Jon Kabat-Zinn – Mindfulness & Meditation – Stress Reduction – Mindful Parenting

Jon Kabat-Zinn – Mindfulness & Meditation – Stress Reduction – Mindful Parenting

[1 DVD – Rip]

The tranquility that comes from moment-to-moment awareness is the theme of this double-program DVD from the author of the bestselling book, Wherever You Go There You Are. In “Mindful Parenting,” author Jon Kabat-Zinn interviews three families, who discuss their relationships, play violin, work jigsaw puzzles, and breastfeed in clips that elaborate on his points.

Kabat-Zinn’s insights may not be any more earth-shattering than such common-sense wisdom as: treat family members with the same patience you would use at the office. Still, he offers a welcome nudge to many an overtaxed parent. As he says at the end of the program, we all know how to do this, we just don’t remember to do it. In “Stress Reduction,” he takes viewers to his Massachusetts Stress Reduction Clinic for demonstrations of sitting, prone, and standing meditation, as well as testimonials from stressed-out patients who found some peace through his program.

He also takes viewers on a hike through the woods, discusses Henry David Thoreau’s Walden Pond, and quotes James Joyce. He gets a little more down to earth with a study the clinic conducted augmenting ultraviolet light therapy with meditation for psoriasis patients. Kabat-Zinn’s manner is soothing, his attitude is one of gentle prodding, and the visuals are beautifully produced–making for two 51-minute chunks of serenity in a hectic world. –Kimberly Heinrichs