MBSR Every Day , livre ebook

“This book shows us the heart of mindfulness. It reveals how the power of being present, the deepening of our own awareness, and the building of our own resiliency will help us thrive in our ever-changing and growingly complicated world. This book will help you settle down and settle in to the deeper and more tenacious part of who you are—the part you have probably been looking for all along.”
—Tim Ryan, US representative, Ohio, and author of A Mindful Nation
“Inviting, wise, and practical. A must-read for those new to mindfulness and longtime MBSR graduates, alike. MBSR Every Day will inspire you to be your best self, to live fully, and to stay motivated to ‘just do it’ and practice mindfulness every day.”
—Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, RN , Tussi and John Kluge Endowed Professor in contemplative end-of-life care at the University of Virginia School of Nursing, and author of Leaves Falling Gently
“If you are looking for a practical and easy-to-read guide to applying the wisdom of the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program to your everyday life, this book is for you. Elisha Goldstein and Bob Stahl have teamed up to offer an invaluable treasure trove of scientifically proven techniques we can apply to the everyday hassles and challenges of our busy modern lives. I highly recommend this book for novice practitioners, as well as experienced meditators who want to revitalize their practices.”
—Patricia A. Jennings, MEd, PhD , associate professor at the Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, and author of Mindfulness for Teachers
“With clarity and simplicity, the authors outline practical strategies for living an inspired, connected, and openhearted life—one with balance, steadiness, and wisdom amidst the inevitable joys and sorrows. Highly recommended.”
—Tara Healey, MEd , program director of Mindfulness-Based Learning at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
“Elisha Goldstein and Bob Stahl convey the sweetness and depth that can be found by bringing awareness to the simple activities and experiences of a typical modern life. Beginners and longtime practitioners alike will be inspired by the doorways that lead to deep inner truths.”
—Megan Cowan , cofounder of Mindful Schools
“This is a book worth carrying around with you. It’s a rich treasury of easily digestible practices that can help make mindfulness an everyday refreshing habit rather than a dutiful chore. It’s also filled with helpful background research and insightful commentary.”
—Barry Boyce , editor-in-chief of Mindful ( mindful.org )
“Take one amazing program that has brought relief to thousands of people across the planet, add two wise and warm teachers with deep experience and clarity of expression, blend them together with compassion and practicality, and you have this book: a shining gem that distills the essence of MBSR into simple yet powerful reflections, exercises, and practices. Just as MBSR is a collection of moments, so is this book. Clear, helpful, kindhearted, and practical, MBSR Every Day is a valuable guide to anyone who seeks to live a more mindful life.”
—Steven D. Hickman, PsyD , clinical psychologist, executive director at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness, and associate clinical professor in the UCSD department of psychiatry
“Authors Goldstein and Stahl teach us how to cultivate a mindful, heartful awareness with great simplicity and mastery. Giving yourself to the practices offered in this clear, wise, easy-to-use book is truly a gift to the soul. Enjoy!”
—Tara Brach, PhD , author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge

Publisher’s Note
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books

Copyright © 2015 by Elisha Goldstein and Bob Stahl New Harbinger Publications, Inc. 5674 Shattuck Avenue Oakland, CA 94609 www.newharbinger.com

Cover design by Amy Shoup; Interior design by Michele Waters-Kermes;
Acquired by Jess O’Brien; Edited by Jennifer Eastman


