가 무엇인가? 그런 변화들이 좀 더 우아하게 이루어질 수는 없는 걸까? 늘 당신 자신을 발견하는 데서 좀 더 존재할 수는 없는 걸까?

또한 샤워를 하거나 음식을 먹는 일 같은 걸 할 때 그걸 위해 존재하도록 해보라. 샤워를 할 때 정말 샤워를 하고 있는 건가? 피부에 물이 와 닿는 게 느껴지는가 아니면 생각 속에서 길을 잃어 샤워는 완전히 잊은 채 다른 어딘가에 가 있지는 않은가? 음식을 먹는 것은 마음챙김 명사 수행을 할 수 있는 또 다른 좋은 기회이다. 당신은 자신이 얼마나 빨리, 얼마나 많이, 언제, 어디서, 무엇을 먹고 있는지 인식하는가? 당신은 계속해서 자꾸 당신의 하루 전체를 존재하기 위한 기회로 또는 당신 자신을 현재로 되돌아오게 하는 기회로 만들 수 있는가?

「위층으로 올라가기」 중 접기

P. 312~313 당신을 짜증나게 만들거나 화나게 만드는 상황에서 당신의 반응들을 살펴보라. 당신을 화나게 ‘만드는’ 일에 대해 언급하는 것만으로도 어떻게 당신의 힘이 다른 사람들에게 넘어가나 잘 보라. 그런 경우야말로 마음챙김을 가지고 냄비처럼 실험해볼 수 있는 좋은 기회이다. 그러니까 마음챙김이라는 냄비 안에 당신의 모든 감정들을 집어넣고 그저 그것들과 함께하면서 그것들이 천천히 익게 내버려 두는 것이다. 그러면서 당신이 당장 그 감정들을 가지고 어떻게 할 필요는 없으며, 그저 그 감정들을 마음챙김이라는 냄비 안에 집어넣고 있을 때 보다 잘 요리되고 보다 잘 소화되고 보다 잘 이해된다는 걸 상기하라.

그리고 사물에 대한 당신 마음의 관점에서 어떤 식으로 당신의 감정들이 생겨나는지 관찰해보고, 그런 관점이 완전하지 못할 수도 있다는 걸 깨달아라. 당신은 지금의 이 상황은 아무 문제없으며 당신 자신을 옳거나 그르게 만들지도 못한다는 걸 인정할 수 있겠는가? 당신은 점점 더 강해지는 감정들을 외부로 투사해 세상이 지금 당신이 원하는 대로 되길 강요하지 않고, 대신 인내심과 용기를 가지고 그 감정들을 마음챙김이라는 냄비 안에 집어넣고 그냥 그 상태로 유지해 서서히 요리되게 할 수 있겠는가? 당신은 이런 마음챙김 수행이 어떻게 새로운 방식으로 당신 자신을 알게 해주고, 또 낡고 진부하고 한계가 있는 관점들에서 어떻게 당신 자신을 해방시켜 주는지 알 수 있겠는가?

「고양이 밥그릇 교훈」 중 접기

저자 및 역자소개

존 카밧진 (Jon Kabat-Zinn) (지은이)

저자파일

신간알리미 신청

‘현대 마음챙김 명상의 대부’로 불리는 존 카밧진은 미국 매사추세츠대학교 의과대학 명예교수이자 세계적으로 유명한 마음챙김 스트레스 완화(MBSR) 프로그램(1979)의 창시자이다. 1971년 MIT에서 분자생물학으로 박사학위를 받았다. 생리학자 엘빈 카밧과 화가인 샐리 카밧 사이에서 세 자녀 중 맏이로 태어난 그는 역사학자 하워드 진과 로슬린 진의 딸 마일라 진과 결혼해 세 명의 자녀를 (지금은 손자손녀들을) 두었다. 40년 이상 마음챙김 수련과 지도, 연구에 매진해 왔으며 매년 세계 각지에서 마음챙김 수련회를 열고 있다. 그를 빼고 오늘날 마음챙김 명상을 이야기할 수 없을 만큼 세계적인 명성을 얻고 있다. 『존 카밧진의 처음 만나는 마음챙김 명상』, 『마음챙김 명상과 자기치유』 등 여러 권의 저서가 있다. 접기

최근작 : <당신이 모르는 마음챙김 명상>,<[큰글씨책] 마음챙김으로 우울을 지나는 법>,<[큰글씨책] 카밧진 박사의 부모 마음공부> … 총 36종 (모두보기)

엄성수 (옮긴이)

저자파일

신간알리미 신청

경희대 영문과 졸업 후 집필 활동을 하고 있으며 다년간 출판사에서 편집자로 근무하였다. 현재 번역에이전시 엔터스코리아에서 출판 기획 및 전문 번역가로 활동하고 있다. 주요 역서로는 《테슬라 모터스: 일론 머스크 자동차의 패러다임을 바꾸다》, 《인공지능 혁명 2030: 제4차 산업혁명과 정치혁명의 부상》, 《유튜브 컬처: 유튜브는 왜 항상 이기는가?》 등 다수가 있다.

최근작 : <초보탈출 독학 영어>,<영문법 국민교과서>,<왕초보 영어회화 누워서 말문트기> … 총 110종 (모두보기)

출판사 제공 책소개

지금까지 세상에서 가장 많이 팔린 마음챙김 명상 교과서

미국 메사추세츠대학교 메디컬센터에 스트레스감소 클리닉이 생기고 이 책의 저자인 존 카밧진 박사가 소장으로 취임한 게 1979년이다. 마음챙김 명상이 세상에 첫선을 보인 것이다. 꼭 40년 전이다.

마음챙김은 이제 적어도 서양에서는 주류(Mainstream)가 된 것이 확실하다. 미국의 심리 치료사 중 41퍼센트 이상이 치료법 중 마음챙김을 통합해 실시하고 있고, 프로그램을 도입하고 있는 병원 숫자만 따져도 300여 개를 넘어섰다. 전 세계적으로는 750여 개가 넘는다. 학술지에 기재되는 마음챙김 관련 논문은 매해 1천여 편을 넘어선다.(Christopher K. Germer)

영국과 미국의 초등학교에서는 마음챙김을 정규 과목으로 편성하는 곳이 늘고 있고, 군대, 주요 기업, 프로운동선수는 물론 연예인까지 마음챙김 명상의 대열에 합류하고 있다.

심지어는 ‘산업화’ 논란까지 벌어지고 있다. 미국 내 기업이 앞다투어 ‘마음챙김 명상’을 도입하면서 시장 규모가 10억달러(한화 1조 705억 원)를 넘었다는 ‘우려스러운’ 보도( 2018년 1월 1일자)도 나오고 있다.

이런 마음챙김 명상 열풍에 첫 번째 도화선이 된 것이 바로 이 책 <왜 마음챙김 명상인가?>(원제 wherever you go, There you are)이다. 1993년 세상에 첫 선을 보인 이 책은 전작 『마음챙김 명상과 자기치유』에 이은 저자의 두 번째 책이었다. 전작은 저자의 표현대로 항해도였다. 꼼꼼했다. 스트레스와 질병, 건강과 치유에 대한 많은 정보 외에 명상법에 대한 폭넓은 지침이 실려 있었다. 하지만 이 책은 달랐다. 이 책은 스트레스나 통증, 질병 같은 당면 문제들이 지배하는 삶을 살고 있는 사람들과 그렇지 않은 사람들 모두에게 마음챙김 명상의 핵심과 그 활용법들을 간단히 또 쉽게 설명해준다. 특히 체계적인 프로그램들을 싫어하는 사람들, 이렇게 하라 저렇게 하라 지시받는 걸 싫어하지만 마음챙김 명상에 대한 호기심이 있어 여기저기 흩어진 약간의 힌트와 암시들만 가지고 조각그림 맞추기를 할 수 있는 사람들이 보면 좋을 만한 책이다.

