An authoritative handbook, this volume offers both a comprehensive review of the current science of mindfulness and a guide to its ongoing evolution. Leading scholars explore mindfulness in the context of contemporary psychological theories of attention, perceptual processing, motivation, and behavior, as well as within a rich cross-disciplinary dialogue with the contemplative traditions. After surveying basic research from neurobiological, cognitive, emotional/affective, and interpersonal perspectives, the book delves into applications of mindfulness practice in healthy and clinical populations, reviewing a growing evidence base. Examined are interventions for behavioral and emotion dysregulation disorders, depression, anxiety, and addictions, and for physical health conditions.

Use mindfulness to relax and control anxiety, depression, stress and pain Whether you're looking to control your depression and anxiety levels, improve concentration and reduce stress, or just want to restore balance in your life, Mindfulness For Dummies, 2nd Edition shows you how to slow down, become aware of what is going on around you and react effectively. Focusing on breathing and other self-control techniques, the practice of mindfulness is scientifically proven to calm jittery nerves and free the mind of distracting thoughts, mental clutter and unrealistic expectations. With this easy-to-follow guide, you'll discover how to pay attention to the present in order to change the way you think, feel and act. Covering the latest research on the effect of mindfulness on the brain, Mindfulness For Dummies, 2nd Edition shows you how to break free from a downward spiral of negative thought and action, and empowers you to make positive choices that support your well-being. Use mindfulness to reduce stress and anxiety, combat pain and more Receive guidance on incorporating mindfulness into everyday life Establish your own mindfulness routine Access audio downloads of guided meditations Written by a professional mindfulness trainer, and packed with tips to incorporate this practice into your daily life, Mindfulness For Dummies, 2nd Edition shows you how to reap the benefits of a more attentive life.

This book is an accessible companion for all early years practitioners to explore how mindfulness can be integrated into an early years learning environment. It presents topical theory and research, giving practical advice on using mindfulness as an everyday pedagogical tool to improve the emotional wellbeing of children, families and staff members. Providing a step-by-step approach for adopting mindfulness practices, the book offers photocopiable resources, information on mindfulness techniques and opportunities for critical reflection to help create a ‘mindful early years curriculum’. Chapters follows the four pillars of Calm, Acceptance, Relational Approach and Empathy, and include: The benefits of adopting a mindful approach in the early years The importance of staff wellbeing A template mindful curriculum for practitioners to adapt and use Case studies of effective mindful practices Resources, activities and techniques to create your own mindfulness toolkit This delightful book will be a source of inspiration for early years practitioners, early years teachers and those who are interested in introducing and embedding mindfulness into early years practice.

Find calm as you connect with your body and your baby Pregnancy is a time of great excitement and change. So it's only natural that you'll experience overwhelming moments as well as joyful ones. This guided journal can help you approach each day with grace and self-compassion, by turning to mindfulness. It's full of short and easy exercises designed to generate positivity, connection, and peace of mind. What sets this pregnancy book apart: Principles of mindfulness—Explore the basic tenets and benefits of mindfulness and discover how tools like breath work and visualization can keep you grounded in times of transition. Build a sustainable practice—Quick 5-minute exercises make it simple to develop a consistent mindfulness routine and stay motivated even on the toughest days of your pregnancy. Explore empowering exercises—Dive into a range of mindfulness practices designed for pregnancy, from yoga poses that alleviate discomfort to journal prompts that celebrate your changing body. Feel relaxed and remain present as your pregnancy progresses with this handy guide to mindfulness.

As nurses, we hear about mindfulness all the time, but what does that actually mean in practice? In this book readers are invited into conversation to explore how mindfulness influences palliative care nurses’ approaches to caring for themselves and others through experiences of living-dying. Under the guise of stress reduction and self-care, the assumption often made is that mindfulness can smooth out difficult experiences. Instead, the objective of this inquiry is not to bypass the practice of caring in those spaces that are really hard, but to understand how nurses are working directly within them. Calling out from the shadows—and our bodies—the intensity of palliative care nursing practice arises. In this text, a dialogue unfolds of nurses caring in deeply meaningful practice environments while searching for ground that is perpetually shifting, uncertain, and fraught with suffering and strong emotion. Integrating literature across nursing, sociology, and contemplative scholarship, evocative stories from palliative care nurses lead in this conversation—their words in italics—showing how they are guided into action through connection with-in their bodies. At other times, stories show how nurses are taking pause and drawing on various somatic practices to unravel entanglements that touch on their own humanity. These stories also offer insight into how systemic forces, across educational and organizational institutions, are either enhancing or constraining the way nurses engage mindfulness as a relationally embodied ethic of care. This insightful volume is not a how-to guide, rather it is a timely resource exploring approaches for palliative care nurses to care for themselves and others with mindfulness and compassion. Those seeking nuanced perspectives, particularly in relation to embodying mindfulness through suffering and strong emotion, will be drawn to this text. Qualitative researchers studying emotionally sensitive topics may also find inspiration in the narrative, arts-based, and embodied methods that shape this inquiry.

