Jon Kabat-Zinn

Jon Kabat-Zinn is an American professor emeritus of medicine and creator of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, a course of study in mindfulness meditation. He is a renowned public lecturer and author of numerous books, including Full Catastrophe Living, Wherever You Go, There You Are, and Coming to Our Senses. He is a leader in the field of mindfulness breathing and has developed a successful program for teaching individuals how to use mindfulness to reduce stress, decrease physical and psychological symptoms, and increase awareness and coping abilities.

Kabat-Zinn was born in 1944 in New York City. He attended MIT, where he studied molecular biology and received his Ph.D in 1971. He then served as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health before returning to Massachusetts General Hospital in the mid-1970s, where he established the Stress Reduction Clinic.

Kabat-Zinn is recognized for introducing mindfulness meditation into the mainstream of medicine and society. His interest in mindfulness began after he studied with renowned Zen teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. He brought the practice of mindfulness meditation to the medical field through a combined stress reduction program, which he developed while teaching at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979.

The program, which is now universally known as MBSR, focuses on the practice of mindfulness meditation, which is a form of meditation that encourages focusing on one's thoughts and awareness of the present moment. The technique is used to cultivate greater self-awareness and relaxation, and is a cornerstone of Kabat-Zinn's teachings. The program also teaches individuals how to use mindfulness to reduce stress and manage chronic pain.

Kabat-Zinn has an extensive body of work that outlines the fundamentals of his teachings, including books such as Full Catastrophe Living, Wherever You Go, There You Are, and Coming to Our Senses.

In Full Catastrophe Living, Kabat-Zinn explores the science behind the practice of mindfulness, including ways to incorporate mindfulness into daily life, how to effectively use it to cope with the physical and emotional effects of stress and illness, and how to work with difficult emotions and difficult relationships in order to keep balance in life.

Wherever You Go, There You Are, first released in 1994, is a book that educates readers on how to bring greater awareness, acceptance and tranquility into their lives through the mindful approach to life.

In Coming to Our Senses, Kabat-Zinn guides readers through a mindfulness-based program of self-exploration and relaxation, where they can learn to live more mindfully and joyfully in the present moment.

Kabat-Zinn has now become a worldwide leader in the use of mindfulness-based stress reduction and is recognized as a pioneer in the world of meditation. His teachings have been embraced not just by doctors, psychologists and mental health professionals, but by everyday individuals, who credit Kabat-Zinn with helping them to gain greater control over stress and improve their overall physical and mental wellbeing.