By Leo Babauta

When I started this blog in 2007, I was not a Zen practitioner, though I had read Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind and had been practicing zazen on my own.

But I named the blog “Zen Habits” because it described the philosophy of my blog: finding mindfulness in the midst of change, opening ourselves up to the beauty of each moment, letting go of the complications we create and just doing.

These days (as of 2014), I am a Zen student. I study under a teacher, I’ve been working with the precepts, and I have a personal Zen practice.

I try to bring the most important Zen ideas to everyday life, along with practices that can be used by anyone, no matter what your beliefs. You don’t have to be a Buddhist to practice mindfulness, to sit and find appreciation for the miracle that surrounds you, to drop all the extra and just experience. That’s part of the “Zen” in “Zen Habits,” and I hope you love it as much as I do.

Note: This article has been updated, as it was outdated and originally written when I wasn’t a Zen student.