이런 연유로 이 책은 판매 면에서 전작을 압도했다. 미국에서만 100만 부 이상 팔리는 메가셀러가 되었고 이미 전 세계 20여 개 이상의 언어로 번역되었다. 출간 이래 아마존닷컴의 ‘베스트셀러’ 자리를 한 번도 내준 적이 없고 급기야 10주년 기념판에는 ‘THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER’라는 타이틀이 붙었다. ‘지금까지 세상에서 가장 많이 팔린 마음챙김 명상 교과서’라는 수식어를 달 만하다.

마음챙김을 일상으로 안내하는 ‘교과서’

이 책이 대중의 사랑을 받았던 이유는 일상이 마음챙김이고, 마음챙김이 일상일 수 있다는 원리를 전문용어 하나 없이 말랑말랑하게 풀어 썼기 때문이다.

노자나 장자 같은 고전은 물론 사상가 소로우, 시인 월트 휘트먼, 릴케, 철학자 랄프 왈도 에머슨 등의 짤막한 글들을 인용해 그들이 가봤던 ‘어떤 길’, 그들이 실천했던 ‘어떤 것’이 지금 우리가 가려고 하는 있는 마음챙김과 다르지 않음을 보이며 독자를 설득하는 방식은 무척 친숙하다. 또한 저자 스스로 느꼈던 일상의 일들을 풀어 쓰면서 각각의 소제목 밑에 이어지는 ‘시도’는 독자 스스로 일상에서 실천할 수 있는 마음챙김 매뉴얼이 되기도 한다.

그러면 우리가 가려고 하는 마음챙김은 무엇일까?

마음챙김이란 특정한 방식으로 주의를 집중한다는 뜻이다. 그러니까 개인적 판단을 개입시키지 않고 자의적으로 현재의 순간에 집중하는 것이다. 이런 식으로 집중하다 보면 더 큰 알아차림과 명석함을 얻게 되고 매 순간의 현실을 보다 잘 받아들일 수 있게 되며, 그 결과 우리의 삶이 순간 속에서만 펼쳐진다는 사실을 깨닫게 된다. 매 순간순간 제대로 집중하지 못할 경우, 우리는 우리의 삶에서 가장 소중한 것들을 놓치게 될 뿐 아니라, 우리의 성장 가능성과 변화 가능성이 얼마나 무궁무진한지도 깨닫지 못하게 된다.

그렇다면 이런 마음챙김을 실천하는 가장 손쉬운 방법은 무엇일까?

마음챙김은 여러 가지 방법이 있지만 우선 호흡에 주목한다. 우리는 하루에 약 2만 번의 숨을 쉰다. 하지만 그 2만 번이 반복되는 동안 당신은 단 하나의 숨이라도 주목해 본 적이 있던가? 호흡을 관찰하는 것은 우리 자신을 현재 순간에 묶어두고 마음이 방황할 때 되돌아가게 이끌어줄 닻줄과 같다. 호흡을 인식함으로써, 우리가 지금 여기에 존재한다는 걸 상기하게 되고, 그래서 무슨 일이든 이미 일어나고 있는 일을 제대로 인식하게 된다. 어렵지 않다. 호흡은 항상 우리의 코 바로 밑에 있다.

이밖에도 이 책은 우리가 앉거나 서거나 걷거나 뛰거나 일상 속에서 어떻게 집중하고 관찰해야 하는가를 친절히 설명해 준다. 산이나 호수의 이미지를 떠올리게도 하고 또 육아나 설거지처럼 자신이 각자 처한 위치에서 반드시 해야 할 일과 함께 할 수 있는 마음챙김에 대해 이야기한다.

읽고. 느끼고, 실천하는 순서로 구성

이 책은 다른 자료나 도움 없이 혼자 힘으로 명상 수행을 할 수 있는 지침이 담겨 있다.

본문은 읽으며 ‘아하’ 하는 순간을 느끼면 되고 본문 말미에 있는 ‘시도’는 일상 속에서 아주 간단히 실천할 수 있는 마음챙김 프로그램으로 누구나 가볍게 실천할 수 있다.

우선 1부에서는 개인적으로 마음챙김을 새로 시작하거나 더 강화해야 하는 근거와 배경에 대해 살펴본다. 독자들은 다양한 방법들로 자신의 삶 속에 마음챙김을 도입하는 실험을 하게 될 것이다.

2부에서는 격식을 갖춘 명상 수행의 기본적인 측면들을 살펴본다. 격식을 갖춘 명상 수행이란 일정 기간 동안 의도적으로 모든 활동을 중단하고 특정 방법들로 마음챙김 및 집중 능력을 배양한다는 의미이다.

3부에서는 마음챙김의 다양한 활용법과 관점들에 대해 살펴본다.

1, 2, 3부의 일부 장들의 끝부분에는 격식을 갖추거나 갖추지 않은 마음챙김 수행의 여러 측면들을 자신의 삶 속에 통합시키기 위한 구체적인 제안들이 나온다.

마음챙김 명상에 본격적으로 들어가기 전에 도대체 ‘왜 마음챙김 명상인가?’라는 의문을 갖는 사람들에게 맞춤한 책이다. 접기

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noomy 2020-09-06 공감 (2) 댓글 (0)

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[마이리뷰] 존 카밧진의 왜 마음챙김 명상인가? 새창으로 보기

“명상은 영적인 훈련이 아니다.”

힐힐 2019-11-07 공감(1) 댓글(0)

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Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life
Written by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Narrated by Jon Kabat-Zinn

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This 10th Anniversary edition of the inspiring and practical guide to meditation, includes a brand new afterword and an audio-exclusive interview with the author A simple and straightforward introduction to Buddhist meditation practice from one of the country's leading authorities on stress-reduction techniques, Dr. Kabat-Zinn has taught this two-thousand-year-old Buddhist method of relaxation to thousands of patients. Through mindfulness, one makes every moment count. By "capturing" the present and living fully within each moment, one can reduce anxiety, achieve inner peace, and enrich the quality of life. With warmth and humor, WHEREVER YOU GO THERE YOU ARE blends stories, poems, and scientific observations with easily followed instructions. The result is a unique audio program that is part inspiration and part study guide to a revolutionary new way of being, seeing, and living.

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Wherever You Go, There You Are Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life

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The international bestselling mindfulness guide.

Mindfulness is considered the heart of Buddhist meditation. But its essence is universal and of deep practical benefit to everyone. In Wherever You Go, There You Are, Jon Kabat-Zinn maps out a simple path for cultivating mindfulness in our lives, and awakening us to the unique beauty and possibilities of each present moment.

Since its first publication in 1994 (as Mindfulness Meditation for Beginners), this book has changed lives across the globe and is a perennial international bestseller.

