Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn (Book Summary)


How regular have you experienced an excellent circumstance – on holiday, for instance, around a magnificent city, appreciating the view; getting a tan on a lovely seashore; or wandering around an attractive forest. Anywhere that was, that is precisely the place you would like to be in.

Then you realize that you are not fully at that moment. Rather, what is on your mind is the clothes you have to clean or that unfinished work task.

Human minds do that: they roam around and make us go out of this moment we are living. However, what if this moment has precisely been the place we would like to be in? What is the way, then, to remain here?

The response to the question is mindfulness. That word has turned out to be a very popular word over the final ten years, however, then, how does that function and how could a person really practice it?


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Well, this is not essentially an aim we want to accomplish, but something we have to practice that needs continuous work and attention. In the following lines, you can read about the basics of, and some further advanced methods for, exercising mindfulness.


Chapter 1 – Living consciously and appreciating the current moment is what’s called mindfulness.


In modern times, mindfulness turned out a little bit like a slogan. However, what does it really mean? It is possible that you might have perceived that mindfulness has been an old Buddhist practice. As a matter of fact, mindfulness has been for everybody, and for you to enjoy its rewards you don’t have to reject your worldly belongings or convert to a Buddhist.

Mindfulness has been related to disallowing the automated way of life. Our normal condition of consciousness has been pretty restricted according to a Buddhist perspective: we regularly do some things without even getting aware of them, without being completely present at that exact instance.

The mere truth that we are continually doing things, while ideas go in and out of our minds without stopping, leaves very limited space for us for only being. Therefore, in order to really accept the current moment, we have to systematically study the individuals we have been and observe the perception of this world. That, basically, is mindfulness.

Therefore, why should you be mindful? Mindfulness has been an instrument that enables us to understand the wealthiness and potential of our personal growth and change. Nurturing it reconciles us with parts we have we regularly ignore, paving new means of living both inside our body and in this world.

To exemplify, it can make us have more generous involvement in peacefulness, happiness, and joy, and it can also improve our understanding of complicated emotions such as fear, grief, and sadness – meaning, those emotions of which we are regularly unaware of or the emotions we only show without knowing.



Since mindfulness has been very enlightening thence, that is empowering as well. As long as we improve ourselves in being mindful further, we turn out more conscious of the person we have been, which releases our creativity as well as intelligence and it provides us with clarity.

The nurturing of meditation and mindfulness is mostly baffled with aspects such as stress alleviation, self-advancement, or relaxation. Though mindfulness has not been about targeting a specific feeling, neither is it related to reaching a place or turning out a specific type of individual. Instead, it’s about clearing the brain, turning out still, and enabling ourselves to know the person we have been and the place we are in already.

Your practice begins in the following chapter.


Chapter 2 – Being in this instance and focusing on only a task at this time has been cultivating mindfulness.


Cultivating mindfulness has been as simple as integrating various exercises into day-to-day activities. Let’s observe some of those.

Initially, instead of doing it every time, start moving with the being mode. This is how you can do that: lie down or sit, and, once you are settled, imagine yourself like you have a limited amount of time. Study the current moment without attempting to adjust something. Open your feelings and concentrate on the things you observe, feel, hear, or anything that is occurring around you. Work on fully accepting this instance.

During exercise, when you feel your brain drifting, slightly cajole your focus back to your breath. Concentrate on the sensation of breathing, going out of and in your lungs without making the brain included or working on adjusting something. This effort will improve the instances of your typical operating mode, impacting the choices you select and offering guidance.

Other exercises that would be beneficial to peers in your way of mindfulness are embracing the moment, focus, and voluntary simplicity.



Focus has been the foundation of mindfulness. At the time you are completely focused, your vitality is channeled toward intensely living one instance or one aspect. Every other thing falls away, as well as other considerations, senses, and the external environment. Individuals frequently intensely value this sense, because it enables them to experience stillness inside and a feeling of uninterrupted peace.

Also, you can attempt voluntary simplicity which means dealing with only one task, or only one consideration at that moment. For example, when you are having time with your son or daughter and you receive a text message, you should ignore your phone intentionally, instead of bringing your whole concentration to availing yourself of playing with your kid.

That is essential not to mix doing nothing with non-doing. Deliberately ceasing, having the aim of nurturing appreciation and peacefulness, has been non-doing – however, this should not be confused with doing anything!


