Jon Kabat-Zinn

Jon Kabat-Zinn

American molecular biologist, meditation teacher, and the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) — the eight-week protocol developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in 1979 that introduced mindfulness meditation into mainstream Western medicine, education, and corporate life. A student of Zen masters Philip Kapleau, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Seungsahn, and of yoga teacher Robert Thurman, he stripped Buddhist meditation of its religious context and presented it as an evidence-based practice for chronic pain, anxiety, and stress. The MBSR curriculum has now been studied in thousands of clinical trials and adopted in hospitals, schools, prisons, and Fortune 500 companies worldwide. His books — Full Catastrophe Living, Wherever You Go There You Are, Coming to Our Senses — have sold millions of copies and shaped how an entire generation thinks about attention.

101

quotes in library

Quotes by Jon Kabat-Zinn

101 quotes
“You don't have to like it. You just have to be present for it.”
presenceWherever You Go, There You Are
“In the practice, you uncover the awareness that has always been here.”
uncoveringComing to Our Senses
“You are already there. You just don't know it yet.”
presenceWherever You Go, There You Are
“The quality of your attention determines the quality of your life.”
attentionComing to Our Senses
“In silence, the mind reveals itself.”
silenceWherever You Go, There You Are
“Be your own friend. Sit with yourself the way a good friend would.”
friendshipMindfulness for Beginners
“The body never lies. Listen.”
bodyFull Catastrophe Living
“Mindfulness is intimacy with experience.”
intimacyComing to Our Senses
“You are not broken. You are whole, even in your difficulty.”
wholenessFull Catastrophe Living
“This moment is the only moment that is alive.”
momentWherever You Go, There You Are
“Settle into the chair. Settle into the breath. Settle into being.”
settlingWherever You Go, There You Are
“In meditation, the goal is to be where you are. Not somewhere else.”
meditationMindfulness for Beginners
“Practice is not about getting better. Practice is about being more aware.”
practiceWherever You Go, There You Are
“Each moment carries everything. Whatever is going on, this is it.”
momentComing to Our Senses
“Mindfulness is awareness, cultivated by paying attention in a sustained and particular way.”
mindfulnessComing to Our Senses
“Stop running. Sit. Breathe.”
stoppingWherever You Go, There You Are
“You can't always change what's happening. You can change your relationship to what's happening.”
relationshipFull Catastrophe Living
“In paying attention, the world becomes vivid again.”
vividnessComing to Our Senses
“This breath is here. The next breath is unknown. Practice now.”
breathMindfulness for Beginners
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