Mindfulness / Shamash Alidina.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Alidina, Shamash, author.

Series:

--For dummies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Meditation--Buddhism.

Meditation.

Respiration--Religious aspects--Buddhism.

Respiration.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (403 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

Third edition.

Place of Publication:

Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, [2020]

Summary:

Breathe deep, declutter your mind, and start leading a healthier, happier life The worry won't stop. You're feeling stressed out, the day-to-day seems overwhelming, and it seems difficult to do the simplest things. How can you escape this continual negative feedback loop? Mindfulness is the answer. Practiced by millions of people worldwide, mindfulness puts you back in a healthy relationship with yourself by teaching techniques that allow you to maintain a moment-by-moment awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and environment. * Clear your mind of distracting thoughts * Focus on breathing and other self-control techniques * Change the wiring and makeup of your brain * Free yourself from the stress With this expert, easy-to-follow guide, there's never been a better time to get to grips with mindfulness and the many ways it can help you lead a happier, healthier life.

Contents:

Intro

Title Page

Copyright Page

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Icons Used in This Book

Beyond the Book

Cheat Sheet

Guided mindfulness

Where to Go from Here

Part 1 Getting Started with Mindfulness

Chapter 1 Discovering Mindfulness

Understanding the Meaning of Mindfulness

Looking at Mindfulness Meditation

Using Mindfulness to Help You

Allowing space to heal

Enjoying greater relaxation

Improving focus and feeling happier

Developing greater wisdom

Discovering your true self

Starting the Mindfulness Adventure

Beginning the voyage

Overcoming challenges

Exploring the journey of a lifetime

Chapter 2 Enjoying the Benefits of Mindfulness

Relaxing the Body

Getting back in touch

Boosting your immune system

Reducing pain

Slowing down the ageing process

Calming the Mind

Listening to your thoughts

Making better decisions

Coming to your senses

Creating an attentive mind

Soothing Your Emotions

Understanding your emotions

Managing feelings differently

Uplifting Your Spirit

Knowing Thyself: Discovering Your Observer Self

Part 2 Preparing the Ground for Mindful Living

Chapter 3 Making Mindfulness a Daily Habit

Discovering the Secret to Change

Designing your life for mindfulness

Starting small: The secret to creating new habits

Being playful with your new habit

Watering the seeds of your mindful habits

Scattering seeds of mindfulness throughout the day

Exploring Your Intentions

Clarifying intention in mindfulness

Finding what you're looking for

Developing a vision

Practising mindfulness for everyone's benefit

Preparing Yourself for Mindfulness

Looking beyond problem-solving

Dealing with resistance to practise

Chapter 4 Growing Healthy Attitudes.

Knowing How Attitude Affects Outcome

Discovering Your Attitudes to Mindfulness

Developing Helpful Attitudes

Understanding acceptance

Discovering patience

Seeing afresh

Finding trust

Cultivating curiosity

Letting go

Developing kindness

Appreciating 'Heartfulness'

Developing an Attitude of Gratitude

Letting go through forgiveness

Tackling Unhelpful Attitudes

Avoiding quick-fix solutions

Overcoming perfectionism

Finding out from failure

Chapter 5 Humans Being Versus Humans Doing

Delving into the Doing Mode of Mind

Embracing the Being Mode of Mind

Combining Being and Doing

Overcoming Obsessive Doing: Distinguishing Wants from Needs

Being in the Zone: The Psychology of Flow

Understanding the factors of mindful flow

Discovering your flow experiences

Encouraging a Being Mode of Mind

Dealing with emotions using being mode

Finding time to just be

Living in the moment

Part 3 Practising Mindfulness

Chapter 6 Getting Into Formal Mindfulness Meditation Practise

Preparing Your Body and Mind for Mindfulness Meditation

Savouring Mindful Eating Meditation

Calming with Mindful Breathing Meditation

Engaging in Mindful Movement

Trying Out the Body Scan Meditation

Practising the body scan

Appreciating the benefits of the body scan meditation

Overcoming body scan obstacles

Enjoying Sitting Meditation

Finding a posture that's right for you

Practising sitting meditation

Overcoming sitting meditation obstacles

Stepping Out with Walking Meditations

Examining your walking habits

Practising formal walking meditation

Trying alternative walking meditations

Overcoming walking meditation obstacles

Generating Compassion: Metta Meditations

Practising loving kindness meditation

Overcoming metta meditation obstacles.