Chapter 3 – In order to become more mindful, generosity and patience may assist.


Do you remember times when you were expecting your peer who is late, feeling your irritation begins to change to indignation? Did you stop for a moment and considered how useless this sense has been? Passing such feelings in your mind has been a foundation of mindfulness. Selecting to be tolerant would definitely be greater for your mental health.

Mindfulness and patience have extremely been related. Patience signifies that you admit everything as they appear and that you know that events always happen at the right and great times of them.

This can be great and nice, however, is there a way to control restlessness and the indignation that comes with that? In order to develop wisdom, patience, and compassion, begin by deflecting and going along with impatience and anger.

Exceptionally, Dalai Lama appears not annoyed with China, the country in which the government carried out genocide acts contrary to the Tibetan citizens. He comprehends that although they would acquire all the things from the people of Tibet, he won’t let China acquire his brain as well. Rather than directing his power into the sense of indignation, he utilizes that to encourage patience and understanding.

When next you become angry or impatient, recall that sagacity could be obtained from being patient and the thing that happens next is greatly determined by the things you do at this moment.



Generosity is a different characteristic that prepares a solid basis for mindfulness. This need not be demonstrated in the offering of physical products; you may be bountiful with the passion and trust you have, and with your compassion and existence as well. As you start to give and share, you would find the richness of energy and strength you own in your hands.

If you provide, do not become absorbed bothering regarding providing a lot, or worrying about this bounty would be unacknowledged, or considering that you will not obtain something with that for yourself.

Exercise that by giving yourself the presents of self-approval, and a little bit of time each day.


Chapter 4 – Meditation formally includes spending time being settled and concentrating on the body as well as the breath.

Informally, and formally, mindfulness could be exercised. Let’s first observe some of the formal ways. Formal meditation involves keeping certain time spans for the focus and mindfulness to develop. Every further activity is delayed.

Your body’s pose is very important while sitting down to meditate. There has not been a specific right sitting position, however, you still have to pose in a position that shows poise. For a lot of individuals, this means a straight posture, not too rigid, having shoulders as well as face lightened; having the neck, back, and the head aligned.

Also, your feet and hands should be positioned properly to guide the movement of the energy. Try focusing on your different energy stages and your hand positions, complementing those stages. There has not been a common explanation of any specific posture; that is further related to the thing those postures mean to you. To exemplify, sitting by having your hands on the knees might signify that you’re only approving what is while sitting with your hands looking upward might signify your openness to the bigger energy.

It is totally up to you to determine the time you want to put into your formal meditation. Just ensure to finish your meditation with a mindful attitude. The writer recommends generally that 45 min every day is a great standard exercise; and this is sufficient time to attain stillness, maintain attention as well as experience intense tranquility.



You will need an urge to finish your mediation at a point while you are meditating. When this occurs, you need to know where it is coming from first. Is it from tiredness, pain, restlessness, or just the correct moment to cease? At the time you identify where it arises from, remain with the sense for some, breathe inside, and leisurely finish meditating.

Recall that there has not been an incorrect or correct meditation method. Hence, utilize the stages mentioned above as your instruction. The most influential way is to concentrate on the thing that feels correct for you.


Chapter 5 – Meditation informally may be exercised through walking, standing, sitting, or even lying down.


Meditating formally has been mostly the thing that we visualize at the time we consider meditation. However, that is not solely the method of meditating.

If sitting motionless for a long time is really challenging for you, or when you would like to supplement your meditation exercises formally, you may consider standing or walking meditation rather.

The aim of meditation through walking has not been to just reach anywhere. Hence, you might want to walk around circling or forward and backward.

The most important thing to do has been bringing your focus to all the actions of your body: every step, and the way you walk, move and position your foot. In a meditation where you stand up, attempt this in the wood, as the wood is a good teacher of placidity and tranquility. Also, you may desire to shut your eyes down, stand motionless and think of your feet like roots inside the soil. Move your body just like how trees move in the air blow. Pay attention to the environment and sense nature’s existence.



Furthermore aside from standing or walking meditations, meditating by lying down is also a great exercise for mindfulness.

Consciously release your muscles while you are lying. This will enable your brain to be open and relieve any stressful considerations. After this, imagine yourself going inside the floor, bringing your concentration to the body. You may want to concentrate on the entire body as if every cell on your skin was taking a breath and disseminating energy like they are solitary, or for every piece of your body distinctively. The last instance is called the “body scan”.