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Riku Sayuj

Sep 14, 2011Riku Sayuj rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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Dear Brother,

When you first asked me about how to practice meditation (was it last week?), I gave you a few vague answers and then dismissed it from my mind, thinking that while it is impressive that you consider it seriously, it is not really vital to you right now. But, yesterday when you spoke about how difficult it is to study for more than two hours continuously, I realized that there might be more to it. That conversation set me thinking about a concept called " Digital Natives ". You would definitely qualify to be one. Digital Natives are supposed to have shorter attention spans and a greater propensity to multi-task. They are more at home using technology or entertainment as well as education and even blend the two in exotic mixes. Most of the characteristics of the Digital Natives, like their appetite for knowledge, their openness to stimuli and their connectedness with this world of constant change, are all very positive traits. I too consider myself as a Native, even though, Tarun, who introduced me to the concept would disagree and try to classify me as a Digital Immigrant.

Having said all that, we also have to consider if these so-called positive traits might not also have the negative effects that the older generation attributes to it? Could there be a fundamental fleetingness encroaching into our natures? Could small things like it being harder and harder to spend long hours concentrating and a lot of my friends complaining that they can hardly find the energy to read anymore be side-effects of this life-style? What can we do to keep the positive side of this information age and yet not lose our ability to concentrate and to put in focussed effort when required?

As I thought of these things, I felt that maybe meditation may indeed be the answer for you and many like you and also to myself. So I spent a few hours researching and browsing about on this and stumbled on this wonderful book about meditation. I kept you and sis in mind as I read this and I think I might have an adaptation of the ideas that might help in our daily lives that might help you enjoy your hours spent studying and also make them more productive as well as longer.

I hope you can find the fifteen minutes needed to read this rambling of mine. As I keep telling you, 24 hours is a long time and we all have more than enough time to do more than earn a living and worry about school during a day. We have more than enough time to read, to meditate, to sleep and dream and to take a quiet walk. Shall we start?

What is Meditation?

Think of this present moment as a mirror. A mirror reflecting the past and the future. You have to understand and accept this reflection of yourself in this mirror. You have to be aware of this present moment in all its depth and fullness. Do not judge it. Just know it. See it completely and entirely. Every. Single. Detail.

The present moment exists whether you like it or not. Whether it is enjoyable or not. And even if time passes, the mirror stays still. it is always the present moment in which you find yourselves. You cannot change it, you need not judge. You can only understand anad accept it. It just IS. If you can do this, only then will you know what to do next.

This practice is called "Mindfulness" and is the core of Meditation. I know the last two paragraphs might have been too abstract for your tastes, but indulge me and read it again please? Don't worry, even though I wrote it, I too don't understand it.

Unless we become "Mindful", we may never quite be where we actually are, never quite touch the fullness of our possibilities. Instead, we lock ourselves into a personal fiction that we already know who we are, that we know where we are and where we are going, that we know what is happening - all the while remaining enshrouded in thoughts, fantasies, and impulses.

To be "Mindful" is to wake up from this constant ignorance about yourself, your surroundings and your situation. To find your path in life, you will need to pay more attention to this present moment. It is the only time that we have in which to live, grow, feel, and change.

The work of waking up from these dreams is the work of Meditation, the systematic cultivation of wakefulness, of present-moment awareness. Meditation is simply about being yourself and knowing something about who that is. It is about coming to realize that you are on a path whether you like it or not, namely, the path that is your life. Meditation may help us see that this path we call our life has direction; that it is always unfolding, moment by moment; and that what happens now, in this moment, influences what happens next.

Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. This kind of attention nurtures greater awareness, clarity, and acceptance of present-moment reality. It is an appreciation for the present moment and the cultivation of an intimate relationship with it through a continual attending to it with care and discernment. It is the direct opposite of taking life for granted. It has to do with waking up and seeing things as they are. In fact, the word "Buddha" simply means one who has awakened to his or her own true nature.

All these ordinary thoughts and impulses run through the mind like a coursing river, if not a waterfall. We get caught up in the torrent and it winds up submerging our lives as it carries us to places we may not wish to go and may not even realize we are headed for.

Meditation means learning how to get out of this current, sit by its bank and listen to it, learn from it, and then use its energies to guide us rather than to tyrannize us. This process doesn't magically happen by itself. It takes energy. We call the effort to cultivate our ability to be in the present moment "practice" or "meditation practice."

The Practice Of Meditation

I know that you like to sit and meditate. But is it the only way? Not really. You can meditate while sitting, while walking, while standing or while lying down. Once you have some practice, you can even meditate while eating and while bathing and even while studying. That should be the goal. To be able to live every moment with that wakeful awareness called "Mindfulness".

How to start then? I know it is hard to start meditating. there is always a hundred other things to do. You could be studying or reading or doing something else. DOING something is SO important. Meditation is the only intentional, systematic human activity which at bottom is about not trying to improve yourself or get anywhere else, but simply to realize where you already are. You have to learn to "Stop". Literally. Just stop doing things. Could you stop wanting to do things? Stop wanting to improve or get somewhere in life? For five minutes? Surely?

Once you have accepted this and is ready to meditate, try to ease into it. You may want to go to the next room first, to the drawing room or the kitchen. Then walk slowly and deliberately to the spot you have decided to meditate in. Meditate as you walk. As you approach the spot, stand there for some time. Meditate as you stand. Now, slowly and with dignity sit down.

Walking Meditation

Thich Nhat Hanh once said, "Peace is every step."

Sometimes it is very difficult to just sit down. Walking is easier. Try walking formally before or after you sit. Try a period of walking meditation. Keep a continuity of mindfulness between the walking and the sitting. Ten minutes is good, or half an hour. Remember once again that it is not clock time we are concerned with here.

The walking is just as good as the sitting. What is important is how you keep your mind.

In walking meditation, you attend to the walking itself. Walking meditation can best be done by imagining a river. Imagine that you are a flowing river. Steady and changing, moving in time, but always yourself. Aware of every boulder and every turn. Be aware of every step.

Standing Meditation

Once you have reached the spot, don't abruptly sit down. Remember that we are trying to keep a continuity of mindfulness between the walking and the sitting. Stand still for some time and try to meditate. Standing Meditation is best learned from trees. Imagine yourself to be a tree. Feel your feet developing roots into the ground. Feel your body sway gently, as it always will, just as trees do in a breeze. Sense the tree closest to you. Listen to it, feel its presence.

You can try standing like this wherever you find yourself, in the school, in the football ground, by a river, in your living room, or just waiting for the bus.

Sitting Meditation

Finally, sit down. But sit down with an intention. Sit with dignity. It helps to come to the bed or to the chair or to the floor with a definite sense of taking your seat. Sitting meditation is different from just sitting down casually somewhere. Sitting down to meditate, our posture talks to us. It makes its own statement. If we slump, it reflects low energy, passivity, a lack of clarity. If we sit ramrod-straight, we are tense, making too much of an effort, trying too hard.

To describe the sitting posture, the word that feels the most appropriate is "dignity." If you are told to sit like a king from Lord of the Rings, how would you sit? That is dignity. A Royal Posture. I try to tell this to myself when I sit down to work, or write. To sit with dignity. You should try this while sitting down to study too. It makes a difference in you attitude. When we take our seat in meditation and remind ourselves to sit with dignity, we are coming back to our original worthiness. That in itself is quite a statement.

