Little Book of Mindfulness
Little Book of Mindfulness
BOOK OF
MINDFULNESS
EDITORS NOTE
Do you ever feel like your mind is racing? Like your nerves
are frayed, your energy has sapped, and a fog is clouding your
thoughts?
Mindfulness is a tool that can help you become happier,
calmer, more creative, more focused, and more in touch with
yourself.
By bringing your full attention to your body, your breath, your
senses and your surroundings, you can open yourself up to an
invigorating experience that leaves you feeling energised and
centred.
And if you practice these techniques regularly, you can make
real changes to how your mind manages the stresses and
demands of your everyday life.
The principles of mindfulness are simple to learn but like all
things, it takes practice.
In this book, weve brought together a collection of expert
advice to help you get started building a habit of mindfulness.
Whether its through meditation, or simply through a mindful
approach to everyday activities, the practise of mindfulness
really can change your life.
But dont just take our word for it. Experience it for yourself.
Slow down. Take a moment to pause. Breathe and be.
This is a be. publication. For more wellbeing advice, stories
and ideas, visit: bemagazine.com.au
CONTENTS
6
How mindfulness works
10
The relaxation response
18
Mindful apps
24
Mindfulness at work
8
Meditation: a step-by-step guide
12
14
20
22
Mindful eating
5 STEPS
TO MINDFULNESS
1. Tune in to the breath
It may sound like an irritating cliche, but there is scientific
rationale for this advice. The breath is not only a powerful
indicator of ones state of mind but also a helpful
modulator.
During a busy day, take a few moments to consciously
tune in to the breath. Feel three breaths move in and out
of the body. Then slow down the exhalation to help trigger
the relaxation response. Extending the breath in this way
sends a message to the parasympathetic nervous system
(the system that opposes the stress response) to calm
down the body, which helps you think more clearly and
feel more relaxed.
HOW TO MEDITATE
A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
By Dr Elise Bialylew
Get Comfortable
Begin by finding a comfortable position, either sitting on a chair or a cushion on
the floor, or lying down. Gently close your eyes. Take a moment to check in with
how youre feeling right now, allowing yourself to let go of any concerns about the
past or future.
Become aware of the feeling of your body sitting here. Notice the areas of contact
your body makes with the chair or the ground. Your feet resting flat on the ground,
your legs supported by the chair, your hands resting comfortably in your lap.
1 Giant Mind
CLARE BOWDITCH
ON FINDING BALANCE
arts, that our creativity, can play in our health and in our
healing, most particularly in times of transition. I believe
in this so strongly that I launched an enterprise called
Big Hearted Business to teach people from all walks of
life how to re-connect with their creativity. Art is, as Pat
McGorry calls it, a most important connector: it connects
us to meaning and to community and to the memory of
what it is to make the most of your life, and do the things
that inspire you.
On Smiling Mind.
I became an ambassador for Smiling Mind because I
really do believe that when we meditate, even just for five
minutes a day, our lives are happier, our world is happier.
Smiling Mind makes it so easy for children and even for
their parents to begin experimenting with mindfulness. I
am really proud to be involved. My children really do love it
too. My daughter especially likes the idea of the chocolate
meditation practice.
10 WAYS TO BRING
MINDFULNESS INTO
YOUR DAY
By Dr Elise Bialylew
BE MINDFUL IN CONVERSATION.
Use listening as a meditation. Pay attention to the whole person speaking. Notice the sound
and rhythm of their voice and their facial expressions. Notice your mind drifting off into fantasy
or thinking whilst the person is speaking. Notice your urge to speak is it easier for you to
listen or talk?
BE MINDFUL IN CONFRONTATION.
Tune in to the body, notice any sensations that come with anger or fear as you are in a difficult
conversation: heat, tightness, a rapid heartbeat? Notice your urge to defend or react in some way.
Anchor your attention to sensations in the body as you negotiate.
BE MINDFUL IN BED.
So many people use digital technology, whether laptops or phones, in bed. Phones are commonly
used as alarm clocks these days. Notice how you relate to technology in the bedroom and whether
this impacts on your ability to fall asleep.
MINDFULNESS APPS
Smiling Mind
This colourful, intuitive mindfulness app is designed with
young people in mind, making meditation easy, accessible
and fun. Created by a team of psychologists specialising
in adolescent therapy, the app guides you through
a daily meditation practice, with programs specially
tailored to different age groups, from children aged 7-11
right through to adults. Smiling Mind also offers free
mindfulness resources for groups, teams and workplaces,
and a special program for expecting parents.
smilingmind.com.au
Headspace
Just 10 minutes a day is all you need to get started with
meditation. Headspace takes you through simple guided
meditation exercises to help you relax, de-stress and
get in touch with your breath and body. Along with these
mindfulness sessions, the app provides animations about
how the mind works and tips that help give you a deeper
understanding of whats going on.
headspace.com
Simply Being
Choose your session length, decide if you want relaxing
music, soothing natural sounds, or just a calming
voice, and let yourself be taken through a short guided
meditation. Perfect for beginners, this simple app by
Meditation Oasis makes it easy to create your own
mindfulness practice, with an easy to use interface and
plenty of customisable options.
meditationoasis.com
1 Giant Mind
Learn to meditate with step-by-step audio and video
guidance. Choose between calming ambient background
music or silence, and customise the length of your
session to suit you. This app also provides a journaling
tool, making it easy to track your progress.
1giantmind.org
STEPHANIE RICE ON
MINDFULNESS AND
CLARITY
MINDFUL EATING
By David Cameron-Smith
2.
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5.
6.
7.
HOW TO BE MINDFUL
AT WORK
Soothe those office stresses, connect with your
coworkers, and create an enriching, fulfilling work
environment.
In his book Mindfulness at Work, Dr Stephen McKenzie
explores the principles of mindfulness and the role it
plays in reducing stress, improving productivity and
boosting enjoyment at work. Mindfulness can help us
to transform our working lives into something that really
fulfils us, rather than merely something that we have to
do or that we are paid to do, Dr McKenzie says.
There are seven general mindfulness principles that Dr
McKenzie suggests can be introduced into our workplace,
helping to shape our everyday reality into the one we want
to be in.
1. Self-knowledge
Allowing ourselves the time to learn and discover who
we really are rather than identifying ourselves with who
we think we are can help us enormously in our work.
Mindfulness empowers us to understand that we all have
a unique talent to offer the world, and discovering who we
really are and how we can best express it will influence
the work we do.
2. Unity
We all know that a champion team will beat a team
of champions any day or night, and this is because of
their unity, Dr McKenzie says. By being mindful of our
connection to others and recognising those around us, we
can all help each other to work better and more enjoyably.
3. Truth
At the heart of truth is open-mindedness. Be prepared to
be proven wrong, embrace ideas that arent your own and
acknowledge that truth can be found anywhere.
4. Awareness
How often do we do one task while thinking about
something else? Scan emails while eating food, make
phone calls while glancing over paperwork How much
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