Showing posts with label mindfulness*. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mindfulness*. Show all posts

2022/06/01

Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabat-Zinn | 처음 만나는 마음챙김 명상

https://www.scribd.com/search?query=Mindfulness+for+Beginners&content_type=audiobooks&page=1

Mindfulness for Beginners: Reclaiming the Present Moment—and Your Life Kindle Edition

by Jon Kabat-Zinn (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 1,676 ratings
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[eBook] 존 카밧진의 처음 만나는 마음챙김 명상
존 카밧진 (지은이),안희영 (옮긴이)불광출판사2013-08-12
원제 : Mindfulness for Beginners


1부 시작
초심

숨 쉬는 자는 누구인가?
세상에서 가장 어려운 일
이 순간을 돌보기
마음챙김은 자각이다
행위 양식과 존재 양식
마음챙김의 과학적 근거
마음챙김은 보편적이다
깨어있음
도구를 안정시키고 조정하기
자각 속에 머무는 것이 명상의 핵심이다
아름다운 규율
기본 설정값 조정
자각 : 치우친 생각의 균형을 맞추는 강력하고 유일한 힘
연습을 하면 주의력과 자각을 키울 수 있다
생각에 문제가 있는 것은 아니다
생각과 친해지기
마음에 대한 여러 가지 유용한 비유
자신의 생각을 개인적으로 받아들이지 않기
자기화
인칭대명사, 특히 ‘나’, ‘나를’, ‘내 것’에 대한 집착
자각은 무엇이든 담을 수 있는 커다란 그릇이다
중요한 것은 주의 대상이 아니라 주의 기울임 자체이다


2부 지속
마음챙김에 근거한 스트레스 완화
세계로 퍼져나간 MBSR
따뜻한 주의
모든 감각에 대한 마음챙김
고유수용감각과 내부감각
자각의 일체성
앎이란 곧 자각이다
삶 자체가 명상이 된다
당신은 이미 전체 속에 있다
바로 코 아래
마음챙김은 관념이 아니다
접촉으로 돌아오기
나는 누구인가? 자신의 ‘이야기’에 대한 의심
이야기를 넘어선 존재
당신은 한 번도 온전한 존재가 아닌 적이 없었다
다른 방식으로 주의 기울이기
알지 못함
준비된 마음
당신이 볼 수 있는 것


3부 심화
가야 할 곳도, 해야 할 일도 없다
존재에서 우러나오는 행위
적절한 행동
지금 일어나는 현상을 알아차리는 것으로 충분하다
판단하지 않음은 지성의 행위, 친절의 행위이다
다행히도 당신은 당신 자신만이 될 수 있다
앎의 체현
타인을 위해 기쁨을 느낀다는 것
재앙으로 가득 찬
고통에 대한 자각은 고통스러울까?
괴로움에서 벗어난다는 것은?
마음의 지옥
명상은 그 자체가 해방의 길
자신을 아는 마음의 아름다움
자신의 명상 돌보기
명상에도 에너지 절약이 필요하다
해치지 않는 태도
탐욕, 끊임없는 불만족
성냄, 탐욕의 이면
망상과 자기 충족적 예언의 함정
언제나 지금이 적절한 때이다
‘지금 이것’이야말로 교과과정
자신의 삶을 되찾기
마음챙김을 세상에 확장하기


4부 원숙
마음챙김 명상의 기본 태도
1. 비판단
2. 인내
3. 초심
4. 신뢰
5. 애쓰지 않음
6. 수용
7. 내려놓기


5부 수련
공식 명상 시작하기
먹기 마음챙김 명상
호흡 마음챙김 명상
전신 마음챙김 명상
소리, 생각, 감정 마음챙김 명상
순수 자각으로서의 마음챙김 명상



접기
책속에서
P. 37~38 종종 우리는 삶에 너무 쫓겨서 미래의 어느 순간에 더 좋은 삶을 살기 위해 지금의 순간들을 그냥 지나쳐버린다. 우리는 ‘해야 할 일’ 목록의 항목을 하나씩 지우며 산다. 하루 일과
가 끝난 뒤 잠자리에 곯아떨어진 다음날 아침, 다시 쳇바퀴 같은 생활을 반복하기 위해 서둘러 일어난다. 이러한 삶의 방식은 (우리가 그것을 도대... 더보기
P. 61~62 명상에서는 우리가 아무런 생각도 하지 않은 채 종종 제멋대로이며 정신을 어지럽히는 시끄러운 생각들과 가끔은 고양되고 창조적인 생각들을 단순히 억압하라고 하지 않는다. 만일 생각을 억누르려 한다면 당신은 엄청난 두통에 시달리게 될 뿐이다. 이러한 시도는 마치 바다에 파도가 치지 않게 하려는 시도처럼 현명하지 못한, 순전히 어리석은 ... 더보기
P. 68 만일 우리가 생각의 흐름에 빠져 여러 가지 생각에 사로잡혀있을 때, 특히 그 생각들과 자기를 동일시할 때, 다시 말해 “이것은 나야.” 혹은 “이것은 내가 아냐.”라고 자신에게 속삭
일 때, 우리는 ‘정말로’ 거기에 사로잡히게 된다. 왜냐하면 바로 여기가 자신이 처한 상황과 조건, 물건을 곧 ‘나’, ‘나의’, ‘내 것’ ... 더보기


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

신간알리미 신청
미국 컬럼비아대학교에서 MBSR 지도자 교육과정을 주제로 박사학위를 받았다. 현재 서울불교대학원대학교 심신치유교육학과 교수로 재직 중이며 2005년부터 마음챙김에 근거한 스트레스 완화 프로그램(MBSR)을 한국에 보급하고 있다. 미국 MBSR 본부인 마음챙김 센터(CFM)에서 2010년 한국인 최초로 인증을 취득하였고, 국내 유일의 CFM 공인 MBSR 지도자로서 한국MBSR연구소(http://cafe.daum.net/mbsrkorea)를 중심으로 스트레스, 명상, 리더십과 관련된 교육을 하고 있다. 기업용 프로그램인 미국 내면검색... 더보기
최근작 : <통합심신치유학 이론 편>,<통합심신치유학 실제 편> … 총 23종 (모두보기)


출판사 제공 책소개

우리는 몸이 아프면 병원에 가거나 약국을 찾는다. 하지만 마음이 아프다면 어디로 가야할까?


여러 가지 답이 있겠지만 현재 미국을 비롯한 서구에서 가장 인기를 끌고 있는 마음 치유 프로그램은 바로 마음챙김 명상(MBSR)이다.
1979년 이 책의 저자인 존 카밧진에 의해 처음 세상에 알려진 마음챙김 명상은 모든 병의 근원이라 일컬어지는 스트레스를 비롯해 불안, 우울증 등에 탁월한 효과가 입증되어 현재 미국에서만 약 300개 의료 기관 그리고 전 세계적으로 750여 개 의료 기관에서 도입해 활용하고 있는 프로그램이다. 뿐만 아니라 미국의 대기업(<포춘(Fortune)>지 선정 500대 기업 중 다수), 프로 스포츠 팀 등 역시 리더십, 쇄신, 창조성에 기여한다며 이 프로그램을 도입해 활용하고 있으며, 학습과 기억에 중요한 역할을 하는 해마 등의 뇌 부위를 두껍게 변화시킨다는 사실도 증명돼 최근에는 일부 미국의 고교와 대학에서 정식 커리큘럼으로 채택되어 청소년을 위한 교육에도 활용되고 있다. 또 마음챙김 명상이 전전두 피질의 특정 영역 활성화에 기여해 정서적 균형을 향상시켜주며 면역 체계의 긍정적 변화를 가져오는 것으로 드러나면서 영국의 유치원과 초등학교에서도 이미 지난해부터 시험 도입을 준비하고 있다.
미국의 시사주간지 〈타임(Time)〉은 지난 2003년 ‘명상’이란 제목의 커버스토리에서 “1천만 명의 미국인이 명상을 즐기고 있으며, 이것은 10년 사이에 두 배 이상 증가한 것”이라고 보도했다. 이런 추세는 2000년대 후반에도 계속돼 현재 미국의 명상 인구는 약 1500만 명으로 추정되고 있다. 이런 명상 유행에 가장 선도적인 역할을 하고 있는 것이 바로 마음챙김 명상이다.


생각을 바꾸기 보다는 있는 그대로 바라보기


저자도 책에서 밝히고 있지만 마음챙김 명상은 불교, 그것도 아시아 남방에서 주로 수행되어온 위빠사나에 그 뿌리를 두고 있다. 저자 역시 남방불교는 물론이고 한국의 선불교(저자는 숭산 스님의 제자이기도 하다)까지 두루 섭렵했다. 인류 역사상 명상을 가장 세련되게 발달시켜온 사람들은 불교 수행자들이니 어쩌면 당연한 것인지도 모른다. 하지만 마음챙김은 불교에서 말하는 깨달음을 목표로 하지 않는다는 점에서 온전히 불교적이라고 말할 수는 없다. 오히려 스트레스 완화, 불안·우울감 완화, 암 통증 조절, 혈액순환 개선 등 현대인이 일상이나 병상에서 받고 있는 고통을 조절하기 위한 프로그램이다.(각 증상에 대한 국내외 과학적 연구결과는 첨부 자료 기사 참조)


그렇다면 마음챙김 명상이 전통적인 심리 치료와 크게 다른 점은 무엇일까?
한마디로 말하면 기존의 프로그램들은 부정적인 생각이 증상과 질병의 원인이라고 보고 생각을 바꾸는 데 초점을 둔 것에 반해, 마음챙김 명상은 부정적 생각을 바꾸려고 하지 않고 그저 있는 그대로 바라보게 한다는 것이다.
저자가 마음챙김에 필요한 일곱 가지 요소로 들고 있는 ▲비판단(Non-Judging), ▲인내(Patient), ▲초심(Beginner's Mind), ▲신뢰(Trust), ▲애쓰지 않음(Non Striving), ▲수용(Acceptance), ▲내려놓기(Letting Go)는 마음챙김이 어떤 변화보다는 현재의 자각을 목표로 하고 있다는 것을 잘 보여준다.
결론적으로 마음챙김 명상은 ‘현재(Now)’ 그리고 ‘여기(Here)’에 대한 자각 혹은 알아차림이다. 자각(알아차림)은 과거와 미래에 대한 생각을 걷어내 버리고 ‘의도적으로 이 순간에 어떤 판단도 하지 않고 주의를 기울이는 것’이다.