All Rights Reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file
This book is dedicated to all who choose to bring mindfulness into their everyday lives. This makes the world a better place to live in.
Contents
Introduction
Part 1: One Moment
1 Be a Beginner
2 Come to Your Senses
3 Mind Your Thoughts
4 Find Patience
5 Play!
6 Be Mindful of a Simple Task
7 Connect
8 The Gifts of Imperfection
9 Practice with Others
Part 2: Breathe
10 Simply Breathe
11 Prepare for Practice
12 Space, Time, and Posture
13 Breath as an Anchor
14 Make Peace with Your Mind
15 Uncover Gratitude
16 Trust Your Experience
Part 3: Tune the Heart
17 Practice “Kindfulness”
18 Love Yourself
19 Open Up to Joy
20 Smile (It’s Good for You)
21 Be Generous
22 Remember to Forgive
23 Be Gentle
24 Open Your Heart to Others
Part 4: Meditate
25 Start with Your Body
26 Know These Five Obstacles
27 Apply These Five Antidotes
28 Welcome and Entertain Them All
29 Let Be and Let Go
30 Turn into the Skid
31 Mindfulness on the Go
32 Breath, Body, Sound
33 Don’t Stress About Your Thoughts
34 Release the Critic
35 Uncover the Comparing Mind
36 Allow Whatever Is Here
Part 5: Be
37 Living (Loving) Awareness
38 Dip Beneath Identity
39 Discover Your Natural Balance
40 An Optical Delusion of Consciousness
41 Consider All Beings
42 Lovingkindness
43 Opening to Interconnection
References
Acknowledgments
Introduction
This is a book of essential practices that lie at the heart of the most widely embraced mindfulness-based programs available in the world today, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). Within these pages, you’ll find simple ways to bring the science, art, and practice of MBSR into your daily life to decrease suffering and bring you greater balance and peace. You’ll learn some new practices for how to find patience , find gifts in imperfection , make peace with your mind and body , trust your experience , cultivate self-compassion , love yourself , meditate , break free from negative thoughts , and feel more connected .
We want to affirm that you are an active participant in your health and well-being and that allowing this book to be your companion in the days ahead is a great act of self-care—some may even say self-love. Why? It’s no longer news that how we pay attention and what we pay attention to not only affects our lives but also shapes our brains. When it comes to MBSR, the findings consistently point to the fact that these practices change your mind, body, and life for the better. They: increase immune functioning under stress (Davidson et al. 2003) improve resiliency with the brain’s ability to process emotions under stress (Davidson et al. 2003) increase gray matter in the insula and cortex of the brain (Hölzel et al. 2011) reduce chronic pain (Kabat-Zinn et al. 1998; Rosenzweig et al. 2010) improve eudaimonia , or psychological well-being (Fredrickson et al. 2013) naturally increase empathy, self-compassion, and compassion (Shapiro, Schwartz, and Bonner 1998; Shapiro et al. 2005) decrease anxiety (Miller, Fletcher, and Kabat-Zinn 1995) and obsessive compulsive disorder (Baxter et al. 1992) prevent relapse into depression (Teasdale et al. 2000; Segal et al. 2010) prevent relapse with drug addiction (Parks, Anderson, and Marlatt 2001) enhance quality of life even under stress-related chronic illness (Carlson et al. 2007).
There is a saying in MBSR: no matter what you’re dealing with, as long as you are living and breathing, there is far more right with you than wrong with you. But much of the time, it seems that our minds tell us a different story. This internal narrative is often about what’s wrong with us, how we compare to others around us, or why we’re deficient or defective in some way—or, sometimes, maybe why we’re so amazing. These stories are often at the heart of what drives the suffering we experience in daily life. One of the greatest gifts of mindfulness is that we learn from the inside out that we are not our stories, not even the ones that tell us we are. We start to get better and better at recognizing that we have a choice in how we pay attention and what we pay attention to. You have a choice to become awake and dip beneath the stories , break your routine , let be , and practice “kindfulness” —four of the practices in this book—and then, instead of being stuck in old patterns, you will step into a life of greater freedom and possibility.
So how do you do it ?
Just Do It!
Even with all the wonderful science and personal accounts of how MBSR has changed people’s lives, the reality is that it’s completely useless unless we just do it .
We can read daily blogs, listen to recordings, or read books continually, but until we actually implement the practices in our lives, it’s all fairly useless. Not much changes unless we put the techniques into practice.
When we just do it , a whole lot of learning takes place. We experience how a simple practice like coming to your senses can calm a busy mind and bring us back into balance (chapter 2). With practice, we notice a rise in self-compassion (chapter 8), which research has shown is a major factor in preventing a relapse of depression (Neff and Germer 2013). When we bring MBSR as a companion into our lives, we simply begin to feel happier (Carmody and Baer 2008).
But while there are so many compelling reasons to practice, our past conditioning and all the cues from our outside world make it a challenge. We have to have a convincing reason to rise to this challenge. No one is going to do it for us; we have to do this for ourselves.
One way of unco