Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life

Kabat-Zinn recommends adopting an erect posture to denote the intentionality of the act of sitting to meditate. Although certain spots may call to someone more to sit and meditate, one can actually sit anywhere to meditate.

Kabat-Zinn explains that the posture should be dignified, neither slouched and lazy nor ramrod straight and over-erect; instead, it is energetic and calm. This puts one in the right position to elicit meditation. Coming to our seat with dignity also reminds us of our innate worthiness.

In a “Try” activity, Kabat-Zinn asks his readers to sit and walk with dignity and to reflect on how that makes them feel.

The conviction of good posture shines both inward and outward; it projects wellness and self-respect. It can help us to feel affirmed in ourselves and our lives to sit like this, even before meditation practice starts. It also conveys a willingness to confront issues at hand head-on, as the pose speaks of strength. Calling on the image of a mountain might be a helpful way to bring about mindful meditation, as it is majestic, rooted, strong, timeless, and powerful. This mirrors the attitude one is adopting for meditative practice.

The transition of coming out of meditation is important; it should not peter to an end with wandering attention. It should be intentional.

If one has an impulse to stop meditating, examine it with a curiosity about whether it is boredom or pain that is motivating the impulse or whether one innately feels that it is time to stop. Come out of meditation with the same moment-to-moment awareness. Mindfulness of ending meditation sessions can lend itself to mindfulness at other more important endpoints in life.

Often, group meditations end with a bell or a wooden clacker (in the Zen tradition). Both of these inform the group of the end of the practice while also allowing a moment for the individual to reflect on whether they were mentally present in that moment.

In a “Try” activity, Kabat-Zinn asks his students to reflect on how their meditation ends.

According to Kabat-Zinn, any time spent in mindful meditation is beneficial; the amount deemed doable and appropriate will differ from person to person. He uses a meditation period of 45 minutes for his patients in a clinical setting. He found this amount successful (as self-reported by patients); many continued the practice in their lives. However, he acknowledges that it can be difficult to carve out this much time in one’s day, especially if one has work, study, or family commitments. Furthermore, he concedes that five minutes of effective meditation can be just as profound as 45.

In a “Try” activity, Kabat-Zinn encourages his readers to experiment with meditating for different periods of time. In particular, he asks them to become aware of nagging feelings of boredom and anxiety, specifically when they tend to arrive and whether they dissipate with time. This experimentation will aid individuals in finding their optimum meditation routine.

Kabat-Zinn uses the metaphor of hiking in the mountains to explore step-by-step, moment-by-moment, “built in mindfulness” (87). In meditation, as in walking on rocky ground, each moment should be appreciated and lived-in fully; there is an inherent trust that each moment will give way to the next and that our minds and bodies are equipped to deal with it. Furthermore, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to navigate the ground when walking; each person will do it slightly differently, but these ways are innately correct and good. As in meditation, each person’s experience of their moment-to-moment reality will be different.

In a “Try” activity, Kabat-Zinn encourages readers to let go of their self-conscious self-analysis in moments where they are asking questions like “Am I doing this right?” (88). Instead, meditators should allow one moment to unfold into the next while feeling confident that “this is it” (88).

Both children and adults want to be able to do things their own way, rather than being forced into things. Meditating over the question “What is my way?” is an excellent practice for understanding oneself better (89). When asking this while meditating, it is important not to seek for an answer or to let oneself think about it too hard; rather, generating this question and others such as “What is my path?” and “Who am I?” should be posed with the acceptance that these questions will be formulated and posed, and answers may come and go. The meditator should just watch, listen, note, and let go (90). These inquiries may lead to new understandings, visions, and actions, although one should remain open to unknowing; it is okay to fully accept that one may not know the answers to these questions. Only then might answers come.