지어낸 괴로움, 부가적 괴로움에서 벗어나기


저자도 책에서 주장하고 있지만 사실 우리가 당하는 괴로움의 상당 부분은 바로 지나간 과거 그리고 오지 않은 미래에 대한 걱정 때문이다. 우리가 스스로 지어낸 것이라는 얘기다. 복잡하게 만들지 않아도 충분히 끔찍한 우리의 외적 환경에 우리가 또다시 덧붙인 괴로움인 것이다.
우리가 경험하는 괴로움 가운데 가장 큰 부분을 차지하는 것이 이러한 부가적인 괴로움이다. 물리적, 정서적, 사회적, 실존적, 영적 괴로움 등 우리가 겪는 모든 괴로움은 인간으로서 우리가 처한 숙명적인 조건이며 따라서 도저히 피할 수 없다. 흔히들 하는 말이 있다. 바로 ‘고통은 피할 수 없지만 거기에 따라오는 괴로움은 우리의 선택 사항이다’라는 말이다. 이 말이 뜻하는 바는 우리가 겪는 고통에 대해 우리가 어떤 선택을 내리는가가 괴로움의 경험에 엄청난 차이를 가져온다는 사실이다.
마음챙김 명상은 이런 ‘지어낸 괴로움’, ‘부가적 괴로움’을 현재를 자각하는 방법을 통해 모두 걷어내려고 한다.


마음챙김의 구체적인 과정


그렇다면 이런 마음챙김의 구체적인 과정은 어떻게 될까?
마음챙김은 우선 하나의 대상에 집중한다. 책에서 나온 대로 건포도가 되어도 좋고 자신의 숨이 되어도 좋다.
만약에 이런 집중을 하다가 주의가 흔들린다는 것을 알아차리면 가능한 빨리 원래 주의의 대상으로 되돌아간다. 누구나 이런 흔들림을 경험한다. 중요한 것은 자신이 그랬다는 것을 알고 다시 원래의 주의로 돌아가는 것이다.
이런 집중에서 중요한 것은 어떤 것도 ‘의도’하지 않는 것이다. 자연스럽게 일어나는 생각, 기억, 환상, 신체감각, 정서, 욕망들을 포함하는 자극들의 변화 흐름을 판단하지 않은 채 관찰하는 수련을 계속 진행해나간다. 이러한 다양한 사건들에 대해 상대적 가치나 중요성으로 나누어 판단하지 말고 오직 일어나는 그대로 알아차리도록한다.
이런 식으로 훈련하다 보면 우리는 ‘현재’에 그리고 ‘여기’에 자연스레 집중된다는 것을 알 수 있다. 여기서 일차적으로 ‘지나간 과거’, ‘오지 않은 미래’에 대한 고민의 짐들이 사라진다. 그리고 이런 명상을 오랫동안 하다보면 ‘나’, ‘나를’, ‘내 것’이라는 집착이 점점 사라져감을 느낄 수 있다. 자기중심성, 자기화라는 습관에서 자동적으로 자각(알아차림)으로 이동하는 것이다. 이것은 결국 탐욕과 성냄(탐욕의 이면)에서 벗어나 자기 해방의 길에 들도록 해주며 궁극적으로 타인에 대한 연민과 자애감을 키워준다. 여기서 어디로, 어디까지 더 나아갈지는 온전히 얼마만큼, 어떻게 수행했느냐에 따라 달라진다. 스트레스, 우울증 등의 감소나 집중력 증가 등은 부수적인 (물론 중요한) 효과들이다.


우리 심리에 대한 종합 보고서이자 초보자를 위한 마음챙김 명상 매뉴얼


이 책은 마음챙김의 개발자인 존 카밧진이 초보자들에게 마음챙김 명상이 무엇인지 설명할 목적으로 만든 책이다. 이 책의 부록에 포함된 CD에는 실제 마음챙김 명상을 실천해 볼 수 있는 유도 명상문이 들어가 있다.
하지만 사실 이 책의 전반에 흐르는 내용은 우리가 사용하고 있는 ‘생각’ 그리고 ‘심리’에 대한 종합보고서라고도 할 수 있다. 우리의 마음은 어떻게 작동하는지 그리고 어떻게 작동시켜야 하는지를 이 책은 초보자들의 눈높이에 맞춰 자세히 설명하고 있다.


이 책의 저자 존 카밧진은 2011년 <왓킨스 리뷰(Watkins review)>에 의해 ‘세계적인 영적 스승 100인’에 선정되기도 했다. 그만큼 마음챙김이 세계적인 반향을 불러일으켰다는 얘기다.
국내에서도 영남대 심리학과 명예교수인 장현갑, 덕성여대 심리학과 교수인 김정호 등(차기 심리학회 학회장으로 내정)에 의해 주류 심리학 안으로 진입하고 있음은 물론 의료기관에서도 도입을 시도하고 있다.
게다가 마음챙김 명상은 일반인들이 따라 하기에도 전혀 어렵지 않다. 이 책에 부록으로 포함되어 있는 75분 분량의 유도 명상 CD에는 먹기, 호흡, 소리 등에 집중해 마음챙김 명상을 할 수 있는 내용이 포함되어 있다. 깊고 높은 곳이 아니라 내 발 밑, 코 밑에서 벌어지는 일들에 집중해 가다보면 어느새 몸이 이완되고 집중력이 향상되는 것을 느낄 수 있을 것이다.


평점분포7.4


구매자 (9)
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공감순

피상적으로 다가오는 이 책의 내용보다는 오히려 「마음챙김 명상과 자기치유」가 입문용으로도 더 적합하다고 생각한다. 그러나 초심자에게 이 책에 포함되어 있는 명상CD는 참으로 유용하다. 구매
airmoo 2016-01-09 공감 (3) 댓글 (0)
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공감

명상 초보로서는 좋은 책이다 CD를 따라하면 깊은 공감이된다. 나에겐 좋으므로 추천하고싶다 구매
으로 2012-12-03 공감 (1) 댓글 (0)
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공감

명상을 추천해줘서 구입하긴 했는데, 실천이 중요 구매
쁘띠런치 2013-08-20 공감 (1) 댓글 (0)
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공감

<구글의 아침은 자유가 시작된다>라는 인사관리 책에서 등장해서 구매하게 되었습니다. 저자가 유명한 교수님이라 더욱 신뢰가 가더라고요! 구매
꽤꽤기 2016-01-27 공감 (1) 댓글 (0)
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공감

씨디때문에 샀는데 전자책은 씨디가 없네요..씨디내용 읽어주는줄..아놔..내돈..내돈.. 구매
youou 2020-11-24 공감 (1) 댓글 (0)
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공감
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공감순

[서평] <처음 만나는 마음챙김 명상> 생각이란 물에 글씨는 쓰는 것이다.

마음챙김 명상이라는 말이 맘에 든다. 전문적이지 않아서 이질감이 없다.
MBSR(마음챙김 명상에 근거한 스트레스 완화 프로그램)을 개발한 존 카밧진이 한국 스님으로부터 영감을 얻었다는 점이 특이하면서 왠지 어깨가 으쓱해진다.
미국의 분자생물학 교수가 마음챙김 명상을 설립한다는 건 대단한 인연이 아니고서야 불가능하지 않을까?
이미 국내에 여러 권의 마음챙김 명상 책이 나와 있지만 '초보자를 위한 마음챙김 명상'이 출간된 것은 나로서 너무 반가운 일이다.


마음챙김은 참 심플하다. 생각, 행동, 현상에 대한 알아차림(자각)을 통해 스트레스를 완화하는 것인데 이 알아차림은 바라보기(왓칭, 정신세계사)와 함께 일반인이 쉽게 할 수 있는 명상인 것 같다. 이 책의 구성은 시작-지속-심화-원숙-실행으로 되어 있어서 초보자들이 마음챙김 명상에 대한 점진적으로 이해를 돕는다는 것이 가장 큰 장점이다. 특히 책의 부록인 CD롬에는 존 카밧진의 수제자이자 이 책의 번역을 하신 안희영씨가 손수 녹음을 하셔서 일반 독자로 하여금 '실행'을 바로 경험할 수 있게 했다. 그래서 거듭 말하지만 초보자에게 참 친절한 책인 것 같다.
표지도 우리 마음의 정화해줄 것 같이 편안하고 정갈한 느낌이다.
나는 책을 중간정도 읽다가 호기심이 일어 CD를 들어봤는데 한결 빨리 이 책을 이해하게 되는 것 같아 좋았다. 물론 책과 CD를 같이 보고 들어 완전한 이해와 실행이 수반되어야 한다. 존 카밧진은 명상이 습관화가 되려면 좋던 싫던 몇개월은 매일 같은 시간에 짧게라도 명상을 실행하길 권한다. 마음챙김 명상이 아무리 쉽게 씌여져 있더라도 수행이기 때문에 차분하게 계속한다는 마음가짐이 중요한 것 같다.
명상은 어떤 기술을 습득하는 것도 아니고 지금 당장 필요한 것도 아니지만 일단 실행하면 나와 만날 수 있는 좋은 다리와 같고 나아가서 내 삶까지 바꿔 놓는다. 물론 그 삶의 변화는 행복하고 긍정적은 변화이다.
마지막으로 물 위에 글씨를 쓰는 것을 생각해 보자. 물 위에 쓴 것은 곧 없어진다.
바로 생각이 그러하다. 이것이 이 책에서 말하는 무상함이고 내가 가장 감명 깊게 읽은 부분이다.
내가 생각에서 자유로울 수 있다는 것, 판단없는 정확한 알아차림은 나를 행복하게 한다.


- 접기
책벌레 2012-12-06 공감(2) 댓글(0)

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공감

처음 만나는 마음챙김 명상

위빠사나를 하면서 종종 mbsr(마음챙김)하고는 어떤 다른 점이 있을까 궁금했었다.
이 책이 너무 괜찮은 것은, 명상유도 cd가 있다는 건데,
생각보다 안희영 교수의 목소리를 편하게 들을 수 있었다.
초심자라면 쉽게 절망에 빠져들 수 있는 부분에 대해서도
충분히 설명해주면서 이끌어나가 과연 제목과 같이 처음 명상을 배우려는 사람에게
딱 알맞은 책이라는 생각이 거듭 든다.
협회를 통한 여러 mbsr의 워크샵들이 있지만,
부담스러운 사람이나 학생, 명상이 무엇인지 경험해보고 싶은사람은
이 책을 통해서 먼저 만나보는게 어떨까.
많은 명상이 있고, 여러 명상을 해왔지만, 부처님이 하셨다는 이 명상...

마음챙김 명상=위빠사나=mbsr 만큼이나 비전있는 명상도 없다고 생각한다.
앞으로 이 명상이 더 대중적이고 중요하게 퍼져갈 것 같고, 그 길에 이 책이 한몫하길 바란다.


- haru

=====
multi219 2012-11-20 공감(2) 댓글(0)
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공감

존 카밧진의 처음 만나는 마음챙김 명상 새창으로 보기
bulkwanger@naver.com 불광 출판사로부터 오디오 CD를 받을 수 있어서 좋았어요. 엘렌 랭어 박사의 마음챙김, 마음챙김 학습혁명이 마음챙김에 대한 개론서 같은 역할이라면 이 책은 마음챙김의 실습서로서 명상을 통한 마음챙김에 대한 설명을 하네요. 엘렌 랭어 박사의 마음챙김이 개론서라지만 조금 지루한 면이 있었는데, 존 카밧진 박사의 이 책은 마음챙김 명상 입문서로서 지루함 없이 이해하기 쉽게 설명되어 있어서 좋았어요. Head Space (https://www.headspace.com)를 통해 유도 명상을 한지 한 달 정도 되었지만 불편한 마음이 그대로라 돈 낭비인가 했다가, 이 책을 읽고 용기를 얻었어요.