Chapter 7 Using Mindfulness for Yourself and Others

Using a Mini Mindful Exercise

Introducing the breathing space

Practising the breathing space

Using the breathing space between activities

Using Mindfulness to Look After Yourself

Exercising mindfully

Preparing for sleep with mindfulness

Looking at a mindful work-life balance

Using Mindfulness in Relationships

Starting with your relationship with yourself

Dealing with arguments in romantic relationships: A mindful way to greater peace

Engaging in deep listening

Being aware of expectations

Looking into the mirror of relationships

Working with your emotions

Seeing everyone as your teacher

Chapter 8 Using Mindfulness in Your Daily Life

Using Mindfulness at Work

Beginning the day mindfully

Dropping in with mini meditations

Going from reacting to responding

Solving problems creatively

Practising mindful working

Trying single-tasking: Discovering the multi-tasking myth

Finishing by letting go

Using Mindfulness on the Move

Walking mindfully

Driving mindfully

Travelling mindfully on public transport

Using Mindfulness in the Home

Waking up mindfully

Doing everyday tasks with awareness

Second hunger: Overcoming problem eating

Living Mindfully in the Digital Age

Assessing your level of addiction to technology

Using mindfulness to get back in control

Using technology to enhance mindful awareness

Chapter 9 Establishing Your Own Mindfulness Routine

Trying an Evidence-Based Mindfulness Course

Week One: Understanding automatic pilot

Week Two: Dealing with barriers

Week Three: Being mindful in movement

Week Four: Staying present

Week Five: Embracing acceptance

Week Six: Realising that thoughts are just thoughts

Week Seven: Taking care of yourself.

Week Eight: Reflection and change

Choosing What to Practise for Quick Stress Reduction

Going Even Deeper

Discovering the value of silence

Setting aside a day for mindfulness

Joining a group

Finding an appropriate retreat

Chapter 10 Dealing with Setbacks and Transcending Distractions

Getting the Most Out of Meditation

Making time

Rising above boredom and restlessness

Staying awake during mindful meditation

Finding a focus

Re-charging enthusiasm

Dealing with Common Distractions

Handling unusual experiences

Learning to relax

Developing patience

Learning from Negative Experiences

Dealing with physical discomfort

Getting over difficult emotions

Accepting your progress

Going beyond unhelpful thoughts

Finding a Personal Path

Approaching difficulties with kindness

Understanding why you're bothering

Realising that setbacks are inevitable

Setting realistic expectations

Part 4 Reaping the Rewards of Mindfulness

Chapter 11 Discovering Greater Happiness

Discovering the Way to Happiness

Happiness requires effort and skill

Exploring your ideas about happiness

Challenging assumptions about happiness

Applying Mindfulness with Positive Psychology

Understanding the three ways to happiness

Using your personal strengths mindfully

Writing a gratitude journal

Savouring the moment

Helping others mindfully

Generating Positive Emotions with Mindfulness

Breathing and smiling

Mindful laughter

Releasing Your Creativity

Exploring creativity

Creating conditions for originality

Chapter 12 Reducing Stress, Anger and Fatigue

Using Mindfulness to Reduce Stress

Understanding your stress

Noticing the early signs of stress

Assessing your stress

Moving from reacting to responding to stress

Breathing with your stress.

Using your mind to manage stress

Cooling Down Your Anger

Understanding anger

Coping when the fire rises up

Reducing Fatigue

Assessing your energy levels

Discovering energy drainers

Finding what uplifts you

Using meditations to rise and sparkle

Chapter 13 Using Mindfulness to Combat Anxiety, Depression and Addiction

Exploring Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

All human minds suffer - it's natural

Six core skills of ACT

Doing ACT exercises

Dealing Mindfully with Depression

Understanding depression

Understanding why depression recurs

Using mindfulness to change your relationship to low mood

Discovering Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

Pleasant and Unpleasant Experiences

Interpreting thoughts and feelings

Combating automatic thoughts

Alternative viewpoints

De-centring from difficult thoughts

Listing your activities

Making wise choices

Using a depression warning system

Calming Anxiety: Let It Be

Feel the fear . . . and make friends with it

Using mindfulness to cope with anxiety

Being with anxious feelings

Overcoming Addiction

Understanding a mindful approach to addiction

Discovering urge surfing: The mindful key to unlocking addiction

Managing relapse: Discovering the surprising secret for success

Chapter 14 Getting Physical: Healing the Body

Contemplating Wholeness: Healing from Within

Seeing the Connection between Mind and Body

Accepting Your Limits

Rising above Your Illness

Using Mindfulness to Accept Pain

Knowing the difference between pain and suffering

Working with pain

Using Mindfulness during Ill Health

Aiding the healing process

Chapter 15 Sharing Mindfulness with Children

Children and Mindfulness: A Natural Combination

Teaching Mindfulness to Children

Setting an example

Taking baby steps.

Playing Mindfulness Games and Exercises.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes index.

ISBN:

9781119641612

1119641616

9781119641605

1119641608

OCLC:

1135668705