Introduction

When I was about eight years old, I discovered an amazing fact – I’m actually alive, on this planet, in this universe! And so is everyone else. The fact that there’s a universe at all is amazing, but that I’m in it too … that was mind blowing. I started going round telling everyone, but they didn’t share my excitement. I saw adults mechanically going to work and doing the shopping, and friends playing games, but I was conscious of an incredible sense of existence happening that they weren’t able to share. It was like an amazing set of fireworks was exploding, but everyone was looking the wrong way.

As I grew up, I began to lose my grip on this sense of wonder until I stumbled upon mindfulness and a range of philosophies. I was relieved to find others who’d contemplated similar questions to me, and to learn a way of managing my stress at the same time. I continue to enjoy asking the big questions, and find that mindfulness beautifully compliments my natural tendency to be philosophical.

In this book you can discover how to re-ignite your perception of this mystery called life, so you aren’t just existing to complete to-do lists, but are actually living. You find out how to practise mindfulness, so you can integrate a new way of being into your everyday life, helping you to cope with managing stress, challenging emotions, and increasing your general sense of wellbeing in a rich variety of different ways.

About This Book

Mindfulness For Dummies provides you with the tools to practise mindfulness on your own. Each chapter is brimming with insights about what mindfulness is, how to practise mindfulness quickly and easily, and how to deepen your experience. I wrote this book with the beginner in mind, but the knowledge goes far deeper, and experienced mindfulness practitioners will find lots of new aspects to ponder. As the research on mindfulness continues to develop rapidly, I’ve chosen to explain in detail the core mindfulness practices and approaches that have been tested many times before and found to be effective.

Foolish Assumptions

In writing this book, I made a few assumptions about who you are:

• You’re keen to learn more about mindfulness, but don’t know exactly what it is, and how to practise it.
• You are willing to have a good go at trying out the various mindfulness exercises before judging if they’ll work for you.
• You’re interested in the many different applications of mindfulness.
• You’re not afraid of a bit of mindfulness meditation.

Beyond those, I’ve not assumed too much, I hope. This book is for you whether you’re male or female, 18 or 88.

Icons Used in This Book

Sprinkled throughout the book you’ll see various icons to guide you on your way. Icons are a For Dummies way of drawing your attention to important stuff, interesting stuff, and stuff you really need to know how to do.

The audio tracks that can be found on www.dummies.com and that accompany this book include a selection of guided mindfulness exercises for you to try. Find these exercises by looking for this icon.

This is stuff you need to know: whatever else you carry away from this book, note these bits with care.

Have a go at different mindfulness exercises and tips with this icon.

Take careful note of the advice under this icon, and you’ll avoid unnecessary problems – ignore at your peril.

Find some precious pearls of wisdom and meaningful stories next to this icon.

Beyond the Book

In addition to the content in the print or e-book you’re reading right now, this book also comes with some access-anywhere goodies on the web. Check out the free Cheat Sheet at www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/Mindfulness for a simple summary of all the key points contained in this book. This really handy sheet can be printed out for you to carry with you throughout the day, so you can dip into it for some mindfulness anytime you need to.

You can also access three unique articles about mindfulness, in addition to this book. To read those, visit www.dummies.com/extras/mindfulness.

And last but most importantly, this book also includes lots of high quality, downloadable mindfulness exercises. These exercises are available online as audio tracks. They are referred to through the book, as marked with the icon Play This, and vary in lengths from 3 minutes to 25 minutes.

To download the audio tracks to your device, go to www.dummies.com/extras/mindfulness.

Alternatively, you could even play them straight from your smart phone when you have wifi access. Be sure to bookmark the link so you can easily access the mindfulness audio tracks anytime you need them. Listening to the guided mindfulness exercises is the easiest way most people practise mindfulness as beginners.

Where to Go from Here

I’ve put this book together so that you can dip in and out as you please. I invite you to make good use of the Table of Contents – or the index – and jump straight into the section you fancy. You’re in charge and it’s up to you of course. If you’re a total beginner, or not sure where to start, take a traditional approach and begin with Part I.

I wish you all the best in your mindfulness quest and hope you find something of use within these pages. Happy mindfulness!