If 'Mindfulness for Beginners' is just that- a course in mindfulness aimed at those with no previous experience with the meditation- 'Wherever You Go, There You Are' is for those who are already familiar with the basic concepts and practices of living mindfully. Kabat-Zinn offers a lovely, inviting take on the importance of meditiation in daily life, and expanded meditative excercises. His writing is light, humourous, and most of all, seems genuinely good-natured, genuninely kind. I was pleased to find none of the normal self-help-new-age jargon here. He is good at communicating his train of thought without getting trapped up in the language used express it.

His approach is all-welcoming- there are no religious or particularly spiritual overtones here, rather just the simple lessons he imparts gleaned from his years as meditation directer at UMass Medical Center. The emphasis is not on an immediate fix or instant results, but rather on developing a lifestyle that will be more mindful, more aware, more focused in the daily life. To that end, Kabat-Zinn implores readers to practice their training, to not let it slip into a 'once in a while' foray into a different life philosophy. A great practical guide.

I didn't see how they could improve the second edition of this book but this anniversary version is something special. Here's the biggest take away. There are 5 levels of actualization, where all your basic needs are met, then emotional needs, spiritual needs and then ultimately the end goal is "self actualization" Several nice features are the special quotes thrown in, ones like "The unexamined life is not worth living" things like that which stick with you and help you make better decisions. Its one thing to read these books and feel good about yourself and your mental state, its another thing to actually implement them into your life, in every day conversations, and situations. This book gives you the practical tools to help you do just that. In a word: Perfect.

In Kabat-Zinn's book, he points out that others project their feelings onto us: “They are okay and we are not.” The meditations in this books remind us to accept who we are, at that moment.

The small size of book provides easy access in troubling moments. Each meditation stands alone, like a snap shot of mindfulness, freeze-framing the words we need, when we need them.

A possible negative: A person accustomed to meditating might find this book over-simplistic.

Kabat-Zinn frees us from the traditional approach of sitting on the floor and repeating “OM.” For example: I meditate laying on the ground, because my body responds to the unusual position.

Kabat-Zinn describes my experience as “breaking up neurological patterning”, creating an undiscovered opening that he refers to as “the body door.”

The author wrote without spiritual connotations, allowing us to find our individual paths. Read this book and savor small pieces of realization in your own time.

I bought this book after I had read a similar one entitled Peace is Every Step by Thich Naht Hahn and I really was interested in the theory of mindfulness. While I found Zinn's writing to be easy to get through mostly, some of it is hard to see clearly because we live in a world where it's near impossible to think we should be mindful of EVERYTHING we do, including eating and washing, etc... However, I found that the basic ideas in his work are great. They've helped me to be mindful of the world around me, and this in addition to other works about positive thinking are great. They've relieved my stress levels and I focus on other things to make my life better. I'd definitely recommend it to those interested in mindfulness.

Jon Kabat-Zinn's book "Wherever You Go, There You Are" was my first introduction to mindfulness meditation. Since then I have taken up yoga and attended courses on mindfulness and stress management. Yet I still find new insights in this book.

Readers looking for a "how-to" guide on meditation may be disappointed, but "Wherever You Go" beautifully introduces the spirit of the practice. Kabat-Zinn chooses to introduce mindfulness not through direct instruction, but rather by sharing his own reflections on mindfulness and its application to daily living.

The chapters are brief, making them ideal as readings to start or end the day. I highly recommend the book to anyone wanting to explore mindfulness for the first time or deepen an established practice.

For those who want basic instructions in mindfulness, try Kabat-Zinn's CD series "Guided Mindfulness Meditation, Series 2." In addition, the author's book "Full Catastrophe Living" offers a scientific look at stress, how it affects our bodies and minds, and how mindfulness can help us manage its effects.