John R. Miles

Thank you for choosing PassionStruck and choosing me to be your host and guide on your journey to creating an intentional life. Now, let that journey begin. It is my profound honor today to have Jon Kabat-Zinn on Passion Struck. Welcome, Jon.

Well, Jon, it's an absolute honor to have you today. And I want this conversation to be one that truly serves both you and my audience, one that goes beyond mindfulness as a practice and instead really explores it as a radical act of sanity, love, and presence in today's world. So I'm so glad that we're sharing this space today.

Well, Jon, it's an absolute honor to have you today. And I want this conversation to be one that truly serves both you and my audience, one that goes beyond mindfulness as a practice and instead really explores it as a radical act of sanity, love, and presence in today's world. So I'm so glad that we're sharing this space today.

Well, Jon, it's an absolute honor to have you today. And I want this conversation to be one that truly serves both you and my audience, one that goes beyond mindfulness as a practice and instead really explores it as a radical act of sanity, love, and presence in today's world. So I'm so glad that we're sharing this space today.

And I'm going to get more into that, but for those listeners of mine who might not be familiar with your work, I want to create a starting point. So there was a moment when you were at MIT that. things started to change for how you were thinking. And I've heard you describe it before, but you were walking down the hall at MIT when you happened to see a lecture poster featuring a Zen teacher.

And I'm going to get more into that, but for those listeners of mine who might not be familiar with your work, I want to create a starting point. So there was a moment when you were at MIT that. things started to change for how you were thinking. And I've heard you describe it before, but you were walking down the hall at MIT when you happened to see a lecture poster featuring a Zen teacher.

And I'm going to get more into that, but for those listeners of mine who might not be familiar with your work, I want to create a starting point. So there was a moment when you were at MIT that. things started to change for how you were thinking. And I've heard you describe it before, but you were walking down the hall at MIT when you happened to see a lecture poster featuring a Zen teacher.

And I was hoping you might be able to take the story from there because my understanding is you said it blew the top off of your head.

And I was hoping you might be able to take the story from there because my understanding is you said it blew the top off of your head.

And I was hoping you might be able to take the story from there because my understanding is you said it blew the top off of your head.

It's not. And for some background on me, I ended up graduating from the Naval Academy and Did some time working in SEAL teams and my first exposure to the SEALs came around 1994. And one of the things that I found very interesting was that they were already using mindfulness, yoga, breath work. as a way to control basically their breathing, their whole system, their nervousness.

It's not. And for some background on me, I ended up graduating from the Naval Academy and Did some time working in SEAL teams and my first exposure to the SEALs came around 1994. And one of the things that I found very interesting was that they were already using mindfulness, yoga, breath work. as a way to control basically their breathing, their whole system, their nervousness.

It's not. And for some background on me, I ended up graduating from the Naval Academy and Did some time working in SEAL teams and my first exposure to the SEALs came around 1994. And one of the things that I found very interesting was that they were already using mindfulness, yoga, breath work. as a way to control basically their breathing, their whole system, their nervousness.

And so I was introduced to this. And what I look back upon is the least likely place I thought I would find it. But I've been using these practices ever since, which is now 30 plus years. And one of the things that i often think about and i've heard you reference as well is the work of henry david thoreau and i've always loved the words i went to the woods because i wish to live deliberately

And so I was introduced to this. And what I look back upon is the least likely place I thought I would find it. But I've been using these practices ever since, which is now 30 plus years. And one of the things that i often think about and i've heard you reference as well is the work of henry david thoreau and i've always loved the words i went to the woods because i wish to live deliberately

And so I was introduced to this. And what I look back upon is the least likely place I thought I would find it. But I've been using these practices ever since, which is now 30 plus years. And one of the things that i often think about and i've heard you reference as well is the work of henry david thoreau and i've always loved the words i went to the woods because i wish to live deliberately

And I talk on this show a lot about being intentional. But as I have been looking more into his wisdom, he often talks about the state of quiet desperation. And do you believe in modern society, we're in more of a state of quiet desperation than we've ever been?

And I talk on this show a lot about being intentional. But as I have been looking more into his wisdom, he often talks about the state of quiet desperation. And do you believe in modern society, we're in more of a state of quiet desperation than we've ever been?

And I talk on this show a lot about being intentional. But as I have been looking more into his wisdom, he often talks about the state of quiet desperation. And do you believe in modern society, we're in more of a state of quiet desperation than we've ever been?

Very interesting, whether it's been Bronnie Ware's writings and her work in palliative care, Or I know Cornell University studied thousands of people who were in their third trimester of life and they all came to the same conclusion. An overwhelming percentage regret not pursuing becoming their ideal version of who they could be. And we end up waiting for so long to get that awakening.