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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Wherever You Go, There You Are summary
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Mindfulness Meditation In Everyday Life
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Key idea 1 of 7
4.4 (450 ratings)
26 mins
7 key ideas
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What is Wherever You Go, There You Are about?
Wherever You Go, There You Are (1994) explains how to fully enjoy the present moment without worrying about the past or the future. By providing step-by-step meditation practices, both formal and informal, that can easily be incorporated into everyday life, Kabat-Zinn steers us toward the peace and tranquility that we’re yearning for.
About the Author
Jon Kabat-Zinn is the founding director of both the Stress Reduction Clinic and, at the University of Massachusetts, the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society. He’s studied under renowned Buddhist teachers (Thich Nhat Hanh among them) and leads workshops on stress reduction and mindfulness. He’s the author of multiple books, including Full Catastrophe Living and Everyday Blessings.
Table of Contents
Key idea 1 of 7
Blink 1
Sit down comfortably and close your eyes. Think about your mind as the surface of an ocean. It’s vast and beautiful, and there are always waves on the water—some are small, some are big. Sometimes, those waves get churned up by the winds of stress and anxiety, and become very turbulent. Observe these waves. Look at them with curiosity while taking a deep breath. Watch how the ocean’s surface slowly calms down again, and in your own time, open your eyes.
Many people think that mindfulness aims at eradicating the waves on our mind’s surface in order to create calm and tranquility, but this belief couldn’t be further from the truth. All of us face obstacles in our lives over which we have little or no control – but that doesn’t mean we have to see ourselves as victims to the winds that agitate the big waves within our mind. Mindfulness meditation can help us find shelter and learn how to surf these waves.
Okay, all of this was a bit abstract and symbolic. Let’s explore the concept of mindfulness in more detail before we’re doing another practice together.
An ancient Buddhist practice, mindfulness is about overriding our automatic approach to life. We often do things unconsciously, without being fully present in the moment. Mindfulness can teach us how to pay attention to what’s happening right now, purposefully and non-judgmentally.
The cultivation of mindfulness and meditation are often confused with things like relaxation, stress relief, or self-development. However, mindfulness isn’t about aiming for a particular feeling, nor is it about getting somewhere or becoming a particular kind of person. It’s about emptying the mind, becoming still, and allowing ourselves to realize who and where we already are.
You can see it as a tool that helps us reunite with aspects of ourselves that we often overlook. When I started meditating, it opened up entirely new ways of existing, both in my own skin and in this world. It helped me realize the richness and possibility of the present moment, and led me to richer and deeper experiences of joy and happiness, but also difficult emotions like anger and fear.
Let’s take a closer look at how mindfulness and meditation can help you deal with such difficult emotions.
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Who should read Wherever You Go, There You Are
- Those who want to be fully present
- People who want to learn how to meditate
- Meditators hoping to expand and deepen their practice
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