Wherever You Go, There You Are

Mindfulness is considered the heart of meditation but its essence is universal and of deep practical benefit to all. In essence, mindfulness is about wakefulness. Our minds are such that we are often more asleep than awake to the unique beauty and possibilities of each present moment as it unfolds. While it is the nature of our mind to go on automatic pilot and lose touch with the only time we actually have to live, to grow, to feel, to love, to learn, to give shape to things, to heal, our mind also holds the innate capacity to help us awaken to our moments and use them to advantage for ourselves, for others, and for the world we inhabit. Just as a garden requires attending to if we hope to cultivate flowers and not have it be overrun with weeds, mindfulness also requires regular cultivating. We call the cultivating of our own mind to bring it to wakefulness meditation. The beauty of it is that we carry this garden with us, wherever we go, wherever we are, whenever we remember.

-- Jon Kabat-Zinn in 'Wherever You Go, There You Are'