Mindfulness For Dummies (For Dummies (Psychology & Self Help))

340 Pages·2010·3.37 MB·English

by  Shamash Alidina

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Take control of your life Personal Development AwPuridathcio tti hCseeD “mHienrdef uisl nae bsos ocka no fb percaocmtiec aal vwitiasdl opmar,t s ohfo dwaiinlyg l hivoinwg .” – Professor Mark Williams
and achieve a happier and
more focused state of mind
Open the book and find:
M ul ne s s
Whether you’re suffering from stress, fatigue or illness (cid:129) How to achieve greater happiness M i ndf
or simply want to regain some balance in your life, and contentment in your life
i
mindfulness meditation will help you attain a more
(cid:129) Ways to incorporate mindfulness n
confident and calm outlook. Using mindful breathing and into your daily life
self-control techniques, this easy-to-follow book and audio
d
(cid:129) Anxiety and stress-busting
CD allow you to let go of negative and distracting thoughts.
exercises
The hands-on advice and guided meditations provide all f
(cid:129) Techniques to manage pain and
the tools you need to start living in the present and become u
illness
happier and more energized.
(cid:129) Ways to add deeper meaning to l
(cid:129) Unlock the basics — find out what mindfulness is and how it can your life n
help you
(cid:129) How to respond wisely to negative
e
(cid:129) Get to know yourself — discover what makes you tick and how
life experiences
you can let go of unhelpful emotions and develop a mindful
s
attitude (cid:129) Ways to improve your
relationships with others
s
(cid:129) Become focused, calmer and happier — learn how to utilize
mindfulness at home, at work and in your everyday activities (cid:129) Advice on mindful parenting
(cid:129) Kick negativity into touch — use mindfulness meditations to
overcome anxiety, stress, anger, pain, fatigue and more
Learn to:
(cid:129) Enrich your life — pick up tips on how mindfulness can improve
your quality of life and find out how to take your learning further
(cid:129) D evelop constructive attitudes and
Go to Dummies.com
® become happier and healthier
Audio CD Includes for videos, step-by-step examples,
how-to articles, or to shop! (cid:129) I ncorporate mindfulness meditations
9 guided meditations, including the body scan
into your daily routine
meditation and mindful walking meditation
Step-by-step advice on how to get the most out (cid:129) Use mindfulness to overcome stress,
of mindfulness meditation anger, anxiety, depression and more
Follow the guided meditations on
£16.99 UK / $24.99 US / $29.99 CN the audio CD to achieve calm and
Shamash Alidina is a professional mindfulness trainer, speaker and coach ISBN 978-0-470-66086-7 well-being
specialising in mindfulness training for therapists, coaches and executives,
as well as the general public. He has trained with Jon Kabat-Zinn, Thich
Nhat Hanh and Matthieu Ricard, and at Bangor University’s Centre for
Shamash Alidina
Mindfulness. He has over ten years of experience in teaching mindfulness.
Alidina Mindfulness trainer, lecturer and coach
spine=17.85mm
Get More and Do More at Dummies.com
®
Start with FREE Cheat Sheets
Cheat Sheets include Apps
(cid:129) Checklists Mobile
(cid:129) Charts
(cid:129) Common Instructions
(cid:129) And Other Good Stuff!
To access the Cheat Sheet created specifically for this book, go to
www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/mindfulnessuk
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Mindfulness
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
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Mindfulness
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
by Shamash Alidina
Foreword by Steven D. Hickman, Psy.D.
Clinical Psychologist, Assistant Clinical Professor, University of California at
San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, Director, UCSD Center for Mindfulness
A John Wiley and Sons, Ltd, Publication
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Mindfulness For Dummies® Disclaimer: This eBook does not include ancillary media that
Published by was packaged with the printed version of the book.
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data: A catalogue record for this book is available from the
British Library
ISBN: 978-0-470-66086-7 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-470-66515-2 (ebk),
ISBN 978-0-470-66374-5 (ebk), ISBN 978-0-470-66375-2 (ebk)
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Bell & Bain Ltd, Glasgow