How you hold your hands is also important. that too is a way of making a statement, to yourself, to your mind. The hand positions are called "Mudras" in formal terminology and they embody different attitudes. There is no one right way to keep your hands. You may experiment with different ways yourself in meditation. Try sitting with your hands palms down on your knees. Notice the quality of self-containment here. This posture might feel to you as if you are not looking for anything more, but simply digesting what is. If you then turn both palms up, being mindful as you do it, you may note a change in energy in the body. Sitting this way might embody receptivity, an openness to what is above, to the energy of the heavens. I personally prefer the hands kept together in the lap, with the fingers of one hand lying atop the fingers of the other, the thumb-tips gently touching as if I hold the universe in me.

All our hand postures are supposed to be mudras in that they are associated with subtle or not-so-subtle energies. Take the energy of the fist, for instance. Try making a fists as if in anger. Feel the tension, the hatred, the anger, the aggression, and the fear which it contains. Then, in the midst of your anger, as an experiment, try opening your fists and placing the palms together over your heart in the prayer position. This is probably what Gandhiji did when he was assassinated at point-blank range. He put his palms together in this way toward his attacker, uttered his mantra, and died.

Now, on to the meditation itself. In Sitting Meditation, the image of a mountain might be most helpful. Imagine yourself to be a mountain, invoking qualities of elevation, massiveness, majesty, unmovingness, rootedness - bring these qualities directly into your posture and attitude.

How long should you sit like this? As long as you like, of course. It is quality not quantity that matters. Forming the intention to practice and then seizing a moment - any moment - and encountering it fully in your inward and outward posture, lies at the core of mindfulness. Long and short periods of practice are both equally good. In a line six inches long, there are an infinite number of points, and in a line one inch long there are just as many. Well, then, how many moments are there in fifteen minutes, or five, or ten, or forty-five? It turns out we have plenty of time, if we are willing to hold any moments at all in awareness.

Once you are sitting, there are many ways to approach the present moment. All involve paying attention on purpose, non-judgmentally. What varies is what you attend to and how.

It is best to keep things simple and start with your breathing, feeling it as it moves in and out.

Sit and watch the moments unfold, with no agenda other than to be fully present. Use the breath as an anchor to tether your attention to the present moment. Your thinking mind will drift here and there, depending on the currents and winds moving in the mind until, at some point, the anchor line grows taut and brings you back. This may happen a lot. Bring your attention back to the breath, in all its vividness, every time it wanders. Keep the posture erect but not stiff. Think of yourself as the mountain.

Breathing

Our breathing can help us in capturing our moments. It's surprising that more people don't know about this. After all, the breath is always here, right under our noses.

To use your breathing to nurture mindfulness, just tune in to the feeling of it - the feeling of the breath coming into your body and the feeling of the breath leaving your body. That's all. Just feeling the breath. Breathing and knowing that you're breathing.

Use your breath to help you to stay in the moment - feeling your own body standing, breathing, being, moment by moment. Thoughts will come up which will pull your attention away. Work with those perceptions, thoughts, feelings and impulses, memories and anticipations. Accept them. Reflect them in the mirror that is the present moment. See them clearly and let them go with the outgoing breath.

Ending The Meditation

Toward the end, if you are not particularly attentive, before you know it you'll be off doing something else, with no awareness whatsoever of how the meditation came to an end. The transition will be a blur at best. You can bring mindfulness to this process by being in touch with the thoughts and impulses which tell you it's time to stop. Whether you've been still for an hour or for three minutes, a powerful feeling all of a sudden may say, "This is enough." Or you look at your watch and it's the time you said you would quit.

As you recognize such an impulse, breathe with it for a few moments, and ask yourself, "Who has had enough?" Try looking into what is behind the impulse. Is it fatigue, boredom, pain, impatience; or is it just time to stop? Whatever the case, rather than automatically leaping up or moving on, try lingering with whatever arises out of this inquiry, breathing with it for a few moments or even longer, and allowing the moving out of your meditation posture to be as much an object of moment-to-moment awareness as any other moment in the meditation. Bring awareness to how you end your meditations. Don't judge it or yourself in any way. Just observe, and stay in touch with the transition from one thing to the next.

You may even do the Standing Meditation and then the Walking Meditation again to end the period of Meditation. Stand up slowly, imagine being a Tree. Become a River and flow out of your room. Go to the balcony, enjoy the breeze as a tree again and then come back refreshed for a fresh day of studying.

This technique of learning to transition slowly in and out of things might soon help you to do things that you consider "tasks" to be accomplished more easily. Adopt this attitude before you start your daily exercise, before you sit down to study, before you go jogging, maybe even as you sit down to write the board exams. Let a continuum help you shift gears into things, so that you don;t postpone or cancel them.

Also use the technique of examining your intentions when you feel the need to stop an activity. Imagine you are studying, or jogging, or exercising. You feel the need to stop. Ask yourself why. Are you tired? Whatever be the answer, breathe with it a few times. Breathe with this idea that you want to stop. Then continue the activity for some more time. The more your practice this, the more you will find that your attention span is increasing.

Everyday Meditation

In time you can extend this feeling of awareness and 'wakefulness' to everyday activities. Start slowly. Take deliberate small steps first. Maybe before you sit down to study?

Try to recognize the beauty of the present moment in your daily life. If you are up early in the morning, try going outside and looking (a sustained, mindful, attentive looking) at the stars, at the moon, at the dawning light when it comes. Feel the air, the cold, the warmth. Realize that the world around you is sleeping. Remember when you see the stars that you are looking back in time millions of years. The past is present now and here.

Thus, every now and then try Casual Meditation. Stopping, sitting down, and becoming aware of your breathing. It can be for five minutes, or even five seconds. Let go into full acceptance of the present moment, including how you are feeling and what you perceive to be happening. For these moments, don't try to change anything at all, just breathe and let go. Breathe and let be. Give yourself permission to allow this moment to be exactly as it is, and allow yourself to be exactly as you are. Then, when you're ready, move in the direction your heart tells you to go, mindfully and with resolution.

Conclusion

Meditation can indeed be done at any time. Take a break from time to time. Maybe during the advertisements of a cricket match, maybe while reaching for a glass of water while eating. Remind yourself: "This is it." Remind yourself that acceptance of the present moment has nothing to do with resignation in the face of what is happening. It simply means a clear acknowledgment that what is happening is happening. Acceptance doesn't tell you what to do. What happens next, what you choose to do, that has to come out of your understanding of this moment.

May Meditation help you in the full development of your true potential. It is a way of being, of living life as if it really matters, moment by moment by moment. Make it part of you daily life, rather than merely as a technique or as one more thing you have to do during your already too busy day.

The deepest of bows to you for having the courage and perseverance involved in throwing yourself wholeheartedly into this adventure of a lifetime. May every breath you take in mindfulness, in your everyday life, make you smarter, wiser, more compassionate and kinder. Moment by moment, breath by breath.

Yours Truly,

PS. If interested in a slightly more detailed version, please visit here. (less)

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Dan Harris

Feb 28, 2014Dan Harris rated it it was amazing

I think this guy may go down as a historical figure. He was the prime mover in turning meditation into a mainstream, secular, scientifically tested way to rewire your brain for happiness. This is a great book for beginners and the curious.

