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Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life (1994)

by Jon Kabat-Zinn

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4,094442,903 (3.96)39
New Age. Self-Improvement. Nonfiction. HTML:

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

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Showing 1-5 of 38 (next | show all)
This was published in 1994 and so rather than feeling revolutionary, the concepts seem well known. I guess that means it has become a classic and that its influence is huge, spawning many more books and literature on the subject.

It is still a useful book for those wanting to learn how to calm their minds and live in the present moment. The chapters are short and are often followed by an exercise so it is not a quick read.

For me, one of the largest take-away from this book is that meditation should be practiced daily. It is sometimes used as a crises management technique, but it is most effective when one has become familiar and adept at the practice.

Meditation as presented in this book is secular, although it also can be and has been modified into whatever religious practice you choose – ie Christian or Buddhist meditation. ( )
  streamsong | Sep 30, 2023 |
This is secular mindfulness psychology. (It’s definitely not a book about “Buddhism”. I mean, six degrees of separation, right. Meditation is LIKE Buddhism and Buddhism is LIKE Asia and Asia is KINDA vegetarian and vegetarians write cook books so it’s LIKE a cook book so it’s LIKE Anthony Bourdain so it’s ALMOST a travel show!!! 😂).

I apologize. 🥸

I’ll have to be a little bit more with hype copy this time, because although he’s not anti-profound, he’s not terribly cryptic or anything, and it would probably cheapen the book and mislead you about what’s in it, to personalize the book’s experience in me, as much as I usually do….

But anyway, I didn’t really get the whole secular mindfulness part the first time I read through this book—in my defense, it’s only *explicitly* said at the end. (He’s not anti-spiritual or trying to negate it, but merely skeptical—in the calm, good sense of the word—of the human organism’s vast capacity for grandiosity and self-deception. You know.) But really I didn’t get it because: (i) I was crossing off another thing on my check list for perfection; it was just activity, (Ten Step Plan to be perfect: first, meditate for at least….). And (ii), I don’t know, I just assumed that he wasn’t basically secular. I liked him, so I assumed he was like me.

Anyway, as Jon is someone neither religious nor spiritual, there’s of course comparatively little of what I might casually call esotericism, you know. He actually spends a lot of time on technique, maybe the middle third of the book, which kinda fits nicely with the goal of being simple and concrete. Of course, (because—why bother? Right?), there is also material on motivation and application, as well as some personal stories from his life and quotes from some of the historical figures who have inspired Jon, like a couple of American philosophers (mostly Thoreau), along with some poets (many of them Middle Eastern), as well as a few Asian thinkers like Gandhi, (who was certainly a very practical person). There are also scientists (more than just one), and the odd literary novelist or two.

Some people will think it’s not relatable because it’s not “TV” enough; some people will assume it’s hype; some people will get miffed that he’s not, I don’t know, what should he be? An Orthodox Jew? A faux Buddhist? A [insert sect here] Christian?

And some people will love it, and imagine that they actually understand and practice, when they don’t, and everybody notices that things aren’t quite right them, except for that one themself.

And some will get it or whatever, and grow for thirty, sixty, or almost a hundred years. That’s life.
  goosecap | Oct 18, 2022 |
This is a good book, but not excellent. In some ways, I think that if he had stopped at the book title, it would have been enough.

The first section is excellent, and I like the exercises. Thereafter, Jon Kabat-Zinn becomes a bit repetitive, but it is a book you can still read and learn from.

Ignore what he writes about the Indian word, 'samadhi'. Samadhi is not just one-pointedness, it is the highest form of (let us say) concentration, mindfulness, and oneness. It may be one step away from 'nirvana'.

When you lie in samadhi, you are lying in a tomb, before cremation or burial. This is another aspect of samadhi.
When you attain samadhi, you may die, or be so evolved that you are dead to the world. ( )
  RajivC | Jan 25, 2022 |
Hard to scan. It's a different type of book. I like the how-to parts, but not so much the "religion" or way of thinking behind it. I know, Dr. Kabat-Zinn, that makes me somewhat of a harder case.

And I disagree with his final chapter. There is a God, He exists and He loves us. There's a scripture that says, " Be Still, and know that I am God." Meditation is a tool that we can use to connect with Him, to be still, and detach ourselves from the stresses of the world. ( )
  OutOfTheBestBooks | Sep 24, 2021 |
Excellent introduction to mindfulness as a secular, health and wellness practice. ( )
  bibliocan | Sep 26, 2020 |
Showing 1-5 of 38 (next | show all)
This was my first time listened to a book an audio, and I have to say I am very impressed. The quality of the authors voice and inflections made the more boring parts bearable. The information in this book is invaluable for anyone looking to make a difference in their lives and be the best they can be. I’ll be recommending this book to everyone!

AudioBook Link:
Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life & Exercises and Meditations


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."
 
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New Age. Self-Improvement. Nonfiction. HTML:

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

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