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The Mindfulness Solution: Everyday Practices For Everyday Problems (2009)

by Ronald D. Siegel(Favorite Author)

3.99 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1606232940 (ISBN13: 9781606232941)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

The Guilford Press

review 1: The Mindfulness Solution, by Ronald Siegel, is a well-written, practical guide to the application of mindfulness to everyday problems. He defines mindfulness as "the awareness of present experience with acceptance." He describes a variety of mindfulness-building techniques, such as breath awareness, body scan, eating meditation, walking meditation, and the loving-kindness meditation as basic practices. Then, he discusses how these and other specific problem-oriented practices can contribute to improvement of depression, chronic pain, relationships, addictive behaviors, and the decline that comes with aging. I think this book is an excellent application of the past 20 years of mind-body research to psychology in a format that can be used profitably by a layperson.With respe... morect to pain, he writes, "By intentionally bringing our attention to the pain sensations and adopting an accepting attitude, we can tolerate far more pain then we may have thought possible." I like the distinction he makes between sadness and depression: "Sadness tends to be fluid, alive and poignant-if we have the good sense to embrace it. Depression, on the other hand, usually feels dead, static, and alienating. Because our attempts to avoid or banish sadness and other emotions can trap us in depression, it's important to systematically make friends with all feelings." The practices that he recommends to do that include, among others, “ noting emotions in the body,” and “observing emotions throughout the day.”I have found his conclusion to be true for me personally, although mindfulness practice is not easy for me: "Combined with our efforts to act wisely, mindfulness practice can transform our experience of ourselves and our view of the world. It can allow us to awaken to our full potential, be more useful to others, and more completely enjoy the moments that we have together here on this planet."
review 2: Just starting this. I wouldn't have made a point to secure this book or to take on yet another focus in my life, but fortunately, my husband left it on the coffee table and after scanning just a few pages, it became clear it is the book for me right now. After a decade of rarely paying attention to sitting practice, this book is helping me get back into it. It was also interesting to read about the studies that have come out since my last serious efforts, of the positive effects of meditation and mindfulness, and convinced me to stop ignoring what I knew what a good path for myself. Now I am not just reading the book, but practicing the exercises and finding them to be...lovely. I am also starting a bit of a journal to track my experiences--don't know why yet, but it might bring me additional insights. So far, I recommend this book, and mindfulness in general anyway. Happy New Year for me. : ) less

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