“A masterpiece.” —Jon Kabat-Zinn Since Mindfulness in Plain English was first published in 1994, it has become one of the bestselling — and most influential — books in the field of mindfulness. It’s easy to see why. Author Bhante Gunaratana, a renowned meditation master, takes us step by step through the myths, realities, and benefits of meditation and the practice of mindfulness. The book showcases Bhante’s trademark clarity and wit, as he explores the tool of meditation, what it does, and how to make it work. This expanded edition includes the complete text of its predecessor along with a new chapter on cultivating loving kindness, an especially important topic in today’s world. For anyone who is new to meditation, this is a great resource for learning how to live a more productive and peaceful life.

The opioid crisis arose in part due to the attempt to relieve chronic pain. Meeting a huge need, this is the authoritative presentation of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) for chronic pain and opioid use. MORE is one of the few evidence-based treatments shown to simultaneously reduce opioid use and/or addiction, pain, and co-occurring emotional distress. MORE integrates mindfulness training with principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy and positive psychology. In a convenient large-size format, the book provides everything needed to set up and run MORE groups. Treatment developer Eric L. Garland supplies session-by-session guidelines, sample scripts, clinical pointers, guided practices, and psychoeducational resources, including 16 reproducible handouts that can be photocopied or downloaded.

Mindfulness is exceptionally easy to get started with, and people often experience benefits almost immediately. Why, then, do many initial enthusiasts end up dropping the practice after a short while? According to Oxford professor and leading mindfulness expert Willem Kuyken, it's because traditional mindfulness training is too far removed from how we actually live. This next-generation resource brings mindfulness home by teaching core skills in easy-to-integrate ways that touch directly on life's daily challenges. Dr. Kuyken provides stepping stones to help you build a personal practice that is sustainable, purposeful, and richly rewarding--now and for years to come. Interweaving ancient wisdom and modern scientific psychology, the book includes stories, quotations, reflection questions, tips for overcoming hurdles, and compelling guided practices, including audio tracks at the companion website.

Break the cycle of anxious thinking and rumination that keeps you up at night. With this much-needed guide, you’ll learn to quiet your mind, relax your body, feel less tense, and finally get the sleep you need. Sleep plays a crucial role in our waking lives. While we sleep, our bodies are recharging with energy, damaged tissue is repaired, and our memories are stored. When we don't get enough sleep, we are tired, less positive, less motivated, less focused, and more likely to feel depressed. We may even experience more intense cravings for high-fat, sugar-rich foods. And yet, despite the myriad advantages of getting a good night's sleep, countless people suffer from chronic insomnia. If you’re one of them, this book can help. In this guide, a trained mindfulness expert teams up with a behavioral sleep specialist to offer evidence-based meditations and an innovative four-week protocol to address the emotional stresses and anxieties that lie at the root of sleep issues. You’ll learn practices grounded in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), mindful self-compassion (MSC), and guided mindfulness and acceptance for insomnia (GMATI) to alleviate the mental, emotional, and physical suffering caused by insomnia. You’ll also learn to identify both internal and external factors that may be compromising your sleep, and develop a plan to address these issues. There is nothing we can do to “make” ourselves fall asleep. In many ways, this is why insomnia can be so maddening. But what we can do is help create the conditions necessary for healthy slumber. The mindfulness tools in this book will help you do exactly that.

Packed with creative, effective ideas for bringing mindfulness into the classroom, child therapy office, or community, this book features sample lesson plans and scripts, case studies, vignettes, and more. Leading experts describe how to harness the unique benefits of present-focused awareness for preschoolers, school-age kids, and teens, including at-risk youth and those with special needs. Strategies for overcoming common obstacles and engaging kids with different learning styles are explored. Chapters also share ways to incorporate mindfulness into a broad range of children's activities, such as movement, sports, music, games, writing, and art. Giving clinicians and educators practices they can use immediately, the book includes clear explanations of relevant research findings.