- 접기
스티브 2018-10-09 공감(1) 댓글(0)

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We may long for wholeness, suggests Jon Kabat-Zinn, but the truth is that it is already here and already ours. The practice of mindfulness holds the possibility of not just a fleeting sense of contentment, but a true embracing of a deeper unity that envelops and permeates our lives. With Mindfulness for Beginners you are invited to learn how to transform your relationship to the way you think, feel, love, work, and play—and thereby awaken to and embody more completely who you really are.


Here, the teacher, scientist, and clinician who first demonstrated the benefits of mindfulness within mainstream Western medicine offers a book that you can use in three unique ways: as a collection of reflections and practices to be opened and explored at random; as an illuminating and engaging start-to-finish read; or as an unfolding “lesson- a-day” primer on mindfulness practice.
Beginning and advanced meditators alike will discover in these pages a valuable distillation of the key attitudes and essential practices that Jon Kabat-Zinn has found most useful with his students, including:
Why heartfulness is synonymous with true mindfulness
The value of coming back to our bodies and to our senses over and over again
How our thoughts “self-liberate” when touched by awareness
Moving beyond our “story” into direct experience
Stabilizing our attention and presence amidst daily activities
The three poisons that cause suffering—and their antidotes
How mindfulness heals, even after the fact
Reclaiming our wholeness, and more
The prescription for living a more mindful life seems simple enough: return your awareness again and again to whatever is going on. But if you’ve tried it, you know that here is where all the questions and challenges really begin. Mindfulness for Beginners provides welcome answers, insights, and instruction to help us make that shift, moment by moment, into a more spacious, clear, reliable, and loving connection with ourselves and the world.

NOTE:This ebook does not contain the spoken-word audio component included in the original printed edition.
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Product description
Review
Jon Kabat-Zinn is one of the finest teachers
of mindfulness you will ever encounter.
JACK KORNFIELD
Author of A Path with Heart




Jon Kabat-Zinn provides access to the
essence of meditation and its applications
for both the beginner and those who
wish to deepen and expand their practice.
He embodies what he describes.
DEAN ORNISH, MD


"Jon Kabat-Zinn is one of the finest teachers
of mindfulness you will ever encounter."
-JACK KORNFIELD
Author of A Path with Heart
"Jon Kabat-Zinn provides access to the
essence of meditation and its applications
for both the beginner and those who
wish to deepen and expand their practice.
He embodies what he describes."
-DEAN ORNISH, MD


"Jon Kabat-Zinn is one of the finest teachers of mindfulness you will ever encounter."
JACK KORNFIELD
Author of A Path with Heart




"Jon Kabat-Zinn provides access to the essence of meditation and its applications for both the beginner and those who wish to deepen and expand their practice. He embodies what he describes."
DEAN ORNISH, MD"


--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Publisher
Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, 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 Preventative and Behavioral Medicine. His clinic was featured in 1993 in the public television series Healing and the Mind with Bill Moyers. Jon Kabat-Zinn is the author of <iwherever you="" go,="" there="" are:mindfulness="" meditation="" in="" everyday="" life<="" i="" and="" <ifull-catastrophe="" living:="" using="" the="" wisdom="" ofyour="" body="" mind="" to="" face="" stress,="" pain="" illness<="" i. --This text refers to the paperback edition.
About the Author
Featured in Bill Moyer's PBS Special Healing and the Mind, Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD. is executive director at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. He is the founder and former director of the UMMC Stress Reduction Clinic and an associate professor of medicine in the division of preventive and behavioral medicine. Using mindfulness meditation, Kabat-Zinn works to help people reduce stress and deal with chronic pain, and a variety of illnesses, particularly breast cancer. He was a trainer for the 1984 U.S. Men's Olympic Rowing Team and is especially interested in reducing the stress-related problems in the inner city and in prison populations. Kabat-Zinn's books include: Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness (1991); Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life (1994) and Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting (1997), which was co-authored with his wife, Myla. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Back Cover
What if you could profoundly change your life just by becoming more mindful of your breathing? According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, you can. What if paying attention on purpose (and nonjudgmentally) could improve your health? Again, according to Dr. Kabat-Zinn-it can.


On Mindfulness for Beginners, this internationally known scientist, bestselling author, and teacher who brought mindfulness meditation into the mainstream of medicine and society gives you immediate access to a practice that can potentially add years to your life, and will certainly enhance the quality of your moments and your years.


Join Dr. Kabat-Zinn to:


Explore five guided meditations that lead you breath-by-breath into the essence of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a program offered in medical clinics and hospitals around the world
. Cultivate the Seven Key Attitudinal Factors of MBSR-qualities of heart and mind that lay the foundation for mindfulness practice and for seeing and accepting things as they are as a first step to working wisely and compassionately with stress, pain, illness, and sorrow as well as life's joys and pleasures
. Free yourself from limiting perspectives, and become more intimate with your own boundless awareness


You're already in the perfect moment for inhabiting this liberating awareness, which is always available, teaches Jon Kabat-Zinn. With Mindfulness for Beginners, he invites you to cultivate mindfulness as if your life depended on it, which it surely does, and experience the magnitude and beauty of who you already are.


Course objectives:


Apply an understanding of the concept of mindfulness
. Utilize simple guided meditations led by Kabat-Zinn
. List the ethical and attitudinal foundations necessary to cultivating mindfulness
. Assess how we can choose where to focus our awareness
. Plan to use mindfulness to help us develop compassion and insight into our true nature


--This text refers to the audioCD edition.
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Product details
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007L659U2
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sounds True; 1st edition (1 January 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 388 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 188 pages
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Jon Kabat-Zinn
Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, is internationally known for his work as a scientist, writer, and meditation teacher engaged in bringing mindfulness into the mainstream of medicine and society. He is professor of medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and author of numerous books, including Full Catastrophe Living, Arriving at Your Own Door, and Coming to Our Senses.


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Top reviews from Australia
Riky
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for wellbeing
Reviewed in Australia on 14 February 2019
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Very easy to listen to to and understand he has a way of explaining things that everyone can relate to , I have listened to it twice now and come out feeling better and with more understanding about yourself
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David King
5.0 out of 5 stars ... as though meditation is to monotonous then this book happily dispels that
Reviewed in Australia on 30 January 2015
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If you feel as though meditation is to monotonous then this book happily dispels that notion
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Lea
4.0 out of 5 stars Heavenly Bliss in first Session.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 December 2014
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I received this CD yesterday & immediately opened and popped in CD1 of 2 disks. The first is purely an explanation of what mindfulness is and how it can benefit you. The entire disk runs for approximately 30/40 mins and have to admit, my attention only managed to capture about 10mins in total. His voice is quite melancholic and so you easily lose focus.


However, on disk 2 is where all the good stuff is at. There are 5/6 different meditations, using different senses and by the fourth meditation I were in heavenly bliss. I suffer from crippling, disabling anxiety and depressive states that make me housebound and can't take the traditional antidepressant medication, so I'm constantly looking for different avenues. This is most definitely one avenue I will be exploring far more. It has a lot of potential.


The one thing I will say is you will only get out what you put in, so from what I've seen so far this is one way of 'being' that is worthwhile investing in.
18 people found this helpful
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J. Auckland
5.0 out of 5 stars An enlightening read! Love it!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 August 2014
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I loved this book. I kept thinking I didn't get it, so I had to re-read bits to fully understand everything. However as it's in such short chapters it helps making it easier to read and digest.
I have been diagnosed with dysthymia, I never really got the point of life, and was told by a mental health professional that I probably never would, which was very depressing to say I'm only in my early 30s, so there could be a lot more life to endure, which is how life often feels an endurance not an enjoyment. However reading this book and doing the meditation suddenly enabled me to see what life is all about, experiencing the moments life offers,and suddenly I can see a point to existence! I still have good and bad days, but I feel to understand myself more and try to make time for meditation. I am reading more around mindfulness and depression to understand how to try to prevent further episodes of depression.
I can understand how it's not for everyone, but it definitely helped me as a starting point! I can also see that if I was experiencing an episode of depression that this book would be beyond me!
14 people found this helpful
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100Bears
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 May 2012
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Ideal for anyone trying mindfulness meditation for the first time or for those like myself who have worked through all of Jon Kabat Zin's books and cd's over the years. Its easy to follow, each individual meditation on the CD can be done individually if you prefer and the book is brilliant to just drop in to whenever you feel like it.
15 people found this helpful
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Pete
5.0 out of 5 stars Stop using props
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 December 2017
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From the master of change. Learn a new way to deal with life and learn to get control of it, you can do it. This book gives you a good heads up start to make life changes.
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ThatIdealist
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 March 2017
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I enjoyed this book for it's simplicity. It was a nice introduction. I had studied formal Buddhism in Srilanka. It was engaging. Although it didn't cover much on techniques of meditation. I liked the language and ideas around mindfulness.
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Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabat-Zinn | Goodreads






Mindfulness for Beginners
by Jon Kabat-Zinn
3.75 · Rating details · 7,476 ratings · 449 reviews
What if you could profoundly change your life just by becoming more mindful of your breathing? According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, you can. What if paying attention on purpose (and nonjudgmentally) could improve your health? Again, according to Dr. Kabat-Zinn--it can.


On Mindfulness for Beginners, this internationally known scientist, bestselling author, and teacher who brought mindfulness meditation into the mainstream of medicine and society gives you immediate access to a practice that can potentially add years to your life, and will certainly enhance the quality of your moments and your years.


Join Dr. Kabat-Zinn to:


Explore five guided meditations that lead you breath-by-breath into the essence of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a program offered in medical clinics and hospitals around the world
- Cultivate the Seven Key Attitudinal Factors of MBSR--qualities of heart and mind that lay the foundation for mindfulness practice and for seeing and accepting things as they are as a first step to working wisely and compassionately with stress, pain, illness, and sorrow as well as life's joys and pleasures
- Free yourself from limiting perspectives, and become more intimate with your own boundless awareness


You're already in the perfect moment for inhabiting this liberating awareness, which is always available, teaches Jon Kabat-Zinn. With Mindfulness for Beginners, he invites you to cultivate mindfulness as if your life depended on it, which it surely does, and experience the magnitude and beauty of who you already are.


