Mindfulness Made Easy
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with breathing see breathing, mindfulness of
and centring 34–5, 101–2
and cheerfulness 39
choiceless awareness 131–3
and co-operation see co-operation
coming back 40
coming to your senses 20–23
and commitment 19–20, 30
and compassion see compassion
and confidence 37–8, 59, 117, 118, 174, 178, 183
and connecting 36–7, 134–6
and courage 33–4
courses in 184–5, 195–6
and curiosity 32, 92
distractions see distractions
and doubt 62
in educational establishments 155
emotions during 61, 74–5
and ethical living 161–3
experiences in see mindfulness experiences and reflections
with gentleness 17–18, 19–20, 31
informal practice 185–6
in kindness 166–70 see also compassion
letting go see letting go
managing mind and body well 154–6
misunderstandings about 41–2
mountain meditation 101–2
movement 105, 181–3
in neuroplasticity 18–19, 143
observing patterns 71–5, 77–8, 82
online 197–8
opening to space 69–80
posture see posture
practice-interfering thoughts during 62
and the present moment see present moment and the principle of opening to sensory awareness 16–18
and relaxation 41, 102–3
restlessness during 61–2
retreats 196–7
roots and triggers leading to practice of mindfulness 23–6
sensations during 61
on sensations in feet or hands 62
sleepiness during 61, 92
STOP, a one-minute practice 186–7
sustaining formal meditation 184
teaching settings of 155, 181
thoughts during 41, 60–61, 71, 72, 96
times to avoid intensive meditation 6
turning towards difficulty 113–15
and the unexpected 158
and the virtuous spiral 157–8
and wholeness see wholeness
‘monkey mind’ 55
mountain meditation 101–2
movement, mindful 105, 181–3
see also action
multi-tasking 10
N
negativity bias 51–3, 72, 75–6, 94
neuroplasticity 18–19, 143
nicotine 135
non-clinging see letting go
P
pain 15, 95, 96, 101, 115, 120, 121
embracing 33
panic 51, 62
paranoia 155
parasympathetic nervous system 97
past, living in the 50–51
planning 65, 93, 142
post-traumatic stress disorder 155
posture 34, 59, 117–18
to avoid sleepiness 61
practice-interfering thoughts (PITs) 62
pre-frontal cortex 19, 93, 97, 110, 142
present moment
acceptance of what is there 91, 102–3
body existing only in 100 see also embodiment
compassionate abiding in 115–17 see also compassion
courage to stay in 33–4
embodiment see embodiment
and impermanence 126, 128–30, 144
letting go in see letting go
mindful breathing as practice of being present 88–9 see also breathing, mindfulness of
present-centred attention see attention
saying ‘yes’ to the present moment 110–15
sensations see sensations/sensing
staying present to stress 96, 97–8, 110
and transformative shifting 111–22
see also embodiment
Promega 109–10
psychoanalysis 13
R
rehabilitation therapy 18
relationships, mindful 16
relaxation 41, 102–3
resilience 33, 118, 175
resistance 61, 111, 113, 115, 168
letting go of 41, 103
restlessness 61–2
rumination 11, 16, 23, 50, 75, 76, 93, 94, 97, 101, 111, 183
S
sadness 33, 39, 74–5, 95
Sapolsky, Robert 94
seeing 21, 70–71
selfhood 130–31
awareness of ‘selfing’ 141, 144–5
and the brain 142–3
Buddhist ‘no-self’ teaching 126
as a bundle of tendencies 133–4
consequence of ‘selfing’ 136–7
and impermanence 129–31, 144
and interconnection 134–6
letting go of ‘me’ 138–42
science of mindfulness and the self 142–3
sensations/sensing
attachment to pleasant sensations 61
and attention 73–4
and centring 34–5
coming to your senses 9, 16–18, 20–23 see also mindfulness training and practices
and emotion 74, 75
habitual interpretation of 77–8
impermanence of sensations 129, 144
and intuition 34
and mindfulness of breathing 73–4
mindfulness of sensations in feet or hands 62
resistance to unpleasant sensations 61
strength of 99–100
see also feeling; hearing; seeing; smelling; tasting
skilful action 111, 116, 153, 156–7, 162, 163
sleep 16
lack of 94, 155
sleepiness 61, 92
smelling 21–2
smiling 118, 161
space, opening to 69–80
three-step breathing space practice 78–80, 104–5, 163–6
STOP, a one-minute mindfulness practice 186–7
stress 93–8, 155
and anxiety 93, 94, 96 see also anxiety
and body mindfulness 98–102
and the brain 11, 93, 94, 97
of caring 155
chronic 94
and the fight or flight reaction 50–51, 88, 94, 95–6
hormones 14, 97
and interleukin-6 167
post-traumatic stress disorder 155
reduction 14, 97–8
and relentless doing 10–11, 42
root causes of 11–12
staying present to 96, 97–8, 110
two arrow analogy 95–6
T
tasting 22
telomeres 97
thoughts
and approach mentality 33, 110, 111
automatic see automatic thoughts
cognitive rigidity 57
and ‘emptying the boat’ 77
habitual interpretation of 77–8
letting go of 98
and living in the past 50–51
during meditation 41, 60–61, 71, 72
mindfulness of 41, 60–61, 71–3, 96
with negativity bias 51–3, 72, 75–6, 94
observing patterns of 71–3, 78, 82
practice-interfering 62
rumination see rumination
unbidden thoughts and stress 95–6
tinnitus 155
transformative shifting 111–22
trust 38, 116, 148, 176, 180
‘turning towards’: transformative shifting 111–22
U
unawareness 3, 12
change blindness 53–4, 56
and living in the past 50–51
living on autopilot 49–54
see also automatic thoughts
W
walking, mindful 181–3
wellbeing
awareness, contentment and the path to 157
and the benefits of mindfulness see mindfulness experiences and reflections; mindfuln
ess science and benefits
and the brain 18–19, 57, 97, 109–10
co-operation and collective wellbeing 160
and compassion 157, 158–61
and interconnection 134–6
striving for 1–2
see also happiness
wholeness 177–91
and continued practice 184–6
embodied learning 178–9
uniting art and science 179–80
uniting mindfulness and movement 105, 181–3
wise mind 156
wonder 35, 139
awe 167
World Health Organization 10
worry see anxiety
Wu Wei Wu (Terence Gray) 137
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vicki Halliwell
Ed Halliwell is a UK-based mindfulness teacher and writer. He leads courses and retreats in London, Sussex and Surrey, working with a wide range of groups and organizations. He is co-author of The Mindful Manifesto: How Doing Less And Noticing More Can Help Us Thrive In A Stressed-Out World, as well as author of the Mental Health Foundation’s ‘Be Mindful’ report, and is Co-director of The Mindfulness Initiative, which is working with the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary group to bring mindfulness into public policy. He writes for The Guardian newspaper and blogs for mindful.org, and is a faculty member at the School of Life in London.
www.edhalliwell.com