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Helynne

May 15, 2009Helynne rated it really liked it

This is a particularly nice guidance book on meditation and mindfulness. I especially like Zinn's focus on "non-doing," which has nothing to do with being lazy or indolent, but the ability to "simply let things be and allowing them to unfold in their own way" (44). In short, this is the art of mindfullness, which Zinn says has to be kindled and nurtured because "you can only get there if you are fully here" (131) I also like his descriptions of "mountain" and "lake" meditations where one imagines that all sorts of activity may be churning beneath the earth or the water, but on the surface, nature remains beautiful and serene. So, too, can we imagine our daily lives. "In lake meditation we sit with the intention to hold in awareness and acceptance all the qualities of mind and body, just as the lake sits held, cradled, contained by the earth, reflecting sun . . which bring out and highlight its sparkles, its vitality, its essence" (143-43). One more quote from Zinn which I particularly like: "If you stop trying to make yourself more than you are, out of fear that you are less than you are, whoever you really are will be a lot lighter and happier and easier to live with, too" (239) . . . You can stop taking yoruself so damn seriously and get out from under the pressures of having the details of your personal life be central to the operating of the universe" (240). Okay, I have to add one more about what he says about giving, because this is so cool: "At the deepest level there is no giver, no gift and no recipient . . . only the universe rearranging itself." (less)

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Thomas

Mar 30, 2015Thomas rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, psychology

A solid book for those interested in learning about and pursuing mindfulness. I have no experience with anything related to meditation aside from watching yoga commercials and hearing my mom talk about Buddha, but this book broke down my preconceptions and replaced them with tangible ways to improve my mindset. For example, this passage from an early part of the book discusses how mindfulness does not always mean suppressing brain activity; rather, it involves accepting things as they come:

"People who don't understand meditation think that it is some kind of special inner manipulation which will magically shut off these waves to that the mind's surface will be flat, peaceful, and tranquil. But just as you can't put a glass plate on the water to calm the waves, so you can't artificially suppress the waves of your mind, and it is not too smart to try. It will only create more tension and inner struggle, not calmness. That doesn't mean that calmness is unattainable. it's just that it cannot be attained by misguided attempts to suppress the mind's natural activity."

Jon Kabat-Zinn also provides tangible steps to improve one's mindfulness, including practicing voluntary simplicity, doing non-doing, focusing on one's breath, appreciating each moment, and more. While these actions might seem a little far-fetched or impractical, Kabat-Zinn writes about them in thoughtful and intelligent ways. He gives practical applications alongside his more theoretical passages, and he also zones in on alternative ways to meditate based on one's specific life circumstances. All of his ideas contribute to the thorough and well-honed quality of Wherever You Go, There You Are overall.

Recommended to those who feel any curiosity about mindfulness or who want to learn how to practice living in the moment. I know I will need time to adapt Kabat-Zinn's perspective into my own life, but I do feel excited to try. I will end this review with a final quote I found meaningful:

"It turns out that we don't have to succumb to the addictive appeals of external absorptions in entertainment and passionate distraction. We can develop other habits that bring us back to that elemental yearning inside ourselves for warmth, stillness, and inner peace. When we sit with our breathing, for instance, it is much like sitting by fire. Looking deeply into the breath, we can see at least as much as in glowing coals and embers and flames, reflections of our own mind dancing. A certain warmth is generated, too. And if we are truly not trying to get anywhere but simply allow ourselves to be here in this moment as it is, we can stumble easily upon an ancient stillness - behind and within the play of our thoughts and feelings - that in a simpler time, people found in sitting by the fire." (less)

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Celia

Jun 25, 2007Celia rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: ABSOLUTELY

If you want to know how to actually live in the present moment, then this book is for you

I have become more midnful of my thoughts and actions, and the amount of time I spend daydreaming or assuming what someone or something else's reality is. Instead, I allow those thoughts to pass quickly, without judgement, and come back to the present, whatever it is I am doing that moment be it playing peek-a-boo with my son, cooking a meal, having a talk with my husband or friend or running a few miles. (less)

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Dannii Elle

Nov 19, 2018Dannii Elle rated it really liked it

Shelves: spiritual-sanctuary, non-fiction-nuances, adult-books-read

I have been so conflicted on how to rate this book. Its central message is that whatever you focus on now, whatever takes up your time and wherever your thoughts wander, is exactly where you are going in life. It is of little use to idly wish of a future vision for yourself unless you put in the groundwork to making it happen, right now.

Despite seeming rather obvious, when put in as so few words as this, I actually found it an extremely enlightening read. The initial section delivered everything I desired: it was inspiring, motivating, and yet everything it detailed felt accessible and in-reach, due to the tone used to convey its message.

The latter section, however, focused more on the practicalities. It told the reader, for example, how to mediate and why. These things I already know and found them of much less use to me. I can still see how invaluable this could be to a beginner in the area of the law of attraction, as it instructed on exactly how to manifest desires, and I am still grateful for all this book initially taught me, but still found my attention waning as the book progressed away from its initial message. (less)

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Dave Schaafsma

May 06, 2020Dave Schaafsma rated it really liked it

Shelves: buddhism, meditation

“Meditation is the only intentional, systematic human activity which at bottom is about not trying to improve yourself or get anywhere else, but simply to realize where you already are.”

So I like the title of this book that the author, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, reading it aloud in a ten year anniversary edition, tells us has been translated into more than ten languages, and has been an international bestseller. In spite of the fact that I am meditating and reading or listening to a few of these books I knew about in my, say, less meditative years, and am seriously trying to de-stress, lower my blood pressure and so on, I am ex-religious and am also hungry for a little Saturday Night Live (SNL) self-mockery to undermine all the Dead Seriousness these books generally have about them (having read some Christian self-help books left around my house while growing up and having casually watched some religious programming my parents encouraged me to check out.

SNL I recall fondly for The Church Lady (“Isn’t that special?”), Father Guido Sarducci, and Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ne65...

So I don’t want to be disrespectful of a generally well-written book on a topic with which I am becoming more familiar, but Dr. KZ reads this book in a kind of thin voice and--when he gets most serious--is accompanied by flute music and violins that reminded me of Jack Handey and made me want to stick my finger down my throat at times.

So it’s not so much the book, which has useful and familiar Buddhist/mindfulness themes such as live in the present, wake up, just stop and focus, breathe, renew yourself, be like a mountain and so on, and peppers throughout quotations from Kabir through Yeats through Thoreau.

(Okay, I admit I have always loved this Kabir quote: “Kabir says: ‘Student, tell me, what is God? He is the breath inside the breath.’”)

I thought when I was reading it that meditation and Being Present has a lot in common with serious reading that most of us here on Goodreads do. Dr. KZ places himself in the tradition of Joseph Campbell and Robert Bly and other twentieth century folks as much as he does Buddhist thinkers. And does in fact connect meditation with myth and story. Dr. KZ brought meditation into traditional medical practice and this is a good thing. We can control some of our reaction to the world and what happens to us.

“To let go means to give up coercing, resisting, or struggling, in exchange for something more powerful and wholesome which comes out of allowing things to be as they are without getting caught up in your attraction to or rejection of them, in the intrinsic stickiness of wanting, of liking and disliking.”

Okay, so there are little moments of humor and better writing in this book than I find in other books that I appreciate. He opens the book for newbies to say that meditation is not about becoming a self-absorbed, narcissistic blob but stopping and getting down to conscious living. Good move, to disarm the skeptics!

and

“People ask me how long should I meditate?”

