We must be willing to encounter darkness and despair when they come up and face them, over and over again if need be, without running away or numbing ourselves in the thousands of ways we conjure up to avoid the unavoidable.
JON KABAT-ZINNMindfulness is not about getting anywhere else.
More Jon Kabat-Zinn Quotes
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Note that this journey is uniquely yours, no one else’s. So the path has to be your own. You cannot imitate somebody else’s journey and still be true to yourself. Are you prepared to honor your uniqueness in this way?
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The only time that any of us have to grow or change or feel or learn anything is in the present moment. But we’re continually missing our present moments, almost willfully, by not paying attention.
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No one can listen to your body for you. To grow and heal, you have to take responsibility for listening to it yourself.
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Meditation is simply about being yourself and know about who that is.
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From the point of view of the meditative traditions the entire society is suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
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Living in a chronic state of unawareness can cause us to miss much of what is most beautiful and meaningful in our lives.
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You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.
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Arriving someplace more desirable at some future time is an illusion. This is it.
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But you cannot have harmony without a commitment to ethical behavior. It’s the fence that keeps out the goats that will eat all the young shoots in your garden.
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Patience is a form of wisdom. It demonstrates that we understand and accept the fact that sometimes things must unfold in their own time.
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Writing can be an incredible mindfulness practice.
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Mindfulness is a way of paying attention, on purpose and non-judgmentally, to what goes on in the present moment in your body, mind and the world around you.
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Breathing is central to every aspect of meditation training. It’s a wonderful place to focus in training the mind to be calm and concentrated.
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This is something called “walking meditation.” The goal is to learn to be aware of each and every movement and feeling. I know it seems ridiculous, but it does change the way you experience walking.
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The awareness is not part of the darkness or the pain; it holds the pain, and knows it, so it has to be more fundamental, and closer to what is healthy and strong and golden within you.
JON KABAT-ZINN