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About the Author
Shamash Alidina has been practising mindfulness since 1998. He was invited
to experiment with a short mindfulness exercise whilst studying in an Eastern
philosophy evening class, and caught the mindfulness bug! He was amazed
at the power of mindfulness meditation to transform his state of mind, both
during the meditation itself, and through exercises in day to day life. He
decided to dedicate his time to learn and teach mindfulness to others. He
taught mindfulness to groups of adults, and then additionally taught in a
children’s school in London for eight years which integrated meditation into
the curriculum.
Shamash formally trained at Bangor University’s Centre for Mindfulness in
Wales. He runs his own successful training organisation, Learn-Mindfulness.
com, to teach mindfulness professionally to the general public, as well as to
coaches, therapists, clinicians and business organisations, both in-person
and through distance learning. He has trained in managing workplace health
with the Health and Safety Executive and regularly coaches executives in
stress reduction. He has taught mindfulness all over the world, including the
Middle East, the USA and Europe.
Shamash has been interviewed by several national newspapers in the UK,
including the Sunday Times Magazine, has featured in mindfulness campaigns,
and regularly blogs on his two main passions, mindfulness and advaita
philosophy. He currently lives in London next to the delightful Bushey Park.
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Dedication
This book is dedicated to you, the reader. May the practice of mindfulness be
of benefi t to you, and those close to you.
Author’s Acknowledgements
I would like to personally thank Jennifer Prytherch and Nicole Hermitage
from Wiley for commissioning me to write this book on such a topical and
important subject, and for coming to visit me personally! I would also like
to say a special thank you to Jo Theedom who has been so tolerant and
patient of my many questions, and hugely supportive of the book throughout
production. I would like to wholeheartedly extend my thanks to the whole
production team at Wiley, especially Rachel Chilvers, Anne O’Rorke and Zoe
Wykes for their incredible attention to detail - I must say, I’ve honestly been
very impressed by the For Dummies team.
Special thanks go to Sandra, for sharing my excitement of the project, and
providing the many cups of tea while I spent evenings and weekends either
practising mindfulness exercises, or staring intently at my laptop looking
confused. Thanks to my brother, Aneesh, who fi rst suggested the idea of
Mindfulness For Dummies, and my parents Manju and Fateh, who supported
me throughout. Thanks to Sarah Silverton of Bangor University’s Centre of
Mindfulness, who commented on some of the chapters, and Jon Kabat-Zinn
for his comments and positive support. Thanks to my wonderful friends
Maneesh Juneja, for his encouragement, comments and advice on some chap-
ters and Garry Boon, whose wisdom and humor continue to be a source of
joy.
I would like to thank Steven Hickman, Director of the UCSD Center for
Mindfulness, for his positive comments about the quotes I post on-line,
and for writing a beautiful foreword to this book.
Finally I’d like to thank Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta and ‘Sailor’ Bob
Adamson for their lifetime of dedication in inspiring others to look deep
within themselves and discover who they truly are.
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Publisher’s Acknowledgements
We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration
form located at www.dummies.com/register/.
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Commissioning, Editorial, and Composition Services
Media Development
Project Coordinator: Lynsey Stanford
Project Editor: Jo Theedom
Layout and Graphics: Ashley Chamberlain,
Commissioning Editor: Nicole Hermitage Joyce Haughey
Assistant Editor: Ben Kemble Proofreader: Lauren Mandelbaum
Development Editor: Rachael Chilvers Indexer: Christine Karpeles
Copy Editor: Anne O’Rorke Special Help
Proofreader: David Price Brand Reviewer: Zoe Wykes
Production Manager: Daniel Mersey
Cover Photos: © Okea/Fotolia
Cartoons: Rich Tennant
(www.the5thwave.com)
CD Recording and Production:
Heavy Entertainment, with special thanks
to Davy Nougarède and David Roper
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