“How would I know?!”

And like I said, I like that title, which he know opens himself to ridicule, I pretty much like the guy when he turns the bleepin’ music off and he doesn’t take himself too seriously. I guess it is maybe closer to 3.5 for me.

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Jan-Maat

Oct 01, 2016Jan-Maat added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century, buddhism

I found this in one of those remainder book shops which sell off the unsellable at reduced rates, there I also picked up Pompeii and Cnut, this one did not impress me so favourably.

The author notes in a preface that it is his favourite of his own books, I can't see what he sees in it. I found it like a tasting menu in which the feeling grew that the tasting menu itself was denying me the opportunity to enjoy a full meal. When I offered a crumb or a flake of something that was good, the only certainty was that there would be no more of it.

It is divided into three parts, targeting those who maybe are starting or considering starting meditating, then those who have been meditating a while, and thirdly I don't know who or why.

Probably me and the book crossed each other several years too late or too early, I much preferred the book I read by Christina Feldman that though I made the mistake of lending to my sister, never lend or loan things that you'd like back - at least that is what I tell the bank, however, they are most unphilosophical.

Still I do like the title of the book. I noticed twice that the author mentioned that meditation would lead to people finding their calling in life. This I found passing strange, if one believed that everyone will find their patch of gravel to rake then one wouldn't need to mention it, though I suppose in our cultural context being seen to be doing something is felt to be important even though in the light of environmental degradation, economic recklessness and so, doing nothing would be by far the most reasonable course of action for many - or as this book put it - don't just do something - sit there!

May 2020

My intention was to say that after a second reading the book had improved immeasurably, but after finishing it I was not so sure that it had, but I certainly liked it more than I did the first time I read it.

In contrast to Nothing Special Kabat-Zinn stresses accessibility - anybody can do this anywhere, while Beck prefers to emphasise the difficulty of practise, but one can see that they are both talking about the same thing, but there is a flavour for everyone, the ultra Spartan will prefer Beck, the reader hoping for universal salvation will find Kabat-Zinn more to their taste. (less)

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Jane

May 29, 2009Jane rated it it was amazing

"There is no running away from anything! The romantic notion that if it's no good over here, you have only to go over there and things will be different. If the jobs are no good, change jobs. If this wife is no good, change wives. If this town is no good, change towns. This underlying thinking is the reason for your troubles.

You cannot escape yourself, try as you might. Sooner or later, the same problems arise- patterns of seeing, thinking, and behaving. Our lives cease working because we cease working at life. We are unwilling to take responsibility for things as they are and to work with our difficulties. It's much easier to find fault, to blame, to believe that what is needed is a change on the outside.

There can be no resolution leading to personal growth until the present situation has been faced completely. You must be willing to let life itself become the teacher.

There is always something to dislike.

When we commit ourselves to paying attention in an open way, without falling prey to our likes and dislikes, opinions and prejudices, projections and expectations, new possiblilties open up and we have a chance to free ourselves from the straitjacket of unconsciousness.

Mindfulness is simply the art of onscious living-in the moment."

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. is the founder and director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine. His clinic was featured on PBS series Healing and the Mind with Bill Moyers.

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Trevor

Aug 07, 2008Trevor rated it it was ok

Shelves: psychology

I was recommended this book - but I really struggled with it. The problem might have been increased by the fact that I found a talking book version read by the author. Authors probably should know better.

Anyway, it also had lots of that kind of music you might hear while getting a massage. I think that was also a mistake.

I just can't imagine myself sitting focused on my own breathing for any length of time - I do get what is being attempted here, but it just isn't me.

I also acknowledge that I have a range of prejudices associated with this sort of 'practice' (not least based on the sorts of people I have met in the past who are practitioners). I also find that talk of 'mindfulness' and other such notions - 'atonement with the fundamental oneness of the universe' for example - tend to immediately put me off. Just as talk of body postures and energy fields seem hard to take seriously.

But what I really struggle with is the implied (well, and explicit) 'spiritualism' of such ideas. My reaction to this sort of thing is, admittedly, over-wrought, but I really have to accept that as a core part of what it is to be McCandless.

I think I have decided that I would rather learn concentration by concentrating on something I can also enjoy - music, literature, books - and relaxation from walking, rather than concentrating on my breath.

I didn't finish this book - which I thought I would, and there wasn't much left to go. I blame the organ and the tinkling piano. (less)

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Jenny (Reading Envy)

May 24, 2012Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, librarianship, read2015, meditation, contemplative-pedagogy

This is like the handbook for mindfulness, a great place for people new to meditation or other contemplative practices to start. It is written in tiny chapters, most useful read alone. In other words there should be a lot of contemplating and meditating on the book itself. There are practical bits on "how" and some thoughts on "why" and specific situations and scenarios to consider. My only beef with Kabat-Zinn is that he has a lot of dangling quotations, where it's like what he's including is so profound that he doesn't feel the need to add to it, explain it, connect it to anything. It kind of fits into his whole persona, and it doesn't render the text difficult, just kind of jagged.

To follow his patterns, here are my own dangling quotations.

"We are thinking virtually all the time. The incessant steam of thoughts flowing through our minds leaves us very little respite for inner quiet. And we leave precious little room for ourselves anyway just to be, without having to run around doing things all the time."

"It helps to have a focus for your attention, an anchor line to tether you to the present moment and to guide you back when the mind wanders... Bringing awareness to our breathing, we remind ourselves that we are here now, so we might as well be fully awake for whatever is already happening."

"All that is important is this one moment in movement. Make the moment vital and worth living. Do not let it slip away unnoticed and unused." (Martha Graham, not Jon Kabat-Zinn)

"The practice itself has to become the daily embodiment of your vision and contain what you value most deeply. It doesn't mean trying to change or be different from how you are, calm when you're not feeling calm, or kind when you really feel angry. Rather, it is bearing in mind what is most important to you so that it is not lost or betrayed in the heat and reactivity of a particular moment."

asking "Is there anything else you would like to tell me?" (less)

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Nicky

Sep 22, 2014Nicky rated it liked it

Shelves: philosophy, non-fiction

If you're looking for something about meditation and mindfulness that's devoid of spiritual interpretations and the like, this is one of the closest approaches I've seen that still focused on the meditation aspect and not just generally being "more aware". It has some helpful suggestions for visualisation, including details not just of picturing things but of feeling things, like his suggestions for standing meditation of imagining yourself as a tree, the part where he mentioned approaching the practice with dignity, etc.

Overall, I doubt it's going to convince anyone who is highly sceptical to begin with, or help anyone start a practice ex nihilo. But it's worth reading, and sitting with, and thinking about, if you can put aside scepticism and just try it.

One thing I especially liked was that Kabat-Zinn doesn't have any thou-shalts and thou-shalt-nots about this. There's recommendations, suggestions, but also reminders that any moment of mindfulness in the day, however short, is valuable. (less)

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Kate

Jun 13, 2010Kate rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010

"Mindfulness is considered the heart of Buddhist meditation but its essence is universal and of deep practical benefit to all. In essence, mindfulness is about wakefulness. Out minds are such that we are often more asleep than awake to the unique beauty and possibilities of each present moment as it unfolds. While it is in the nature of our mind to go on automatic pilot and lose touch with the only time we actually have to live, to grow, to feel, to love, to learn, to give shape to things, to heal, our mind also holds the deep innate capacity to help us awaken to our moments and use them to advantage for ourselves, for others, and for the world we inhabit. Just as a garden requires attending to if we hope to cultivate flowers and not have it be overrun with weeds, mindfulness also requires regular cultivating. We call the cultivating of our own mind to bring it to wakefulness meditation. The beauty of it is that we carry this garden with us, wherever we go, wherever we are, whenever we remember. It is outside of time as well as in it.

