Thoelle, Sue Patton. The Mindful Woman: Gentle Practices for Restoring Calm, Finding Balance , & Opening Your Heart.I've enjoyed this book for the past 6 months. Mindfulness is a particularly difficult concept for me to incorporate, but Sue Patton Thoelle makes it easier by giving simple practices to guide the reader to a relaxed, purposeful, and creative approach, choosing mindfulness over "automatic living."
Even with these simple practices that focus on breathing and intention, Thoelle is aware of the elusiveness of mindfulness: "...how incredibly easy it is for me to be seduced away from simplicity and focused awareness into multi-multitasking and rampant mind-mucking."
Part One discuss the basics, the elements of mindfulness, the differences between mindfulness and automatic living, and the benefits of mindfulness. Part Two contains the practices, and Part Three is about enjoying the benefits.
Originally, I intended to read a practice a day, but obviously, I didn't keep up with that too well, and the book would be buried for weeks at a time before I would find it again. My intention now is to go through it again, reading and considering each practice again, and not expect it to happen each day.
The book reminds me of the Upper Room Devotionals--a time to rest and remove oneself briefly from the mundane and focus on the spiritual.
Nonfiction. Instructional/Spiritual. 2008. 219 pages.
I just added it to my wish list on Amazon. Sounds perfect for me too ! Thanks for the review (s) - I always enjoy them !
ReplyDeleteOh I wish I could remember to live this way on a daily basis. I'll do pretty well for a while and then I let things begin to get to me and go back to automatic pilot living for a while.
ReplyDeleteMarie - hey, you! I am trying to combine the book now with my meditation practice. They work well together.
ReplyDeleteLisa - I have the same problem. Even after taking the time with one of the practices, 20 minutes later, I can be back on automatic pilot!