"Mindfulness is another word for having a clear mind, a mind that is fully conscious in each present moment. It teaches us to look deeply at ourselves and at the world. Mindfulness can help reduce stress and improve the quality of our lives," writes Jeannie Seward-Magee who teaches the practices of mindfulness worldwide. In this paperback, she has crafted an eight-week program designed to spur self-realization and spiritual blossoming. With an impressive mix of personal anecdotes and creative writing, breathing exercises, thought-provoking quotations, and questions, Seward-Magee has put together a road map to happiness, peace, and freedom. Some of the exercises (as well as the foreword) are from the Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh.
There are three daily practices which will take you forty minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening. The Mindful Meditations have been set up to encourage stillness and the practice of following the breath. The Mindful Memoirs are exercises which enable you to gain greater understanding and self-acceptance. They cover the life cycle and are very personal. The Mindful Gratitudes reveal how dependent we are on others for the bounties and wonders of our lives. Seward-Magee presents The Five Mindfulness Trainings with sections on Compassion and Nonviolence, Defeating Oppression, Conscious Sexuality, Mindful Speech and Listening, and Mindful Consumption. There are also treatments of loving-kindness, community, and supplementary appendixes.
Here is a Mindful Exercise to encourage compassion and nonviolence:
"Buy a bag of mixed beads from a craft shop. Every time you make a judgment about someone or something, take a bead and put it in an empty glass. At the end of each day, count the number of beads in the glass. Write down the number and do this exercise daily for a week. The object of the exercise is to attempt to have an empty glass at the end of each day and to think about how often you are being unkind or uncompassionate to others."