I would like to reclaim my moments, to be become fully alive to time and the world. Most of the time I feel lost in a fog, blundering around and crashing into the furniture -- overturning tables and lamps shattering to the floor. The book promises me a road map to a quiet, well-lighted existence.

The author presents small, short blocks of instructions, or explanations, or illustrations -- all with the purpose of unfolding the the mystery of mindfulness. Exquisitely written, simplistic but hauntingly beautiful. (less)

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jd 지훈

Nov 14, 2020jd 지훈 marked it as to-read

On my most recent appointment, my psychiatrist introduced me to the Seven Pillars of Mindfulness and encouraged me to integrate mindfulness with my cognitive behavioral therapy and meditation exercises as a way to help me manage my anxiety. It turns out that these aforesaid pillars are what Jon Kabat-Zinn tackled on this book. Can't wait to find the free time to read this one (and hopefully learn something substantial for my mental health). :D (less)

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Mark Dante Troiano

Feb 24, 2010Mark Dante Troiano rated it it was amazing

My girlfriend in college suggested I read this book on everyday Mindfulness Meditation by Jon-Kabit Zinn - since then he has become one of my favorite authors on the subject. I approach every day as a meditation in movement. I'm currently working on being more non-reactive and awake and alive in the present moment without having any expectations of it and allowing the moment to simply "be" as it is. It is what it is. Good, bad, or indifferent - trying not to "force the river" - just allowing things to arise and fall as they will by Non-Doing. I practice this a lot in my guitar lessons with young students. Knowing when to intervene and when to approach and be helpful. Being present and caught in the flow of life is something that is reawakening in me as I regain my self-confidence, lose weight, and continue to face life head-on. (less)

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Elyse Walters

Apr 10, 2013Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing

I read this book a long time ago --(I had forgotten I read it until my friend, Karen, recommended it to me). I once took a 10 day retreat where the last 2 days were 'silent'. This was one of the books we read.

Hm?? Maybe I should own it --read it again? (less)

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Samir Rawas Sarayji

Jan 31, 2019Samir Rawas Sarayji rated it did not like it

Shelves: non-fiction

Oh... this text is an enormous collection of platitudes. The only useful chapter is the first one - 4 pages - that defines mindfulness and explains it's origin from Taoism and Buddism. Chapters are a few pages long, full of quotes/passages - mainly from Thoreau's Walden, other cited authors include Kabuir, Dalai Lama, some of the Taoist or Buddist masters, well... you get the picture. The author Kabat-Zinn basically repeats the message again with different words and explains why it's a nice message. That's all this book really is. Lots of fluff, no substance. There is hardly anything concrete about meditation techniques. If you want to meditate, this is not for you. If you want to understand meditation, this is not for you. If you want to have an idea about meditation, this is not for you.

However, if you like to feel good about reading on the 'goodness' of meditation, without any specific examples, then this book is for you. (less)

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Lisa (Harmonybites)

Jan 19, 2012Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it it was ok

Recommended to Lisa (Harmonybites) by: The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Ultimate Reading List

Shelves: non-fiction, ultimate-reading-list, philosophy, reference, religion, spirituality, psychology, self-help

The introduction tells us this book "is meant to provide brief and easy access to the essence of mindfulness meditation and its applications." By "mindfulness" is meant focused awareness of the "present moment." And meditation is "the process by which we go about deepening our attention and awareness, refining them, and putting them to greater practical use in our lives." The book is divided in three parts. Part One, "The Bloom of the Present Moment" seeks to give some background and definitions. It explains that meditation is "not about making the mind empty or still." Part Two, "The Heart of Practice" delves into the "basic aspects of formal meditation practice." Part Three, "In the Spirit of Mindfulness" "explores a range of applications and perspectives on mindfulness. "

Just before reading this book I had read The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh, a classic book on meditation and Buddhist precepts published in 1975, and which made Kabat-Zinn's book seem rather superfluous. Consisting primarily of what was originally written as a "long letter" Hanh in its 100 pages tells you almost everything (and more) than Kabat-Zinn does in over 270 pages. Hanh's book is more succinct yet more detailed in its exercises and explanation of breath and postures, more lucid and insightful, and is the kind of book that though deceptively simple, rewards repeated reading. I felt Kabat-Zinn's on the other hand was filled with boilerplate New Age filler and stuffed with a lot of quotations by others such as Whitman, Tao-te-Ching, and especially Thoreau. About the only additional material were a couple of pages on the position of the hands during meditation, a suggestion formal meditation be practiced for 45 minutes every day when you can, and that it's useful to do yoga, and that his personal daily "core routine" contains "twenty or so postures." That's it. I just don't see the use of having both books, and I can't see choosing Kabat-Zinn's over Hanh's. (less)

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Robert

Sep 21, 2020Robert rated it liked it

Jon Kabat-Zinn's Wherever You Go, There You are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life, published in 1994, remains a good overview introduction to meditation and its uses. Meditation, obviously, has not changed in the ensuing years, nor have its many facets and their application to contemporary life. I say "obviously" because the fundamental truth is that meditation is about sitting by oneself, concentrating on one's breath or a mantra, and detaching oneself from the anxieties and yearnings and dissatisfactions and worries of "life." So there you have it.

Why such a long book, then? Well, it is quite amazing how resistant people are to letting their mind-talk go...not filling it up with more mind-talk...or simply allocating 15 or more minutes a day to doing what would appear to be nothing.

Kabat-Zinn has all kinds of good reasons for meditating and tips on how to do it, from one-minute dashes to weekend-long retreats, but for me, the most useful thing he has to say is that if you meditate, don't talk about it, i.e., don't tell people you are "meditating," don't brag about "meditating," don't go on and on about the stuff you harvest from your quiet mind with the passion some folks discuss the pro's and con's of their favorite swim goggles.

So this is a book for people who need to be teased or put at ease with the practice of daily meditation; it is far more than a primer, and it is a bit too talky about meditation.

Ultimately, it seems to me that meditation teaches you the world can go on without you, and you can go on without the world. (less)

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edward

Sep 29, 2007edward rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: everyone

If I could only have one book, this would be it. Not a novel, but a really great short chaptered book that teaches more than meditation. It asks the big questions about life and incorporates a lot from Thoreau's Walden with quotes and passages. A good mix of Eastern philosohpy and transcendentalism makes this a great book to read a chapter at a time. It will always be by my bedside. (less)

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Ying Ying

Feb 19, 2017Ying Ying rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, brain-mind, inspiration, spiritual

This is a peaceful reading. It feels like going to a meditation session with the author. You are invited to bring mindfulness into the now, to practice mountain or lake meditation, to understand that you are connected with the whole, to minimise harm and cultivate generosity, love and patience, and to accept whatever is coming.

