This is the tenth and last video segment of the ‘Mindfulness for Life’ interviews by Jon Kabat-Zinn. The quote is also by JKZ, excerpted from a longer article that used to be on his Mindfulness CD website but is no longer there.
Fortunately I reposted it back in September and you can read it in its entirety on my website; it is a beautiful piece of writing entitled Befriending the Breath in Stressful Moments
There is no question that the real mindfulness teacher, and the real meditation practice, is life itself. Every moment is an opportunity to realign ourselves with the actuality of what is unfolding, however challenging or mundane, and thereby choose not lose ourselves in our interpretations and stories about what is going on.
This is easier than you may think. It is also hugely liberating each time we make even a momentary gesture in that direction. And those moments, those conscious realigning gestures can add up to a different life, a more mindful and emotionally balanced life. Not only that: they can influence your future in ways that may be not only beneficial to you, but transformative. Because if you take care of this moment, now, with kindness and awareness, the next moment will be different because of your having taken care of this one, because of your gesture of sanity, trust, and balance.
Jon Kabat -Zinn – Befriending The Breath in Stressful Moments
You can find the previous segments of this video series on the following links below.
Segment 1: Mindfulness for Life – Interviews with Jon Kabat-Zinn
Segment 2: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
Segment 3: Full Catastrophe Living
Segment 4: Liberation from Delusion
Segment 5: At Home in Our own Skin
Segment 6: Liberation from Suffering
Segment 7: Challenging our Negative Self-Image
Segment 8: Mindfulness – Lifestyle Change
Segment 9: Coming to Our Senses