Mindfulness: How to Feel Comfortable in Your Own Skin, with Jon Kabat-Zinn | Big Think

Mindfulness: How to Feel Comfortable in Your Own Skin
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Your brain is regularly inhibited by aversion, apprehension, greed, and fear. Mindfulness exercises can help change that. Medical professor and meditation teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn explains how one can combat their aversion and, hopefully, become a better, more reasonable person in the meantime.
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JON KABAT-ZINN:

Jon Kabat-Zinn is Professor of Medicine Emeritus and creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Kabat-Zinn was a student of Buddhist teachers such as Thich Nhat Hanh and Zen Master Seung Sahn and a founding member of Cambridge Zen Center. His practice of yoga and studies with Buddhist teachers led him to integrate their teachings with those of science. He teaches mindfulness, which he says can help people cope with stress, anxiety, pain, and illness. The stress reduction program created by Kabat-Zinn, called Mindfulness-based stress reduction, is offered by medical centers, hospitals, and health maintenance organizations.
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TRANSCRIPT:

Jon Kabat-Zinn: When you sit down and observe your own mind on purpose just for fun as a kind of scientific inquiry into what drives you, it doesn’t take long, say if you focus on, say, the breath as the object of attention and you’re riding on the waves of your breathing. It doesn’t take long before you’ll notice that some kind of want comes up. Some kind of desire. And maybe it’s because your body’s uncomfortable. So maybe you just want to fidget a little or shift posture, you know, and just do it this way or that way. So it’s very hard to sit still. Why? Because we’re antsy. Why are we antsy? Because we want to be comfortable and we’re not comfortable. So rather than holding the discomfort in awareness because why should we privilege comfort? Comfort, discomfort — because there’s no ultimate comfort. That’s why we shift from one leg to the other and we’re very shifty. But if you actually train yourself to be embodied, you get less shifty. I mean the mind just naturally settles. The body naturally settles and you can be, like, comfortable. Just at home in your own skin. But when you’re not and you want something, we call that greed. I mean that’s like, you know, it’s greedy; it wants something. Now that one thing to just be comfortable, that’s fine. But when you start to watch the mind, you’ll notice that it’s got a lot of agendas on the greed spectrum.

I mean it’s — and greed is not quite the same as ambition. It has to do with — greed has to do with more for me. More of what I want for me. Then there’s this other thing that you’ll also notice, which is you’re sitting there and the opposite will come up. What I don’t want. What I’m afraid of. What I need to keep at the door. Keep at bay. To push away. And that’s collectively referred to as aversion or dislike or hatred, you know, when it’s really strong and directed often at other people or whatever. So we’ve got greed on one hand and it is toxic. The more you’re sucked into greed; the more egotistical you become; the more it’s all about me; the more you’re willing to lose your own ethical foundation to get a particular result only to find that even that result is not really satisfying so you’re on to the next result. And it’s a never-ending trajectory. But nevertheless, we have to admit it’s here all the time. It’s not like oh, I’ve transcended greed, you know. I don’t think we do transcend greed, but we can transform how we are in relationship to it. And with awareness that greed doesn’t have to run us. And even if it’s attenuated 5 or 10 percent — wow that would be its own form of liberation. Never mind 30 or 40 or 50 percent. And the same with the aversion. Like what I don’t want. It’s so bloody boring to sit here and watch my breathing.

All right. So what? Who thinks it’s boring? Have you looked at your boredom? So have you looked at your aversion? Then as soon as the you that’s looking at your aversion, that’s more like awareness. It’s like awareness of aversion isn’t...

[jasonb]

I love the way this guy talks. It's so articulated and poetic. He is a joy to listen too.

[jaysonleroux]

The sheer amount of wisdom he just dropped in this video, absolutely amazing thank you

[ineedtoeatcake]

Meditating almost every day for a few weeks now has made me a happier person. I've had 18 sessions of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) since September after living the great majority of the past 6 years with treatment resistant Major Depression and Panic Disorder. ECT got me out of non-stop emotional torture, and meditation is gradually making life, at times, joyous. THANK YOU MEDITATION!

[Pyropuncher]

I am greatly indebted for Jon Kabat Zinn for his work. A revolutionary teacher and a kind, compassionate man who believes very much in the ability of the work that he is doing to help others.

[brodman]

I used to meditate a lot. Stopped for like 2 years. Hearing him speak is like remembering another life. It truly is so nice to be in the 'mindfullness' mode. Instead of your problems being heavy things which you are totally unconscious of, suddenly they are just thoughts in your head which you can almost touch and anlyse. I'm so far from that point right now. I'm still generally happy, but it's not that floating feeling that mindfullness gives you. Doesn't help I'm infatuated with someone which is like 10million pounds of pressure.

[awesomeguylol]

This is superrrr true and important to apply to your life. thank you Jon!

[mgunn]

Music and awesome movie trailers have been the only things to give me goosebumps until this video. Beautiful

[lifesabeach]

OMG I saw his lecture at a church near Harvard earlier this year!!! Such an amazing lecture. It changed my life!! Thank you so much!

[InsightfulZen]

His voice is very soothing and comforting. I really enjoyed this video.

[ryancunningham]

This is by far one of my favorite big think videos. Very humbling.

[je]

Wow that brought tears to my eyes. True authentic information, at least from my point of view.

[gsilcoful]

It is so good to see Jon Kabat-Zinn again. Thank you.

[phatbastardalkaline]

I think i have to rewatch it later to fully grasp what he meant.

[milkpowder]

Undergoing the process of self-apprehension as Jon describes, I have been reading my fair share of philosophy with a proper amount of introspection, starting to be more aware of the countless possibilities that arises within my psyche and from around my surroundings. This man shocks me as he has found a way to articulate so fully and accurately, the blissfulness of taking control of your own mind. It all starts from the small step of "stop and think".

[ericnicholson]

This is a very clear, uncomplicated explanation of mindfulness.

[Soldier]

For those interested: The feelings he mentions are based on the 3 roots of all evil in Buddhist philosophy: greed, ignorance and hatred. Check it out sometime, it's a very interesting way of looking at human behavior.

[J]

Omfg this was the best talk about Mindfulness I have ever heard! He just nails it!

[erickreyes]

Yes I find that meditation doesn't ADD to my life but SUBTRACTS.. and I love it.

[avalon]

I didn’t click on this video expecting to cry..yet here I am

[JustinCummins]

This is a strong talk right here. Ive had problems with social anxiety, ive been through wuite of bit in such short amount of time but this really opened up my eyes on being ...(you)... Thank you. Nothing else makes who you are. This was deep.