Course objectives:


Apply an understanding of the concept of mindfulness
- Utilize simple guided meditations led by Kabat-Zinn
- List the ethical and attitudinal foundations necessary to cultivating mindfulness
- Assess how we can choose where to focus our awareness
- Plan to use mindfulness to help us develop compassion and insight into our true nature (less)
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ebook, Unabridged edition, 170 pages
Published July 1st 2006 by Sounds True (first published 2006)
Original TitleMindfulness for Beginners
ISBN1591794641 (ISBN13: 9781591794646)
Edition LanguageEnglish
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Mindfulness for Beginners: Reclaiming the Present Moment--And Your Life
Mindfulness for Beginners: Reclaiming the Present Moment--And Your Life
Mindfulness for Beginners: Reclaiming the Present Moment--and Your Life
MINDFULNESS PARA PRINCIPIANTES
Mindfulness pentru începători
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I am curious about the Portuguese translation, Atencao Plena. The format ( and perhaps content) seem very different from Mindfulness for Beginners. My intention was for my Brazilian husband to read Atencao Plena, while I listen to Mindfulness, but it seems like the books are very, very different. Can anyone explain?Aha! I can just “let go” and buy the Portuguese version.
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Kazi
Apr 28, 2013Kazi rated it it was amazing
Shelves: 2013, meditation
Easily the best book on meditation that I've read. For people like me, who have really struggled with meditation, are extremely suspicious of new-age speak and approach meditation from a very analytical rather than an emotional or free-spirited way of thinking, it's perfect. Kabat-Zinn is really good at outlining the rational justifications for mindfulness and the practical applications of it, as well as explaining how lack of mindfulness can impact and rule one's life, and as much as I hate to say it, he makes sense. (less)
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MrsJoseph *grouchy*
Nov 03, 2015MrsJoseph *grouchy* rated it it was amazing
Shelves: 2015-reading-challenges, audio, 2015, mindfulness
http://bookslifewine.com/r-mindfulnes...


Awarenessing. Awarenessing is what Jon Kabat-Zinn calls the act of being aware and present.


I suck at mediation. I've tried it in the past but it's always been difficult for me. I have a very active brain. Very, very active. It's the reason why I'm not really into watching TV/movies - I don't need any additional stimulation. O_O


I first learned about Mindfulness via a televised interview of Jon Kabat-Zinn. My husband was intrigued and immediately started research on the subject. He went to Jon Kabat-Zinn's website and decided to buy a couple of the books - he even took the information to work to share with his employees.


I ignored [Mindfulness] for the most part even though my husband encouraged me to try it.


Sadly, I decided to read Mindfulness for Beginners after a very traumatic family event: we lost someone to a car accident on the very same day another family member had to be rushed to ICU - and that person is still critically ill.


Let's just say I became overwhelmingly stressed out. It was at that point I took my husband's advice. I hoped that maybe Mindfulness for Beginners would give me some tools to calm down my chaotic life. Or at least take my mind off of my troubles for a period of time.


Reading Mindfulness for Beginners was difficult for me. Jon Kabat-Zinn speaks in the same way he breathes - soothingly, slowly and deliberately - listening to him is quite like meditation. As I said before, I suck at meditation. Seriously suck at it. Whenever I try to meditate, my mind always wanders off to random subjects. And that's also what happens when I listen to this book. My mind starts to wander and I lose track of what's being said. Sometimes I rewind to (try to) listen again. Sometimes I just go with the flow. Sometimes I fall asleep.


Kabat-Zinn says that it is normal for the mind to wander when mediating. You are to - gently and with kindness - redirect your mind back to your breath when this happens. This one moment, this one breath.






Read the rest here: http://bookslifewine.com/r-mindfulnes... (less)
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Leslie
Aug 25, 2017Leslie rated it really liked it · review of another edition
"We are very much in the habit of thinking of ourselves in small, contracted ways---and of identifying with the content of our thoughts, emotions, and the narrative we build about ourselves---based on how much we like or dislike what is happening to us. This is our default mode. The power of mindfulness is the power to examine those self-identifications and their consequences and the power to examine the views and perspectives we adopt so reflexively and automatically and then proceed to think they are us. The power of mindfulness lies in paying attention in a different, larger way to the actuality of life unfolding moment by moment by moment. It allows us to shift from mindlessness to mindfulness." - from the Epilogue (less)
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Kitty
May 18, 2018Kitty rated it it was amazing
I can't recommend the audiobook of this highly enough. It's short, simple, surprisingly funny at times, and a great introduction to mindfulness. Even if you're already familiar with the concepts, it is always helpful to bring a "beginner's mind" to the practice. (less)
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Andy
Jan 28, 2014Andy rated it did not like it
I give up. One can only read so many pages before the constant stream of meaningless babble wear you out. 50 pages in and all this book has done is think of different ways of stating, "slow down and pay attention to your thoughts". (less)
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May Ling
Mar 16, 2020May Ling rated it really liked it
Shelves: spiritual
Summary: Great book about mindfulness. It left me with a lot of questions. But this is a good thing.


Please consider my vlog at: IG: WhereIsMayLing or Youtube: Diary of a Speed Reader




p. 43 - We do not ever learn awareness. This is despite the fact that it colors our critical thinking and our experience.


p. 54- We do not learn the separation of thinking and the emotions that are visiting.


p. 56 - Proprioception - "Sense of knowing and feeling the body's position in space both statically and in motion." If you are taking a drug that makes you loose this, you can see everything but you don't have body awareness.
Interoception - "knowing how your body is feeling from the inside" This is body awareness, which cannot be done unless you are in the present. Like noticing your breathing. Appreciating pain and pleasure response, etc.


p. 68 - Narrative focus - This is the story we create about what we're doing and why
Experiential Focus - grounded in what is being experienced in the present moment.


p. 108 - He talks about the 3 destructive mind states:
- Greed - is the impulse to acquire whatever it is you desire.
- Aversion - This is the impulse that we describe as fear, hate, irritability, resentment, annoyance, fear, rage, etc.
- Delusion - not apprehending, not comprehending, relationships, complex events, and what is actually going on. (unexamined or deluded story lines lead to self-fulfilling prophecies).


p. 131 - The power of acceptance... what it actually is, i.e. not having to have things be a particular way in order to be happy. A state of not clinging.
p. 132 - Letting go is important to the acceptance.


p. 153 - "In the end, the healing and transformative power of mindfulness lies in paying attention to the miracle and beauty of our very being and in the expanded possibility for being knowing, and doing within a life that is lived and met and held in awareness and deep kindness in each unfolding moment. (less)
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Taylor
Dec 18, 2017Taylor rated it it was ok · review of another edition
Maybe it’s me, but I felt this was too cult-y.
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Wendy
Jun 09, 2009Wendy rated it liked it
Shelves: audio
This is a good introduction to mindfulness and meditation practice, especially for absolute beginners or people who are curious about exploring meditation without getting heavily into any associated religious practice. If you've read or listened to much other material on Buddhism or meditation practice, a lot of the concepts in the first half are going to seem pretty basic and familiar, although you might still get value out of the meditation exercises in the second half.


From reading other reviews, I know that Kabat-Zinn's voice puts some people on edge. Basically, he sounds like a nerdy New England physician. He reminds me of my pediatrician when I was a kid, so personally, I find his voice kind of reassuring, but he's not going to most people's idea of the most relaxing voice. Nor does he have the most perfectly smooth vocal delivery - he sounds a bit stilted in places, as if he's reading from a script. If you can, listen to a sound sample first to get a feel for whether you can listen to 2+ hours of this guy. (less)
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John
Dec 23, 2016John rated it it was amazing
This was a quick read for me.
But I enjoyed the honesty of it. "Those who try to pick up meditation thinking they will be like the Dali Lama might as well stop. They have no chance in Hell of pulling that off."
And the fact that if you try meditation, don't tell people about it. If you feel the need to brag about meditating, you really need to meditate some more.
This is a beginning book. More steps to follow latter.
There is no Cliff notes for meditating. There is only doing. (less)
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Iona Stewart
Jun 25, 2019Iona Stewart rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Apparently, Jon Kabat-Zinn is an, or the, expert within the field of mindfulness.


A CD containing guided meditations accompanies the book. I have to say I was unable to meditate while listening to these though Jon Kabat-Zinn seemed to be saying some sensible/inspiring things. I was not disturbed by any thoughts as he suggested I would be, but I was disturbed by his bla bla blabbings (that’s what they felt like when I was attempting to meditate).


When beginning the book I was seeking some practical/precise instructions about how to “do” mindfulness but didn’t feel these were provided. At the end, however, we were given the texts of the meditations on the CD, which was what I was looking for in the first place. They just came too late. I had needed these instructions BEFORE listening to the CD. But how is one supposed to meditate quietly with mindfulness while listening to someone bla bla blabbing, no matter how insightful the content of what is said?


The book is well-written and interesting though more abstract, cerebral and philosophical than what I was looking for. The chapters were pleasantly short.


The author mentions opening to “an interior stillness”. Again, why would he think one could do that with someone constantly talking in one’s ear?


A basic exercise of mindfulness is paying attention to the sensations of breathing in the body. What is important is not the breath, but awareness of the breath.


I recall when I was four that I suddenly became aware of my breathing and thought that I needed to consciously breathe, otherwise I would die. Nobody had ever talked to me about breathing and nobody ever did.


But I didn’t die and I eventually realized, as the author states, that “we are being breathed”– the body breathes itself.


We are given a definition of mindfulness – “paying attention on purpose in the present moment and non-judgmentally”.


Mindfulness is “what arises when you pay attention --- in the present moment”. “And what arises is nothing other than awareness itself.” We need to learn “the being mode of mind”.


We should avoid being “more of a human doing than a human being”.


Mindfulness reminds us that it is possible to shift from a doing mode through the application of attention and awareness.


For years I have been doing Holosync meditation, which involves listening to a series of special mp3s that help to synchronize the two halves of the brain. The purpose and effect of doing this form of meditation, reportedly 8 times as strong as ordinary meditation, are the obtaining of more AWARENESS.


And now I got hold of this book on mindfulness which also turns out to be all about AWARENESS.


“What is most important --- is the awareness that feels and knows directly, without thinking, that breathing is going on in this moment, that hearing is going on in this moment, that thoughts are moving through the sky-like space of the mind at this moment.”


We’re informed about Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for those facing stress, pain, illness and disease. This is something one can do oneself instead of relying on a lacking health care system.


We are advised to bring an affectionate quality to our attention.


The author reminds us that “there is no place to go, nothing to do, nothing to attain”.


The guided meditations consist of 1) Eating Meditation (which I gave a miss) 2) Mindfulness of Breathing 3) Mindfulness of the Body as a whole 4) Mindfulness of Sounds, Thoughts and Emotions and 5) Mindfulness of Pure Awareness.


The final meditation is sometimes referred to as “objectless attention”, “choiceless awareness” or “open presence”. We do nothing but rest in choiceless awareness, moment by moment. This practice of choiceless awareness is “an occasion to let yourself be invited into the receptive, empty, spacious, knowing quality of awareness”. It is an invitation to “dwell --- in this timeless moment we call ‘now’ --- and wake up to the actuality of who we are”.


As stated, I didn’t get anything out of the spoken meditations, but learnt how to do them through the texts.


Altogether, this book introduces us to the practice of mindfulness and tells us, finally, how to “do” it. It is a deep book and, personally, I would need to re-read it at least once.


I may also take a gander at some of the author’s other books.


P.S. I have not read this book twice as Goodreads states. (less)
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Dolly
May 20, 2019Dolly rated it really liked it
Recommends it for: people who want to learn more about mindfulness and meditation
Shelves: 2019, read-but-not-finished-reviewing, audiobook, nonfiction, religion-philosophy
interesting quotes (page numbers from edition with ISBN13):


"If you're breathing, you have more going right for you than not."


