Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in On a regular basis Life

A classic on the subject of mindfulness and mindfulness meditation
I read this book back in the 1990s and just re-read it as my interest in learning about and practicing mindfulness has been high recently. I thoroughly enjoyed it it again.Wherever You Go, There You Are is written from a mostly secular / scientific point of view. The author Kabat Zinn does reference the Buddhist roots of mindfulness, but the book is not religious nor is Kabat Zinn a monk. He is the creator of a mindfulness-based stress reduction program at the stress reduction clinic at the University of Massachusetts medical center.Stress is a huge problem for many people and having stress management and coping tools could not be more important for so many reasons. I work in the health and fitness field and mindfulness is especially valuable to people who are endeavoring to eat for health and weight loss and avoid eating mindlessly or for emotional reasons. Mindful eating is a valuable skill to have.Mindfulness in daily living – being fully in the present moment – as well as mindfulness meditation and the focus on the breath are among the best of the stress management tools. As Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal has said, “Stress is the enemy of willpower.” Meditation and even simple breathing exercises can reduce stress and improve self controlAs a fitness coach I teach my clients and readers the importance of mental training, not just physical training. Most people, especially those only exposed to sports psychology, usually think of mental training as goal setting, controlling self-talk or using affirmations and visualization. But we could also say that mindfulness meditation is the original and oldest type of mental training, as this passage from the book explained:”Im told that in Pali, the original language of the Buddha, there is no one word corresponding to our word “meditation,” even though meditation might be said to have evolved to an extraordinary degree in ancient Indian culture. One word that is frequently used is bhavana. Bhavana translates as “development through mental training.” To me, this strikes the mark – mediation really is about human development.”I highly recommend this book. It may be the singe best place to start learning about mindfulness. It’s a full length book at about 270 pages, but it’s easy to read and has short chapters, most about 2 to 5 pages long.This was first written in 1994 and I still have that original paperback. I picked up the newer anniversary version (2010) for my kindle because it was inexpensive and I wanted to see what was in the update. I know more scientific evidence about mindfulness and meditation has been discovered recently, but this is not the kind of information or practice that goes out of date. After all, it’s thousands of years old.

Useful
I am picky about self help type books. I find some of the content of this book actually useful to complement my mindfulness/meditation as a beginner. I use a meditation app so for me this is more of a supplement to that. It’s not preachy or pretentious. It does quote “Walden” a lot though. You will likely find something in this book you can use. It’s easy to read. This book was recommended on a therapy website I came across.

Equanimity through Mindfulness Meditation
This is the best self-help book I have ever read. It is easy to read and provides clear and concise methods to gain the wisdom to cope with the stresses encountered in everyday life. The author’s language, writing skill and ability to provide examples in nature to explain Mindfulness are beautiful. Telling us to pay attention to our breath to keep our focus and get back on track he talks about sitting with dignity and paying attention to the things around us. He gives many examples that include standing, walking, laying down, and doing everyday things while practicing for a minute to 45 minutes depending on our life circumstance at the time. My favorite analogy is that of the mountain. He state: “Mountains are quintessentially emblematic of abiding presence and stillness.” “By becoming a mountain in our meditation, we can link with its strength and stability, and adopt them for our own. We can use its energies to support our efforts to encounter each moment with mindfulness, equanimity, and clarity. It may help us to see that our thoughts and feelings, our preoccupations, our emotional storms and crises, even the things that happen to us are much like the weather on the mountain. We tend to take it personally, but its strongest characteristic is impersonal. The weather in our own lives is not to be ignored or denied. It is to be encountered, honored, felt, known for what it is, and held in high awareness since it can kill us. In holding it in this way, we come to know a deeper silence and stillness within the storms, mountains have this to teach us, and more if we can come to listen.”I recommend this book to anyone who is stressed, angry, and unable to escape or deal with their unpleasant environment.

Lots of words of wisdom and perspectives for meditation. As well as useful exercises.I thought parent hood as a mindfulness retreat was an interesting thought perspective that I’ll look to adopt.

Das Buch beschreibt wie Bewusstsein wirklich funktioniert. Fundiert und sehr hilfreich für das Erlernen von Meditation. Sehr geeignet für Menschen mit Erfahrungen von Stress und Angst.