Tag Archives: Jon Kabat-Zinn

My father was a world-class scientist and my mother was a prolific painter. I could see that my parents had completely different ways of knowing and understanding the world, and relating to it. My father approached things through scientific inquiry and exploration, while my mother experienced things through her emotions and senses. Jon Kabat-Zinn

Mindfulness is often spoken of as the heart of Buddhist meditation. It's not about Buddhism, but about paying attention. That's what all meditation is, no matter what tradition or particular technique is used. Jon Kabat-Zinn

There are many different aspects to a formal meditation practice. But the real meditation practice is how you interface with life from moment-to-moment, no matter what's happening. Especially when you are awake, which is pretty much most of the time except for deep sleep. Jon Kabat-Zinn

Even before smart phones and the Internet, we had many ways to distract our selves. Now that's compounded by a factor of trillions. Jon Kabat-Zinn

When you have children, you realize how easy it is to not see them fully, and perhaps miss all those early years. If you are not careful, you can be too absorbed in work, and they will be only too happy to tell you about it later. Being a parent is one of greatest mindfulness […]

I don't want people following Jon Kabat-Zinn. I want them following themselves. Jon Kabat-Zinn

Most people think that to meditate, I should feel a particular special something, and if I don't, then I must be doing something wrong. Jon Kabat-Zinn

Sometimes shutting off the sound on the television can allow you to actually watch the game and take it in in an entirely different and more direct way – a first-order, first-person experience – rather than filtered through the mind of another. Jon Kabat-Zinn

I was very much a tough New York street kid. I went to a school where you had to learn how to get along with everybody or fight with everybody, and I did my fair share of both. But you have to learn how to get along. I did an awful lot of fighting. I […]

Too much of the education system orients students toward becoming better thinkers, but there is almost no focus on our capacity to pay attention and cultivate awareness. Jon Kabat-Zinn