"Seven attitudinal factors that are really foundational in mindfulness practice:
1. Non-judging
2. Patience
3. Beginner's mind
4. Trust
5. Non-striving
6. Acceptance
7. Non-attachment" (p. )


"...we can learn how to step out of time. Through mindfulness. That gives us a lot more time, actually, because when you're mindful and you catch your moments...Well, we have an infinite number of them between now and the time we are going to die. The more you miss, the faster the trip." (p. )


"Resting in an awareness of not knowing is incredibly important for seeing with any clarity, with any creativity, and for living our truth in ways that have integrity." (p. )
"We should retitle the species human 'doings.'" (p. )


"" (p. )


"" (p. )


"" (p. )


"" (p. ) (less)
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Diego Arredondo
Jul 15, 2021Diego Arredondo rated it it was ok
nice intro.


For me, the journey into mindfulness was "I must experienced it!"


I suggest you to reach for someone who can start the journey with you... You would need a lot of character to tame this alone.


Maybe you can see more and know others in his masterclass. (less)
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David
Dec 23, 2015David rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This book is great. I finished reading it, but it comes with a CD of guided meditations, so I am not done with the experience. In fact, I might return this copy to the library where I found it, and buy a copy so I always have the CD.


I had tried to read another book by this author (Full Catastrophe Living), but I was reading it on my kindle and the experience was so bad I finally gave up. I read this book on paper, and enjoyed it and appreciated it, and learned from it, and would consider reading it again. Somehow, reading on a kindle feels like a cruel chore, whereas reading a book is pretty much my favorite thing, so I think I can safely blame the kindle rather than the authors whose work I have read on the thing. Good to know!


The author developed Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR), which is used/taught at many hospitals and clinics (including UCSF, so I'm told). This book is a very accessible intro, and it is a quick and easy read, for those who are curious. More than a good read, it is good for whatever ails you. (less)
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Mack Hayden
Feb 14, 2019Mack Hayden rated it it was amazing
Shelves: religion, psych
I listened to this on audio and, aside from the Headspace app, I really think this'll be my go-to recommendation for anyone interested in mindfulness or meditation. Kabat-Zinn comes across as so approachable, humble, and down-to-earth—as someone who can get turned off by most super New Agey things, he's the ideal teacher for someone like me. The idea of mindfulness as a verb—"awarenessing"—is so simple, but it really anchored the practice even more for me. Would definitely recommend the audio specifically so you can follow along with the guided meditation in real time; not to mention, he's got a really soothing voice. Great introductory text to a subject I think everyone on the planet earth could benefit from. (less)
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Ashley
Aug 11, 2008Ashley rated it it was ok
Shelves: audio-book
Eh.. That's how I feel about it. I think part of the problem is listening to the man. His voice is a bit more droaning than it is enjoyable to listen to. BUT, when trying to be mindful I could be mindful of his voice so maybe I actually acomplished something. Not a favorite. I would have rather the first CD been a book with the second CD as a part of the book. (less)
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Lisa Butterworth
Oct 21, 2017Lisa Butterworth rated it it was amazing
Shelves: brain-books, woo
I recommend this book all the time, so it seemed like time for a reread 2 years later, and turns out, it's still a five star.






I'm not sure if this audio book is 5 stars, or if I was just in the exact mood for it. but the audio version of the meditations hit my sweet spot and I loved loved loved.


(less)
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Stéphanie
May 18, 2014Stéphanie rated it really liked it
Shelves: spiritual-stuff
No bullshit book on awareness.
flag2 likes · Like · 1 comment · see review
Polly Millet
Oct 08, 2014Polly Millet rated it it was amazing
Make sure to get an audio book. The whole second half is an hour long mindfulness session. Great book, and great start to mindfulness.
flag2 likes · Like · see review
Justin Tapp
Jun 18, 2015Justin Tapp rated it really liked it
Shelves: spiritual, psychology, self-improvement
I provide a bit more to this than a normal book review. I give this book 4 stars, it is exactly as advertised.


Pray. Meditate. Don't worry. Relax. Breathe. Have a quiet time. These are all things we know we're supposed to do but neglect to do. They require intentional desire and discipline. This book is about how to practice being intentional about it.


This book is a short summary and introduction into the exercise of mindfulness. The author has a PhD from MIT. I became intrigued by mindfulness after watching the author in this 60 Minutes piece. Tim Ferriss interviews a lot of Silicon Valley entrepreneur types on his show and practicing some form of meditation seems to be a common link among all of them. I blogged about that here.
I recently saw a profile of the CEO of health care giant AETNA, and how he offers yoga and meditation courses to employees, which are quite popular. They've seen a drop in health care costs that they attribute to the practice reducing stress.
"Employees report a 28 percent decrease in stress levels, a 20 percent improvement in sleep quality and 19 percent reduction in pain. "


I listen to several fitness podcasts and the elite athletes and trainers all practice some form of meditation and yoga as part of their mental fitness and physical recovery. Yoga (a difficult form) is included in P90X and is something that I appreciate and don't do correctly or often enough.


Most Christians think of Eastern meditation as emptying one's mind, whereas that does not appear to be the case with mindfulness. Zinn reportedly developed his style by combining his studies with Buddhist practioners "with science." It's instead a practice of focusing one's mind, and as such I find it compatible with a Christian discipline of meditation.


I read a couple books on spiritual disciplines last year, meditation and prayer are two points covered that are similar. Tim Challies has a brief "faith hacking" post on meditation on Scripture.


In another post, he interviews Joel Beeke on how the Puritans used the word "meditation," and I find it quite compatible:
Puritan meditation engages the mind with God’s revealed truth in order to inflame the heart with affections towards God and transform the life unto obedience. Thomas Hooker defined it like this: “Meditation is a serious intention of the mind whereby we come to search out the truth, and settle it effectually upon the heart.” The direction of our minds reveals the truest love of our hearts, and so, Hooker said, he who loves God’s Word meditates on it regularly (Ps. 119:97). Therefore, Puritan meditation is not repeating a sound, emptying the mind, or imagining physical sights and sensations, but a focused exercise of thought and faith upon the Word of God."
...
"Here is a method for meditation based on Puritan writings. First, pray for the power to focus your mind on the Word with faith. Second, read the Bible and select a verse or two. Third, repeat those verses to yourself in order to memorize them. Fourth, think about what those verses say and imply, probing the book of Scripture (other verses on the same topic), the book of conscience (how you have believed or disbelieved, obeyed or disobeyed), and the book of nature (how this truth appears in experience and the world). Fifth, stir up your affections unto love, desire, grief, hope, zeal, and joy as appropriate. Preach the text to yourself with powerful application. Sixth, arouse your soul to the specific duty which the text requires, making holy resolutions for the glory of God. Seventh, conclude with prayers for divine assistance, thanksgiving for graces given, and singing psalms of praise to God."


The Psalmist wrote (Psalm 131) "But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me"


There's a quietness about it. There's a prayer closet we have to build, either physically or mentally throughout our day, to be like Jesus and move away from the crowds and pray (Mark 1:35-37). To appreciate that God is moving every molecule in our universe, including those in our immediate surroundings. "Multitasking jams the voice of God."


Zinn says that "mindfulness is a way of being, not just a good idea." It's about living in the present moment, not worrying about the past or the future (Matthew 6:34). When the Apostle Paul wrote "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess. 5:16-18) I think he gave us a command to be mindful of the truth of our salvation and how God is working His will in our lives all the time. Trusting in truth and accepting reality are an essential part of mindfulness, according to Zinn. Where a non-Christian gets his self-identity and truth from are another matter, but for the Christian it's important to think about large chunks of truth like Romans 5 and Romans 8.


Then, once we have taken the time to meditate on these truths, we have a basis on which to act. We can love others because we remember that Christ first loved us. "Let the doing come out of being," says Zinn.


Zinn invents the verb "awarenessing" which involves using your mind and all of your senses to appreciate your surroundings. You can "appreciate the senses individually as miraculous." Even focusing on something as simple as a raisin, as Zinn uses for his example. We Americans simply throw down a handful while we're sitting at our desk hurrying onto the next thing. Instead, think about the raisin that was once a grape that grew in a miraculous process repeated for millenia. It was picked by someone you don't know and literally thousands of people's effort went to bringing it to market for you to purchase. The process of chewing and digesting are all remarkable. When you slow down and think about it and really appreciate it. It's simple, but we don't do it.


Zinn states that a beginner's mind (like a child) sees infinite possibilities, whereas an "expert" mind sees only two: right and wrong. This brings to mind Jesus' admonition to "become like little children" to "enter the kingdom of heaven." A child marvels at the smallest and simplest things. A child doesn't doubt that God is capable of anything, whereas we lose that faith as adults. Mindfulness is somewhat about getting back that childlike marvel.


In the end, Zinn leads the listener in an exercise of breathing and focusing on the present moment, meditating on truth, and bringing your mind back in focus when it wanders. Any of us who have sat down to pray have had the problem of a wandering mind, the trick is to "lovingly bring it back."


Some prominent Christians in the media have decried mindfulness meditation as nonsense without understanding what it is, or looking at the scientific data on the health benefits of meditation and yoga generally. Yet they also seem to value having a quiet time, prayer, and meditating on scripture. It's a shame they don't recognize that non-Christians have become the developers of a practice once honed by Christians-- including the Puritans. (less)
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jess (bibliophilicjester)
Sep 28, 2019jess (bibliophilicjester) added it
Shelves: audiobook-listens
🤨


I really like the idea of mindfulness, and I appreciate what this audiobook is trying to do. I especially liked all the reminders during the guided practice bits that it's okay if your mind wanders as long as you re-focus on whatever you've chosen (breathing, whatever). That's definitely a thing I didn't understand about meditation, which I've unsuccessfully tried many times. I really struggle with sort of corraling my thoughts and wandering and such. This hasn't changed my life or anything, but it definitely made me think about trying to meditate for a bit each day. Idk, it's just nice to hear an expert say getting distracted or wandering is totally natural, and you just need to redirect your intentions, in a way. But yeah, definitely worth a listen.


Also...this is another one I don't know how to rate. 🤨 (less)
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Dhiraj Kumar
May 30, 2020Dhiraj Kumar rated it really liked it
This book is good as it answers most of the questions that any beginner has when they start their meditation journey. Some of the answers don't become apparent so easily but as time progresses and you ruminate over them you see why it all makes sense. Meditation is not easy as you might have experienced while meditating but this book explains why it's not about easy vs difficult, why meditation is not about anything in particular but one, why meditation worth your time and many other questions. (less)
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Courtney
Sep 08, 2021Courtney rated it really liked it · review of another edition
A really helpful and digestable primer for anyone interested in bringing more awareness and mindfulness to their life. Jon Kabat-Zinn writes about mindfulness in a really accessible way, and I think he’s one of the best writers on the topic. This is a good introduction to his work, with my favorite of his being “Wherever You Go, There You Are,” which was a life-changing read for me. Highly recommend his work.
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Mehnaz
Dec 15, 2021Mehnaz rated it it was ok
Shelves: non-fiction
For some weird reason, meditation never works on me. People have been known to fall asleep during these sessions, but these straight up give me anxiety. I didn't know that this book was a series of mindfulness meditation lessons before going in. As usual, the lessons didn't work on me.
My mom caught me sniffing a raisin (that too with my eyes closed) and then it turned awkward super quick. Perhaps I need to re-read it sometime later when I am alone :| (less)
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Summer
Mar 29, 2019Summer rated it it was ok
Shelves: tobeabetterperson
It was ok. As an audiobook, the second half was weird because it had really long stretches of silence. I guess you are supposed to be meditating during the silence. But, like, I could have just paused the audiobook. The silent stretches are so long, I would frequently check my app to make sure it was still on. Then I'd kind of drift off and then the author would start talking again and scare me! (less)
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Anna
Jan 30, 2022Anna rated it really liked it
Shelves: audiobooks, act-mindfulness
I got this as an audiobook, which I think for this is the way to go. Since the second half is meditations, it's much easier to use it as guided meditation rather than attempting to read then practice.