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Lucia Di Felice

Jan 09, 2022Lucia Di Felice rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Brian Johnson

Aug 27, 2015Brian Johnson rated it it was amazing

“When we speak of meditation, it is important for you to know that this is not some weird cryptic activity, as our popular culture might have it. It does not involve becoming some kind of zombie, vegetable, self-absorbed narcissist, navel gazer, “space cadet,” cultist, devotee, mystic, or Eastern philosopher. Meditation is simply about being yourself and knowing something about who that is. It is about coming to realize that you are on a path whether you like it or not, namely, the path that is your life. Meditation may help us see that this path we call our life has direction; that it is always unfolding, moment by moment; and that what happens now, in this moment, influences what happens next.”

~ Jon Kabat-Zinn from Wherever You Go, There You Are

For the last several decades, as a Professor of Medicine and the founding Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Jon Kabat-Zinn has been one of the leading pioneers in bringing meditation into mainstream medicine.

“Meditation is the process by which we go about deepening our attention and awareness, refining them, and putting them to greater practical use in our lives.”

I’m excited to share a handful Big Ideas:

1. The Practice of Meditation - Cultivating our mindfulness.

2. Samadhi Muscles - Let’s strengthen them.

3. What’s Your Why? - Gotta have a compelling vision.

4. Practice Every Moment - Not enough just to sit.

5. Becoming Fully Human - That’s the ultimate training.

Here’s to embracing our practices that help us most fully plug in so we can shine with an uber-bright radiant enthusiasm that lights up our world.

Here's my video review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB3UW...

And click here to find 250+ more of my reviews:

http://bit.ly/BrianReviews

Brian (less)

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Aug 16, 2008AJ rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: People curious about meditation and mindfulness; individuals desiring greater well-being

Shelves: soul, mind

Jon Kabat-Zinn is one of the pioneering medical professionals to integrate east/west practices. This book is a very easy read - yet full of insight and depth. I enjoyed the book immensely due to the luminous knowledge he provides regarding the practice and understanding of meditation and the synthesis of impressions held by various thinkers. I highly recommend this book due to his objective style and candidness, allowing for any faiths, lifestyles, or ages to perceive the truths within.

Excerpts:

“Non-doing has nothing to do with being indolent or passive. Quite the contrary. It takes great courage and energy to cultivate non-doing, both in stillness and in activity.”

“If you miss the here, you are likely to miss the there. If you mind is not centered here, it is likely not to be centered just because you arrived somewhere else.”

“When we are in touch with being hole, we feel at one with everything. When we feel at one with everything, we feel whole ourselves.”

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Veek

Aug 02, 2008Veek rated it liked it

Shelves: society-and-psychology

I'd avoided Kabat-Zinn's works in the past, lumping them into the airy-faerie category of new age fluff. Then I read about him in another book (Bill Moyers' dusty but still relevant Healing and the Mind) and was impressed with both his credentials and his views. This book is targeted to clients whose health issues (such as chronic pain) may benefit from learning to let go of hurts from the past and worries about the future, and live more fully in the present moment. Breathing, imagery, relaxation.. all good solid practices for improved self-regulation. (less)

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Steve Sarner

Jun 23, 2018Steve Sarner rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-star, non-fiction

5 notes & 19 highlights

Where ever you go, there seems to be more and more content on mindfulness and meditation. So when I saw this well known title on sale during a Goodreads Daily Deal I picked it up without much thought (haha). I can see why this book has both 5 star and 1 star ratings as it varied for me from chapter to chapter and even page to page.

A few things that I particularly liked was him calling BS on many terms and thoughts around meditation such as this:

“The phrase “letting go” has to be high in the running for New Age cliché of the century. It is overused, abused daily”

as well this:

“this can turn into serious delusion, an unending quest to escape”

One of my favorite points was this:

“We submit ourselves to constant bombardment by sounds and images that come from minds other than our own, that fill our heads with information and trivia, other people’s adventures and excitement and desires.”

Our celebrity worship culture in a nutshell.

If interested in what else resonated with me (both good and some bad) check my Kindle Notes and Highlights.

That’s my review, I’m giving it 3 stars, there you are. (less)

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Ryan Michael

Aug 06, 2016Ryan Michael rated it it was amazing

My father is a practicing Buddhist. As such, this is the fourth book he has sent me on the subject (in one way or another) about practicing Buddhism. He described this book as Kabat-Zinn's way of introducing "Buddhism without the Buddha," which interested me, as, although Buddhism is most absent of certain things that usually turn me off from organized religion, this book would be a way of looking at the practice of mindfulness through more of a lens of human development instead of religious or soul-centric development.

This book, especially part one, framed the practice of mindfulness in such a way that even me, an average white male with an average IQ, could see the advantage of practicing mindfulness and being "present." I have described, to my father, what trying to understand what this practice really is; my metaphor is that it feels like trying to trap a young chicken in an 100 archer cornfield. However, this book made it feel like catching that chicken might be a little easier to do, if you are thinking about it in the right way. Rabat-Zinn does a remarkable job outlining and explaining what mindfulness practice can look like for any given individual looking to work on his or her human development. In part one, he parallels Henry David Thoreau's "Walden" with certain aspects of mindfulness practice, and I found this helpful in understanding the concept of "being present", as I have read "Walden" a few times over in the last ten years.

I would recommend this book to any person, no matter what your religious views (or no views at all on religion) who is interested in at least reading something that could, potentially, give you a bit of a different perspective on individual human development through mindfulness practice. It might sound a little intimidating, but I promise, it is described in such a way that I feel as though lots of people can relate to. (less)

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Hákon Gunnarsson

Feb 13, 2017Hákon Gunnarsson rated it really liked it

Shelves: meditation, mindfulness, non-fiction, buddhism

That's a great title, and quite true. The one you can't run away from, no matter how hard you try, is yourself. Like the title says: wherever you go, there you are. The thing is, I thought I was about to read a practical guide to meditation, but maybe that is not the best quality of this book.

At least, that is not what I found in it. It does go into different kinds of meditation, but I didn't feel it was a good guide to how to go about it. It did tell me one thing about meditation I didn't know before, and that is walking meditation. I think that may actually work well for me, especially when combined with my dogs.

Still it has got some very interesting things to say about meditation, and life in general, so I'm glad I read it. Parts of it are quite poetic, and it is well written. So for anyone that wants a good read about mindfulness, I think this is a rather good book. I think I will read it again, or at least parts of it. (less)

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aarthi

Mar 20, 2011aarthi rated it really liked it

Favorite quotes, and To Do's:

"look at other people and ask yourself if you are really seeing them or just your thoughts about them.... Without knowing it, we are coloring everything, putting our spin on it all."

"At the deepest level, there is no giver, no gift, and no recipient... only the universe rearranging itself."

"Make a list of what is really important to you. Embody it."

"Our ability to touch love and kindness and be touched by them lies buried below our own fears and hurts, below our greed and our hatreds, below our desperate clinging to the illusion that we are separate and alone."

"Read Gary Snyder."

"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor." - Thoreau

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Jane

Oct 09, 2014Jane rated it really liked it

Shelves: essays, my-own-books, spiritual, reading-for-a-second-time

Definitely a book to keep and reread. A wonderful reminder of the openness that meditation is...not a straining after perfect posture or perfect focus, a gentle awareness of the body and its dignity, an acceptance and awareness of the passage of thoughts and the ephemeral nature of these thoughts. Many brief meditation suggestions and of the value of extended meditation as well. It is an excellent guide to daily meditation and to living the daily moments of our lives with awareness.

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