At the time of body scanning, concentrate on various pieces on the body and afterward free them. Proceed exhaustively with your whole body, to any place you would like – maybe starting with your head to your toes or from one side to another side. Utilize your breath, directing it inside, into every piece of the body, like you were taking the air into the knees or toes, for instance, at the time of inhaling. While you are exhaling, free your muscles, letting that piece take a break in tranquility.


Chapter 6 – Mindfulness can be practiced by self-inquiry at the time of automated routines.


Mindfulness is not a thing you achieve and afterward (check!) you are ready for living. It needs regular self-inquiry.

However, inquiring yourself about different inquiries is not just related to solving problems. That is also about remaining linked with life, yourself, and existence. That means having inquiries in your mind, thinking about them, and being regularly conscious of them.

Although contemplating inquiries in mind would lead to a lot of thoughts similar to answers, the key aim is to pay attention to the considerations that those inquiries suggest.  Either your inquiry is “Can I find the thing disturbing me now?” or “Why do I live?”, would assist you in thinking yourself being the audience, observing and hearing your considerations and senses.

Fortunately, no exceptional locations or moments are required to exercise mindfulness. One can practice that at any time. A lot of people find early morning as the perfect time. The calmness and privacy that is frequently more simply attainable at that period give you the time to consider and concentrate on being. The extra is that you could begin the day in a tranquil, mindful way and then be further possible to take this tranquility with you throughout the day.



Definitely, creating time prior to you start the day is not important; mindfulness can be practiced inside your daily activities such as going up the staircases. Ordinarily, we make this quickly, without even thinking related to that. However, if you concentrate on the entire complicated actions of the body as you climb the staircases, you would raise your consciousness of the existing time and, at the time you reach the peak, you would be relaxed and further linked to the further task you involve in.

The essential way is becoming slower, focusing on one task in a moment, with the aim of raising existence and consciousness. There has been nowhere you have to be in and no instance you have to give up for being entirely existing in the current moment.


Chapter 7 – The thinking brain and selfing can be some challenges you’ll face while exercising mindfulness.


With the above, you obtained an image of the things exercising mindfulness entails. Now let’s observe some major common challenges – and the ways to overcome them.

That possibly appears not surprising that, since mindfulness has entirely been related to your mind, the considerations and ego you have are the greatest problems you’ll encounter. For instance, during meditation when you experience an important moment, you might begin to congratulate yourself. Be cautious of those senses, but that might be the ego desiring to have praise for your specialness, or providing you with an incorrect feeling of getting “made it” to the higher stage.

If this occurs and you sense like “I” or “me” started to make a change, attempt to ask yourself where precisely you’re meant to reach, or when you are utilizing meditation like an instrument to reach a specific position. Recall that meditating has not been related to getting to a specific point. That is related to appreciating and grasping the current instance to the greatest.



Another challenge you may face is self. Selfing has been the ability to retain your mind and concentration on your “self”, thus making each instance “my moment”, each adventure “my experience”. That may divide into all parts of this life, like my kid, my view, my mind, and so on.

But, when we notice that anything is dependent on anything, we realize that we do not have an independent, isolated self. The sole me existing has been me contrary to every other power and instance around this planet. For instance “me” relates to my intercourse with a kid to whom I am the parent.

With that explained, mindfulness has not been about purging ourselves related to our tendency to selfing. That is related to balancing that, modifying its influence, observing anything as they have been, grasping that anything has been related and regularly evolving, and ultimately, grasping to have anything less individually.


Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn Book Review


By continuously being in the action and packing a lot of tasks in the day-to-day routines, we are missing the ability to completely enjoy the current instance. Our brains have regularly been concentrated on the future or past times, and we are missing that now is the sole time we own. Completely appreciating the now is the significance of stopping and putting our focus on it.


Exercise the meditation of loving-kindness.

Assist other people and yourself in utilizing and enhancing the heart-cored existence. Initially, put yourself to the core, and with your heart or with your belly, summon the senses of love, acceptance, and kindness into the body. Allow those senses to develop until they occupy your entire being. When you sense them burning inside yourself, you may remain in this instance and enjoy it, or channel those senses externally to the place or the person you want to – maybe your family – but it can even be an individual you have not met. Visualize, applaud them, and hope for their acceptance and love.


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Savaş Ateş

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