This really does feel like mindfulness for beginners. Although there were some parts that made me scratch my head, it was overall an easy and quick listen.


"These are all different doors to the same room. It's the awareness itself that is important, not the object." (less)
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Jeremy Greenfield
Jan 31, 2022Jeremy Greenfield added it
I truly enjoyed Kabat Zinn’s Mindfulness. Introduction. I listened to it, and his soothing voice was integral to my reading. The first half is a description of mindfulness. The second is a series of guided meditations with different foci: eating, breath, full body. My favorite was the “sounds” meditation, which I listened to on a snow shoe.


“Mindfulness is awareness, cultivated by paying attention in a sustained and particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”
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Bety
Mar 28, 2017Bety rated it liked it · review of another edition
This is a fantastic intro to meditation. Would definitely recommend as a precursor to starting a meditation program like heads pace or calm.
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Ericka Clou
Nov 14, 2017Ericka Clou rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: mindfulness, health, 2000-09, read-nonfiction, philosophy, social-science, psychology, 0-borrowed-nf, buddhism, diet
Just the basics. I like that it's short but there wasn't too much you can't find in all the other mindfulness books. (less)
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===


[eBook] 존 카밧진의 처음 만나는 마음챙김 명상
존 카밧진 (지은이),안희영 (옮긴이)불광출판사2013-08-12 원제 : Mindfulness for Beginners






존 카밧진의 처음 만나는 마음챙김 명상




























































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책소개마음챙김의 개발자인 존 카밧진이 초보자들에게 마음챙김 명상이 무엇인지 설명할 목적으로 만든 책이다. 우리의 마음은 어떻게 작동하는지 그리고 어떻게 작동시켜야 하는지를 이 책은 초보자들의 눈높이에 맞춰 자세히 설명하고 있다. 저자 존 카밧진은 2011년 <왓킨스 리뷰(Watkins review)>에 의해 ‘세계적인 영적 스승 100인’에 선정되기도 했다. 그만큼 마음챙김이 세계적인 반향을 불러일으켰다는 얘기다.


* 이 책에서 사용하는 명상 유도 음성은 독자의 편의를 위하여 CD가 아닌 파일 형식으로 제공됩니다. 음원 파일은 불광미디어 홈페이지(www.bulkwang.co.kr)의 ‘영상&자료실’ 메뉴에서 다운로드 하실 수 있습니다.
목차
1부 시작
초심

숨 쉬는 자는 누구인가?
세상에서 가장 어려운 일
이 순간을 돌보기
마음챙김은 자각이다
행위 양식과 존재 양식
마음챙김의 과학적 근거
마음챙김은 보편적이다
깨어있음
도구를 안정시키고 조정하기
자각 속에 머무는 것이 명상의 핵심이다
아름다운 규율
기본 설정값 조정
자각 : 치우친 생각의 균형을 맞추는 강력하고 유일한 힘
연습을 하면 주의력과 자각을 키울 수 있다
생각에 문제가 있는 것은 아니다
생각과 친해지기
마음에 대한 여러 가지 유용한 비유
자신의 생각을 개인적으로 받아들이지 않기
자기화
인칭대명사, 특히 ‘나’, ‘나를’, ‘내 것’에 대한 집착
자각은 무엇이든 담을 수 있는 커다란 그릇이다
중요한 것은 주의 대상이 아니라 주의 기울임 자체이다


2부 지속
마음챙김에 근거한 스트레스 완화
세계로 퍼져나간 MBSR
따뜻한 주의
모든 감각에 대한 마음챙김
고유수용감각과 내부감각
자각의 일체성
앎이란 곧 자각이다
삶 자체가 명상이 된다
당신은 이미 전체 속에 있다
바로 코 아래
마음챙김은 관념이 아니다
접촉으로 돌아오기
나는 누구인가? 자신의 ‘이야기’에 대한 의심
이야기를 넘어선 존재
당신은 한 번도 온전한 존재가 아닌 적이 없었다
다른 방식으로 주의 기울이기
알지 못함
준비된 마음
당신이 볼 수 있는 것


3부 심화
가야 할 곳도, 해야 할 일도 없다
존재에서 우러나오는 행위
적절한 행동
지금 일어나는 현상을 알아차리는 것으로 충분하다
판단하지 않음은 지성의 행위, 친절의 행위이다
다행히도 당신은 당신 자신만이 될 수 있다
앎의 체현
타인을 위해 기쁨을 느낀다는 것
재앙으로 가득 찬
고통에 대한 자각은 고통스러울까?
괴로움에서 벗어난다는 것은?
마음의 지옥
명상은 그 자체가 해방의 길
자신을 아는 마음의 아름다움
자신의 명상 돌보기
명상에도 에너지 절약이 필요하다
해치지 않는 태도
탐욕, 끊임없는 불만족
성냄, 탐욕의 이면
망상과 자기 충족적 예언의 함정
언제나 지금이 적절한 때이다
‘지금 이것’이야말로 교과과정
자신의 삶을 되찾기
마음챙김을 세상에 확장하기


4부 원숙
마음챙김 명상의 기본 태도
1. 비판단
2. 인내
3. 초심
4. 신뢰
5. 애쓰지 않음
6. 수용
7. 내려놓기


5부 수련
공식 명상 시작하기
먹기 마음챙김 명상
호흡 마음챙김 명상
전신 마음챙김 명상
소리, 생각, 감정 마음챙김 명상
순수 자각으로서의 마음챙김 명상


접기
책속에서
P. 37~38 종종 우리는 삶에 너무 쫓겨서 미래의 어느 순간에 더 좋은 삶을 살기 위해 지금의 순간들을 그냥 지나쳐버린다. 우리는 ‘해야 할 일’ 목록의 항목을 하나씩 지우며 산다. 하루 일과
가 끝난 뒤 잠자리에 곯아떨어진 다음날 아침, 다시 쳇바퀴 같은 생활을 반복하기 위해 서둘러 일어난다. 이러한 삶의 방식은 (우리가 그것을 도대... 더보기
P. 61~62 명상에서는 우리가 아무런 생각도 하지 않은 채 종종 제멋대로이며 정신을 어지럽히는 시끄러운 생각들과 가끔은 고양되고 창조적인 생각들을 단순히 억압하라고 하지 않는다. 만일 생각을 억누르려 한다면 당신은 엄청난 두통에 시달리게 될 뿐이다. 이러한 시도는 마치 바다에 파도가 치지 않게 하려는 시도처럼 현명하지 못한, 순전히 어리석은 ... 더보기
P. 68 만일 우리가 생각의 흐름에 빠져 여러 가지 생각에 사로잡혀있을 때, 특히 그 생각들과 자기를 동일시할 때, 다시 말해 “이것은 나야.” 혹은 “이것은 내가 아냐.”라고 자신에게 속삭
일 때, 우리는 ‘정말로’ 거기에 사로잡히게 된다. 왜냐하면 바로 여기가 자신이 처한 상황과 조건, 물건을 곧 ‘나’, ‘나의’, ‘내 것’ ... 더보기
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 빼... 더보기
최근작 : <당신이 모르는 마음챙김 명상>,<[큰글씨책] 마음챙김으로 우울을 지나는 법>,<[큰글씨책] 카밧진 박사의 부모 마음공부> … 총 36종 (모두보기)
안희영 (옮긴이)
저자파일

신간알리미 신청
미국 컬럼비아대학교에서 MBSR 지도자 교육과정을 주제로 박사학위를 받았다. 현재 서울불교대학원대학교 심신치유교육학과 교수로 재직 중이며 2005년부터 마음챙김에 근거한 스트레스 완화 프로그램(MBSR)을 한국에 보급하고 있다. 미국 MBSR 본부인 마음챙김 센터(CFM)에서 2010년 한국인 최초로 인증을 취득하였고, 국내 유일의 CFM 공인 MBSR 지도자로서 한국MBSR연구소(http://cafe.daum.net/mbsrkorea)를 중심으로 스트레스, 명상, 리더십과 관련된 교육을 하고 있다. 기업용 프로그램인 미국 내면검색... 더보기
최근작 : <통합심신치유학 이론 편>,<통합심신치유학 실제 편> … 총 23종 (모두보기)
출판사 제공 책소개
우리는 몸이 아프면 병원에 가거나 약국을 찾는다. 하지만 마음이 아프다면 어디로 가야할까?


여러 가지 답이 있겠지만 현재 미국을 비롯한 서구에서 가장 인기를 끌고 있는 마음 치유 프로그램은 바로 마음챙김 명상(MBSR)이다.
1979년 이 책의 저자인 존 카밧진에 의해 처음 세상에 알려진 마음챙김 명상은 모든 병의 근원이라 일컬어지는 스트레스를 비롯해 불안, 우울증 등에 탁월한 효과가 입증되어 현재 미국에서만 약 300개 의료 기관 그리고 전 세계적으로 750여 개 의료 기관에서 도입해 활용하고 있는 프로그램이다. 뿐만 아니라 미국의 대기업(<포춘(Fortune)>지 선정 500대 기업 중 다수), 프로 스포츠 팀 등 역시 리더십, 쇄신, 창조성에 기여한다며 이 프로그램을 도입해 활용하고 있으며, 학습과 기억에 중요한 역할을 하는 해마 등의 뇌 부위를 두껍게 변화시킨다는 사실도 증명돼 최근에는 일부 미국의 고교와 대학에서 정식 커리큘럼으로 채택되어 청소년을 위한 교육에도 활용되고 있다. 또 마음챙김 명상이 전전두 피질의 특정 영역 활성화에 기여해 정서적 균형을 향상시켜주며 면역 체계의 긍정적 변화를 가져오는 것으로 드러나면서 영국의 유치원과 초등학교에서도 이미 지난해부터 시험 도입을 준비하고 있다.
미국의 시사주간지 〈타임(Time)〉은 지난 2003년 ‘명상’이란 제목의 커버스토리에서 “1천만 명의 미국인이 명상을 즐기고 있으며, 이것은 10년 사이에 두 배 이상 증가한 것”이라고 보도했다. 이런 추세는 2000년대 후반에도 계속돼 현재 미국의 명상 인구는 약 1500만 명으로 추정되고 있다. 이런 명상 유행에 가장 선도적인 역할을 하고 있는 것이 바로 마음챙김 명상이다.


