If we hope to go anywhere or develop ourselves in any way, we can only step from where we are standing. If we don't really know where we are standing... We may only go in circles. Jon Kabat-Zinn More Quotes by Jon Kabat-Zinn More Quotes From Jon Kabat-Zinn Societal transformation isn't going to happen in one month, one year, or even one lifetime. But we see it happen person by person in front of us, and we don't have to worry about the future if we're taking care of the present. In some sense, that's the best insurance policy we can have. Jon Kabat-Zinn transformation care worry You can bring together the body's various systems to fine tune the body and mind in order to navigate life's ups and downs in a way that minimizes stress and maximizes well-being and satisfaction. Jon Kabat-Zinn stress mind together Awareness Is Not The Same As ThoughtMore Like A Vessel Which Can Hold And Contain Our Thinking Jon Kabat-Zinn vessel awareness thinking Even though in principle we may "know better", we routinely succumb all the same to the incessant, often frantic and unexamined busyness of thinking we have to get somewhere else first before we can rest; thinking we need to get certain things done to feel we have accomplished something before we can be happy. Jon Kabat-Zinn somewhere-else firsts thinking We are continuously bombarded with information, appeals, deadlines, communications... We are continually being squeezed or projected into the future as our present moments are assaulted and consumed in the fires of endless urgency. Jon Kabat-Zinn information communication fire Acknowledging that sometimes, often at very crucial times, you really have no idea where you are going or even where the path lies. A the same time, you can very well know something about where you are now (even if it is knowing that you are lost, confused, enraged or without hope). Jon Kabat-Zinn confused lying ideas Simply put, mindfulness is moment-to-moment non-judgmental awareness. Jon Kabat-Zinn judgmental moments mindfulness The real meditation is how you live your life. Jon Kabat-Zinn live-your-life meditation real Generosity is another quality which, like patience, letting go, non-judging, and trust, provides a solid foundation for mindfulness practice. Jon Kabat-Zinn generosity practice letting-go Nourishing the soul is the process of drinking at the life stream, coming back to one's true self, embracing the whole of one's experience - good, bad, or ugly; painful or exalted; dull or boring. Jon Kabat-Zinn soul self drinking Zen has an expression, "nothing special." When you understand "nothing special," you realize that everything is special. Everything's special and nothing's special. Everything's spiritual and nothing's spiritual. It's how you see, it's what eyes you're looking through, that matters. Jon Kabat-Zinn eye expression spiritual The real meditative practice is to open up to the full range of what happens in life. And parenting is a fantastic arena for doing that kind of spiritual training. It's as much a potential door into enlightenment as anything else. Jon Kabat-Zinn mom real spiritual The funny thing about stopping is that as soon as you do it, here you are. Jon Kabat-Zinn miscellaneous stopping funny-things In Asian languages, the word for mind and the word for heart are the same word. Jon Kabat-Zinn asian mind heart To drop into being means to recognize your interconnectedness with all life, and with being itself. Your very nature is being part of larger and larger spheres of wholeness. Jon Kabat-Zinn spheres being-me mean Concentration is a cornerstone of mindfulness practice. Your mindfulness will only be as robust as the capacity of your mind to be calm and stable. Without calmness, the mirror of mindfulness will have an agitated and choppy surface and will not be able to reflect things with any accuracy. Jon Kabat-Zinn mirrors practice mind The mind that has not been developed or trained is very scattered. That's the normal state of affairs, but it leaves us out of touch with a great deal in life, including our bodies. Jon Kabat-Zinn normal body mind In its outward manifestation, meditation appears to involve either stopping, by parking the body in a stillness that suspends activity, or giving oneself over to flowing movement. In either case, it is an embodiment of wise attention, an inward gesture undertaken for the most part in silence, a shift from doing to simply being. It is an act that may at first seem artificial but that we soon discover, if we keep at it, is ultimately one of pure love for the life unfolding within us and around us. Jon Kabat-Zinn hiking journey wise It’s interesting to look at your children as line-in Zen masters who can put their finger on places where you’re resistant, or thinking narrowly, in ways noone else can. You can either lose your mind and your authenticity in the process of reacting to all that stuff, or you can use it as the perfect opportunity to grow and nourish your children by attending to what is deepest and best in them and in yourself. Jon Kabat-Zinn opportunity children thinking 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 mother class father
