Discover how mindfulness can help you take care of yourself - and others!

Become More Mindful In a Day provides a practical introduction to mindfulness, and the benefits of a mindful approach to life. Designed to contain a days reading, this handy guide explains what mindfulness is, how to begin practising mindful meditation, and explores a number of ways mindfulness can help you achieve a happier state of mind.

Open the book and find:

An introduction to the basics of mindfulness meditationThe difference between formal and informal meditationSeveral examples of mindful meditation, including the body scan meditation and sitting meditationHow mindfulness can help in relationshipsTips for exercising mindfully

Shamash Alidina is a professional mindfulness trainer, teacher and lecturer. He trained in mindfulness at the Centre For Mindfulness in Bangor and he has a Masters degree in Education, with a focus on brain and behaviour. Shamash is qualified?as a professional coach and he has a certificate in Counselling Skills. Shamash has over 10 years' experience teaching mindfulness in schools and on university courses, and he currently runs mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) courses in London. He has spoken at several high-profile meditation lectures and workshops, including the 'Science of Mindfulness' and the 'Science of Gratitude' lecture series in London. Shamash is also the author ofMindfulness For Dummies.

Introduction 1

What You Can Do in a Day  1

Foolish Assumptions  2

Icons Used in This Book  2

Chapter 1: Discovering Mindfulness 3

Understanding the Meaning of Mindfulness  4

Looking at Mindfulness Meditation  5

Using Mindfulness to Help You  7

Allowing space to heal  7

Enjoying greater relaxation  8

Improving productivity  9

Exploring for personal discovery  10

Starting the Mindfulness Adventure  12

Beginning the voyage  12

Overcoming challenges  13

Exploring the journey of a lifetime  14

Chapter 2: Getting Into Formal Mindfulness Meditation Practice 17

Preparing Your Body and Mind for Mindfulness Meditation  18

Savouring Eating Meditation  18

Relaxing with Mindful Breathing Meditation  20

Engaging in Mindful Movement  22

Trying Out the Body Scan Meditation  23

Practising the body scan  24

Appreciating the benefits of the body scan meditation  27

Overcoming body scan obstacles  29

Enjoying Sitting Meditation  30

Finding a posture thats right for you  31

Sitting on a chair  31

Sitting on the floor  32

Practising sitting meditation  36

Practising mindfulness of breath  36

Overcoming sitting meditation obstacles  39

Generating Compassion: Metta Meditations  41

Practising loving-kindness meditation  41

Overcoming metta meditation obstacles  44

Chapter 3: Using Mindfulness for Yourself and Others 45

Using a Mini Meditation 46

Introducing the breathing space  46

Practising the breathing space  46

Using the breathing space between activities  50

Using Mindfulness to Look After Yourself  51

Exercising mindfully  51

Mindful running  52

Mindful swimming  52

Preparing for sleep with mindfulness  53

Using Mindfulness in Relationships 54

Starting with your relationship with yourself  54

Engaging in deep listening  56

Being aware of expectations  57

Looking into the mirror of relationships  58

Taking responsibility for your emotions  59

Meeting difficult people anew  60

Chapter 4: Where to Go from Here 63

A Quick Review of How Mindfulness Can Help You  63

Visiting dummies.com 64