생각을 바꾸기 보다는 있는 그대로 바라보기


저자도 책에서 밝히고 있지만 마음챙김 명상은 불교, 그것도 아시아 남방에서 주로 수행되어온 위빠사나에 그 뿌리를 두고 있다. 저자 역시 남방불교는 물론이고 한국의 선불교(저자는 숭산 스님의 제자이기도 하다)까지 두루 섭렵했다. 인류 역사상 명상을 가장 세련되게 발달시켜온 사람들은 불교 수행자들이니 어쩌면 당연한 것인지도 모른다. 하지만 마음챙김은 불교에서 말하는 깨달음을 목표로 하지 않는다는 점에서 온전히 불교적이라고 말할 수는 없다. 오히려 스트레스 완화, 불안·우울감 완화, 암 통증 조절, 혈액순환 개선 등 현대인이 일상이나 병상에서 받고 있는 고통을 조절하기 위한 프로그램이다.(각 증상에 대한 국내외 과학적 연구결과는 첨부 자료 기사 참조)


그렇다면 마음챙김 명상이 전통적인 심리 치료와 크게 다른 점은 무엇일까?
한마디로 말하면 기존의 프로그램들은 부정적인 생각이 증상과 질병의 원인이라고 보고 생각을 바꾸는 데 초점을 둔 것에 반해, 마음챙김 명상은 부정적 생각을 바꾸려고 하지 않고 그저 있는 그대로 바라보게 한다는 것이다.
저자가 마음챙김에 필요한 일곱 가지 요소로 들고 있는 ▲비판단(Non-Judging), ▲인내(Patient), ▲초심(Beginner's Mind), ▲신뢰(Trust), ▲애쓰지 않음(Non Striving), ▲수용(Acceptance), ▲내려놓기(Letting Go)는 마음챙김이 어떤 변화보다는 현재의 자각을 목표로 하고 있다는 것을 잘 보여준다.
결론적으로 마음챙김 명상은 ‘현재(Now)’ 그리고 ‘여기(Here)’에 대한 자각 혹은 알아차림이다. 자각(알아차림)은 과거와 미래에 대한 생각을 걷어내 버리고 ‘의도적으로 이 순간에 어떤 판단도 하지 않고 주의를 기울이는 것’이다.


지어낸 괴로움, 부가적 괴로움에서 벗어나기


저자도 책에서 주장하고 있지만 사실 우리가 당하는 괴로움의 상당 부분은 바로 지나간 과거 그리고 오지 않은 미래에 대한 걱정 때문이다. 우리가 스스로 지어낸 것이라는 얘기다. 복잡하게 만들지 않아도 충분히 끔찍한 우리의 외적 환경에 우리가 또다시 덧붙인 괴로움인 것이다.
우리가 경험하는 괴로움 가운데 가장 큰 부분을 차지하는 것이 이러한 부가적인 괴로움이다. 물리적, 정서적, 사회적, 실존적, 영적 괴로움 등 우리가 겪는 모든 괴로움은 인간으로서 우리가 처한 숙명적인 조건이며 따라서 도저히 피할 수 없다. 흔히들 하는 말이 있다. 바로 ‘고통은 피할 수 없지만 거기에 따라오는 괴로움은 우리의 선택 사항이다’라는 말이다. 이 말이 뜻하는 바는 우리가 겪는 고통에 대해 우리가 어떤 선택을 내리는가가 괴로움의 경험에 엄청난 차이를 가져온다는 사실이다.
마음챙김 명상은 이런 ‘지어낸 괴로움’, ‘부가적 괴로움’을 현재를 자각하는 방법을 통해 모두 걷어내려고 한다.


마음챙김의 구체적인 과정


그렇다면 이런 마음챙김의 구체적인 과정은 어떻게 될까?
마음챙김은 우선 하나의 대상에 집중한다. 책에서 나온 대로 건포도가 되어도 좋고 자신의 숨이 되어도 좋다.
만약에 이런 집중을 하다가 주의가 흔들린다는 것을 알아차리면 가능한 빨리 원래 주의의 대상으로 되돌아간다. 누구나 이런 흔들림을 경험한다. 중요한 것은 자신이 그랬다는 것을 알고 다시 원래의 주의로 돌아가는 것이다.
이런 집중에서 중요한 것은 어떤 것도 ‘의도’하지 않는 것이다. 자연스럽게 일어나는 생각, 기억, 환상, 신체감각, 정서, 욕망들을 포함하는 자극들의 변화 흐름을 판단하지 않은 채 관찰하는 수련을 계속 진행해나간다. 이러한 다양한 사건들에 대해 상대적 가치나 중요성으로 나누어 판단하지 말고 오직 일어나는 그대로 알아차리도록한다.
이런 식으로 훈련하다 보면 우리는 ‘현재’에 그리고 ‘여기’에 자연스레 집중된다는 것을 알 수 있다. 여기서 일차적으로 ‘지나간 과거’, ‘오지 않은 미래’에 대한 고민의 짐들이 사라진다. 그리고 이런 명상을 오랫동안 하다보면 ‘나’, ‘나를’, ‘내 것’이라는 집착이 점점 사라져감을 느낄 수 있다. 자기중심성, 자기화라는 습관에서 자동적으로 자각(알아차림)으로 이동하는 것이다. 이것은 결국 탐욕과 성냄(탐욕의 이면)에서 벗어나 자기 해방의 길에 들도록 해주며 궁극적으로 타인에 대한 연민과 자애감을 키워준다. 여기서 어디로, 어디까지 더 나아갈지는 온전히 얼마만큼, 어떻게 수행했느냐에 따라 달라진다. 스트레스, 우울증 등의 감소나 집중력 증가 등은 부수적인 (물론 중요한) 효과들이다.


우리 심리에 대한 종합 보고서이자 초보자를 위한 마음챙김 명상 매뉴얼


이 책은 마음챙김의 개발자인 존 카밧진이 초보자들에게 마음챙김 명상이 무엇인지 설명할 목적으로 만든 책이다. 이 책의 부록에 포함된 CD에는 실제 마음챙김 명상을 실천해 볼 수 있는 유도 명상문이 들어가 있다.
하지만 사실 이 책의 전반에 흐르는 내용은 우리가 사용하고 있는 ‘생각’ 그리고 ‘심리’에 대한 종합보고서라고도 할 수 있다. 우리의 마음은 어떻게 작동하는지 그리고 어떻게 작동시켜야 하는지를 이 책은 초보자들의 눈높이에 맞춰 자세히 설명하고 있다.


이 책의 저자 존 카밧진은 2011년 <왓킨스 리뷰(Watkins review)>에 의해 ‘세계적인 영적 스승 100인’에 선정되기도 했다. 그만큼 마음챙김이 세계적인 반향을 불러일으켰다는 얘기다.
국내에서도 영남대 심리학과 명예교수인 장현갑, 덕성여대 심리학과 교수인 김정호 등(차기 심리학회 학회장으로 내정)에 의해 주류 심리학 안으로 진입하고 있음은 물론 의료기관에서도 도입을 시도하고 있다.
게다가 마음챙김 명상은 일반인들이 따라 하기에도 전혀 어렵지 않다. 이 책에 부록으로 포함되어 있는 75분 분량의 유도 명상 CD에는 먹기, 호흡, 소리 등에 집중해 마음챙김 명상을 할 수 있는 내용이 포함되어 있다. 깊고 높은 곳이 아니라 내 발 밑, 코 밑에서 벌어지는 일들에 집중해 가다보면 어느새 몸이 이완되고 집중력이 향상되는 것을 느낄 수 있을 것이다.
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공감순

피상적으로 다가오는 이 책의 내용보다는 오히려 「마음챙김 명상과 자기치유」가 입문용으로도 더 적합하다고 생각한다. 그러나 초심자에게 이 책에 포함되어 있는 명상CD는 참으로 유용하다. 구매
airmoo 2016-01-09 공감 (3) 댓글 (0)
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공감

명상 초보로서는 좋은 책이다 CD를 따라하면 깊은 공감이된다. 나에겐 좋으므로 추천하고싶다 구매
으로 2012-12-03 공감 (1) 댓글 (0)
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명상을 추천해줘서 구입하긴 했는데, 실천이 중요 구매
쁘띠런치 2013-08-20 공감 (1) 댓글 (0)
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<구글의 아침은 자유가 시작된다>라는 인사관리 책에서 등장해서 구매하게 되었습니다. 저자가 유명한 교수님이라 더욱 신뢰가 가더라고요! 구매
꽤꽤기 2016-01-27 공감 (1) 댓글 (0)
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씨디때문에 샀는데 전자책은 씨디가 없네요..씨디내용 읽어주는줄..아놔..내돈..내돈.. 구매
youou 2020-11-24 공감 (1) 댓글 (0)
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공감순

[서평] <처음 만나는 마음챙김 명상> 생각이란 물에 글씨는 쓰는 것이다. 새창으로 보기
마음챙김 명상이라는 말이 맘에 든다. 전문적이지 않아서 이질감이 없다.
MBSR(마음챙김 명상에 근거한 스트레스 완화 프로그램)을 개발한 존 카밧진이 한국 스님으로부터 영감을 얻었다는 점이 특이하면서 왠지 어깨가 으쓱해진다.
미국의 분자생물학 교수가 마음챙김 명상을 설립한다는 건 대단한 인연이 아니고서야 불가능하지 않을까?
이미 국내에 여러 권의 마음챙김 명상 책이 나와 있지만 '초보자를 위한 마음챙김 명상'이 출간된 것은 나로서 너무 반가운 일이다.


마음챙김은 참 심플하다. 생각, 행동, 현상에 대한 알아차림(자각)을 통해 스트레스를 완화하는 것인데 이 알아차림은 바라보기(왓칭, 정신세계사)와 함께 일반인이 쉽게 할 수 있는 명상인 것 같다. 이 책의 구성은 시작-지속-심화-원숙-실행으로 되어 있어서 초보자들이 마음챙김 명상에 대한 점진적으로 이해를 돕는다는 것이 가장 큰 장점이다. 특히 책의 부록인 CD롬에는 존 카밧진의 수제자이자 이 책의 번역을 하신 안희영씨가 손수 녹음을 하셔서 일반 독자로 하여금 '실행'을 바로 경험할 수 있게 했다. 그래서 거듭 말하지만 초보자에게 참 친절한 책인 것 같다.
표지도 우리 마음의 정화해줄 것 같이 편안하고 정갈한 느낌이다.
나는 책을 중간정도 읽다가 호기심이 일어 CD를 들어봤는데 한결 빨리 이 책을 이해하게 되는 것 같아 좋았다. 물론 책과 CD를 같이 보고 들어 완전한 이해와 실행이 수반되어야 한다. 존 카밧진은 명상이 습관화가 되려면 좋던 싫던 몇개월은 매일 같은 시간에 짧게라도 명상을 실행하길 권한다. 마음챙김 명상이 아무리 쉽게 씌여져 있더라도 수행이기 때문에 차분하게 계속한다는 마음가짐이 중요한 것 같다.
명상은 어떤 기술을 습득하는 것도 아니고 지금 당장 필요한 것도 아니지만 일단 실행하면 나와 만날 수 있는 좋은 다리와 같고 나아가서 내 삶까지 바꿔 놓는다. 물론 그 삶의 변화는 행복하고 긍정적은 변화이다.
마지막으로 물 위에 글씨를 쓰는 것을 생각해 보자. 물 위에 쓴 것은 곧 없어진다.
바로 생각이 그러하다. 이것이 이 책에서 말하는 무상함이고 내가 가장 감명 깊게 읽은 부분이다.
내가 생각에서 자유로울 수 있다는 것, 판단없는 정확한 알아차림은 나를 행복하게 한다.


