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

Kabat-Zinn suggests that other images in nature may be useful to hold in mind while meditating, including trees, clouds, or the sky. Water is a powerful elemental force because it cannot be broken apart. It parts to allow things to enter and leave but ultimately returns to itself. The image of a lake may be useful in meditation, as bodies of water are open and receptive to the earth’s forces: They ripple with wind, reflect the sun and then the moon, and freeze over in the cold. Picturing a lake and then metaphorically becoming a lake while in meditation reminds one to be open and receptive. One can watch as the surface of one’s mind becomes “choppy” and disturbed, noting the thoughts that cause this effect. A lake meditation encourages the meditator to notice and accept the changing qualities affecting the mind and body while celebrating the innate essence of ourselves in our ability to reflect back what is thrown at us and still be calm below.

In a “Try” activity, Kabat-Zinn asks readers to draw on the image and qualities of a lake while meditating. He particularly asks the reader (and meditator) to note the calm beneath the surface. He prompts them to carry this image with them into their life.

Kabat-Zinn suggests that some people who may find sitting meditation impossible might benefit from walking meditation. The mindset one should assume during walking meditation is the same as in sitting meditation. An awareness of the movement of walking can be paired with an awareness of one’s breathing. Kabat-Zinn encourages those attempting walking meditation to not walk anywhere with purpose; he suggests walking round in a loop or back and forth down a lane. It is easier to focus on the present moment rather than the destination if there is no destination. Walking meditation can be considered “stillness in motion” (99). Kabat-Zinn reminds readers that they can walk mindfully wherever they are; he urges readers to take opportunities to do this throughout their days.

In a “Try” exercise, Kabat-Zinn recommends bringing mindfulness to walking; one should walk with dignity and gratitude, appreciating the use of one's legs as well as appreciating the surrounding environment. Next, Kabat-Zinn recommends trying walking meditation after a period of sitting meditation.

One should model a standing meditation practice off of stable and old trees, which may sway gently but are ultimately rooted to the ground. A standing tree is at once in contact with the ground through its roots, with the sun on its leaves, and with the sky. Similarly, one who is seeking a meditative state while standing should seek to feel aware and in touch with the ground, with the air around oneself.

In a “Try” exercise, Kabat-Zinn reminds readers that they can stand like this, with awareness and moment-by-moment appreciation, at any point in their life. In terms of trying formal standing meditation, Kabat-Zinn recommends that readers try standing with their palms open or with the arms and fingers splayed and upright, like the branches and leaves of a tree.

Lying down meditation carries the inherent risk of falling asleep, although that can be a great result and causes a deep and restful sleep. Conducting a body scan can be a great activity during lying down meditation; this involves mindfully bringing attention to different parts of the body. One can focus on “letting go” or relaxing these parts of the body as one’s mind’s awareness travels to them. One can also imagine one’s breath traveling to those parts.

Lying down meditation, according to Kabat-Zinn, can allow one to access one’s emotions. He encourages awareness of whether any parts of one’s body, particularly those connected to one’s breathing, are constricted. This can lead the meditator to discover latent sadness, grief, anger, loneliness, or unworthiness. In this way, Kabat-Zinn postulates that the chest region is metaphorically associated with one’s “heart.” Other body parts can connect to other facets of our emotional experiences, such as a tight throat indicating a need to express oneself and be heard.

In a “Try” activity, Kabat-Zinn asks his readers to tune into their bodies when they are lying down and to “dwell” respectively in different regions.

Kabat-Zinn postulates that getting down on the floor has the effect of disrupting our mind’s eternal busyness. He recommends yoga, in particular the slower Hatha yoga practice, to find stillness in gentle movement on the floor. Like meditation, in yoga, the yogi is not trying to get anywhere but is instead exploring a range of positions in an attempt to bring awareness and clarity to the mind.

In a “Try” activity, Kabat-Zinn recommends mindfully stretching for a few minutes every day.

Leaving one's yoga practice for a time and returning to it encourages one to continue practicing yoga more frequently, as it may be harder to hold positions and harder to still the mind having not practiced for a while.

In a “Try” activity, Kabat-Zinn urges readers to compare their experience of phases of their lives where they have been regularly practicing yoga and meditation to phases where they have not. He points out that while keeping these practices up might be a demanding task to make space for in a busy life, it is far easier than to suffer the comparatively frantic mind and automated responses of not having this regular practice.

Becoming loving and kind benefits oneself as well as humanity as a whole, as according to Kabat-Zinn, we are all interconnected. Kabat-Zinn suggests that, ironically, the “developed world” of the West is underdeveloped in that many of us suffer from low self-esteem. Kabat-Zinn compares this to Tibet, where that phrase cannot be accurately translated. The Dali Lama was greatly saddened to hear of this trend among people in the Western world.

The first step is to hold oneself in loving kindness and total acceptance in one's meditative practice. This loving kindness, once directed inward, can better travel outward to others.

In a “Try” activity, Kabat-Zinn urges readers to try to bathe in loving kindness toward themselves as they meditate. Next, he asks readers to try to direct this loving kindness outward toward others or toward the earth.