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책벌레 2012-12-06 공감(2) 댓글(0)
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공감

처음 만나는 마음챙김 명상 새창으로 보기
위빠사나를 하면서 종종 mbsr(마음챙김)하고는 어떤 다른 점이 있을까 궁금했었다.


이 책이 너무 괜찮은 것은, 명상유도 cd가 있다는 건데,


생각보다 안희영 교수의 목소리를 편하게 들을 수 있었다.


초심자라면 쉽게 절망에 빠져들 수 있는 부분에 대해서도


충분히 설명해주면서 이끌어나가 과연 제목과 같이 처음 명상을 배우려는 사람에게


딱 알맞은 책이라는 생각이 거듭 든다.


협회를 통한 여러 mbsr의 워크샵들이 있지만,


부담스러운 사람이나 학생, 명상이 무엇인지 경험해보고 싶은사람은


이 책을 통해서 먼저 만나보는게 어떨까.





많은 명상이 있고, 여러 명상을 해왔지만, 부처님이 하셨다는 이 명상...


마음챙김 명상=위빠사나=mbsr 만큼이나 비전있는 명상도 없다고 생각한다.


앞으로 이 명상이 더 대중적이고 중요하게 퍼져갈 것 같고, 그 길에 이 책이 한몫하길 바란다.





- haru








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multi219 2012-11-20 공감(2) 댓글(0)
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공감

존 카밧진의 처음 만나는 마음챙김 명상 새창으로 보기
bulkwanger@naver.com 불광 출판사로부터 오디오 CD를 받을 수 있어서 좋았어요. 엘렌 랭어 박사의 마음챙김, 마음챙김 학습혁명이 마음챙김에 대한 개론서 같은 역할이라면 이 책은 마음챙김의 실습서로서 명상을 통한 마음챙김에 대한 설명을 하네요. 엘렌 랭어 박사의 마음챙김이 개론서라지만 조금 지루한 면이 있었는데, 존 카밧진 박사의 이 책은 마음챙김 명상 입문서로서 지루함 없이 이해하기 쉽게 설명되어 있어서 좋았어요. Head Space (https://www.headspace.com)를 통해 유도 명상을 한지 한 달 정도 되었지만 불편한 마음이 그대로라 돈 낭비인가 했다가, 이 책을 읽고 용기를 얻었어요.


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스티브 2018-10-09 공감(1) 댓글(0)
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공감

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.

목차
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

마니아 읽고 싶어요 (6) 읽고 있어요 (5) 읽었어요 (11) 
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지금 여기 존재하라. 
noomy 2020-09-06 공감 (2) 댓글 (0)
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공감순 
     
[마이리뷰] 존 카밧진의 왜 마음챙김 명상인가? 새창으로 보기
“명상은 영적인 훈련이 아니다.”
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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

4.5/5 (192 ratings)
3 hours

Also available as...Snapshot

Description
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.


u Go, There You Are Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life


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

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Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness meditation for everyday life Kindle Edition
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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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"The program has as its goal a personal transformation of the listener. The presentation is clear and effective, suiting the material and expressing the author's ideas." --AudioFile

"With warmth and humor, Wherever You Go, There You Are blends stories, anecdotes, poems, images, 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." --EBOOKEE

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Review
This book shines with an exquisite simplicity and straightforwardness. Jon Kabat-Zinn is one of the best teachers of mindfulness you will ever meet - Jack Kornfield, Buddhist teacher and author --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
About the Author
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., has been a student and practitioner of meditation and yoga for over three decades. He is the founder and director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and an associate professor of medicine. He lives in Worchester, Massachusetts. He is the author of the classic Wherever You Go, There You Are, also available from Audio Renaissance.

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
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Meditation expert Jon Kabat-Zinn explains how mindfulness can change your life. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
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Jon Kabat-Zinn PhD is the highly regarded founder and director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre and Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Preventive and Behavioural Medicine. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
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ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01DT5WL0O
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Piatkus; New e. edition (5 May 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2154 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
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Print length ‏ : ‎ 250 pages
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Jon Kabat-Zinn
Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, is internationally known for his work as a scientist, writer, and meditation teacher engaged in bringing mindfulness into the mainstream of medicine and society. He is professor of medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and author of numerous books, including Full Catastrophe Living, Arriving at Your Own Door, and Coming to Our Senses.

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Top reviews from Australia
Simon Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars good
Reviewed in Australia on 14 August 2021
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perfect
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Peter G
5.0 out of 5 stars Great insight in Mindfulness
Reviewed in Australia on 13 June 2019
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Practical guide into mindfulness
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Jay Gilbertson
5.0 out of 5 stars Life Got You Down? Read This NOW!!!
Reviewed in Australia on 24 February 2017
Wherever You Go, There You Are
By Jon Kabat-Zinn

Reviewed by Jay Gilbertson

The rest of the title is; ‘Mindfulness Meditation In Everyday Life’ and though it was written in 1994, the concept is pretty timeless. And since the political landscape has gotten so charged, I figured it would be helpful. Similar to Eckhart Tolle’s book, ‘The Power of Now’ author Kabat-Zinn stresses the importance of being present.
Not being a present as in gift, but stepping into your life with clarity and presence of mind is the key element discussed in this guide. This is harder than you may think. One of the linchpins that the author shares, and I find useful, is to focus on breath. Don’t worry that you have to have a fancy chant, use some kind of shrine or bang on a gong. You don’t. But you do have to breathe. The author says it best;
“Think the grass is always greener somewhere else or life is better in someone else’s shoes? If so, life will constantly disappoint you. True contentment comes from within—and you can uncover the spiritual treasure buried within you through meditation.”
“Blending Western thought and Eastern practice, this is the book that introduced meditation to America…you can learn the simple practice of breathing and focus to keep yourself in the present…to let stress wash over you rather than try to shut it out…find strength where you least expect it and even take charge of your health by adjusting your perspective.”
One aspect of this book/guide I did find a tad confusing was the explanation of just exactly what is meditation. Being a semi-normal dude I want to know how it’s done, right? As if there’s this exercise that I can latch onto and power through and when I’m done, and catch my breath, I’ll have this sudden clarity. Well, it’s not as simple as that and this is why the author spends a great deal of time using metaphor and quotes to give the reader examples of meditation.
“Meditation is more rightly thought of as a “Way” than as a technique. It’s a way of being, Way of living, a Way of listening, a Way of walking along the path of life and being in harmony with things as they are.”
In other words, it isn’t something you do in physical terms, though breathing is pretty important, it is a state of mental ‘being-ness.’ Put another way, meditation isn’t a way to change how you think by thinking more. It’s the act of watching, observing thought. This is where so many who want to bring this practice into their daily lives seem to get stuck.
Being ‘mindful’ is another way of considering this.
“TRY: Setting aside a time every day for just being. Five minutes would be fine…Sit down 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 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 to the breath in all its vividness, every time it wonders…Think of yourself as a mountain.”

• Mindful groups are forming all over
• Take a walk
• Be present
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Jessie Shier
4.0 out of 5 stars Love the meditations, too much ‘family’ talk.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2019
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I love this book very much. It has been remarkable for me.
I heard a meditation from it and it was my favourite, so i bought the book.
It is the truth. It helps you get in touch with yourself.
However, like so many others of this genre, the author keeps bringing his ‘wife’ and ‘children’ and ‘family life’ into the text, which is totally inappropriate in a self-help book; many many people dont have a wife/ husband/ children/ family life, and dont want to have those old-fashioned, limiting ways of living shoved in their faces when they’re trying to learn about mindfulness. It is annoying and distracting, and hence it dropped stars.
Be objective if you’re going to write a book - i didnt want an autobiography. It’s egotistical and at times the author’s ego is definately there.
The meditations however, are so wonderful. The book’s worth it for them definately.
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Lucy
1.0 out of 5 stars Very difficult to digest if you are anxious.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 October 2020
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I am really missing something with this book. There was a couple of helpful sentences, one being from the Dali Lama. I found the rest extremely vague, wishy washy and difficult to digest. It was recommended to me by friends so it is clearly of value to some people and just a case of individual differences. I’m logical and science minded. I found Matt Haig, Clare Weeks and Dare useful.
7 people found this helpful
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kgb73
3.0 out of 5 stars Some useful tips
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 October 2017
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A beginner wishing to meditate and create more mindfulness into my existence. Loving the first two chapters I avidly read in, however found the middle of the book over complicated and way too wordy, I found myself mindlessly drifting! I will return to chapters and revisit highlighted points of interest however had I thumbed through this on a bookshelf I may not have purchased and moved on to something else, which
unfortunately is the downside to electronic purchases. Expensive and waffle
11 people found this helpful
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CarolineS
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely meditation supportive reading
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 January 2021
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When it arrived I was so looking forward to starting this book, but it also looks very pretty so I ended up doing it for a secret Santa for a work colleague (with a small Buddha, some crystals and an eye pillow) and bought myself another one. I teach mindfulness and meditation so I am also looking forward to it enhancing my teachings as well as my practise
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bc90
5.0 out of 5 stars Up There With The All Time Classics
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 November 2016
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I circled around this book for a long time, putting it on the back burner as just another mindfulness read, but boy was I wrong. It's wonderfully down to Earth, offering advice on how to deal with everyday matters. The chapters are very short and sometimes only one page, which is many ways is very beneficial as it means you can dip in and out and process what is on the pages. The man is a remarkable writer in that he makes this subject matter very simple, concise and more importantly relatable. If you want a read not so involved with the ethereal matters in this field then this is the book for you. I've already bought Full Catastrophe Living off the impression this book imprinted on me. A Kabat-Zinn classic.
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Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life
by Jon Kabat-Zinn
 4.11  ·   Rating details ·  42,603 ratings  ·  1,837 reviews
In this book, the author maps out a simple path for cultivating mindfulness in one's own life. It speaks both to those coming to meditation for the first time and to longtime practitioners, anyone who cares deeply about reclaiming the richness of his or her moments. (less)
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Published January 5th 2005 by Hachette Books (first published 1994)
Original TitleWherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life
ISBN1401307787  (ISBN13: 9781401307783)
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Riku Sayuj
Sep 14, 2011Riku Sayuj rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: r-r-rs, spiritual

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,

R.

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.

In this book, the author maps out a simple path for cultivating mindfulness in one's own life. It speaks both to those coming to meditation for the first time and to longtime practitioners, anyone who cares deeply about reclaiming the richness of his or her moments."


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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AJ
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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