Jason Hazeley - The Ladybird Book of Mindfulness

THE LADYBIRD BOOKS FOR GROWN-UPS SERIES

MINDFULNESS

by

J. A. Hazeley, N.S.F.W. and J. P. Morris, O.M.G.

(Authors of TVs Fiftiest Great Sausage Moments)

Publishers: Ladybird Books Ltd, Loughborough
Printed in England. If wet, Italy.

UK | USA | Canada | Ireland | Australia
India | New Zealand | South Africa

Michael Joseph is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com

First published 2015

Copyright Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris, 2015
All images copyright Ladybird Books Ltd, 2015

The moral right of the authors has been asserted

ISBN: 978-1-405-92571-6

The authors would like to thank the illustrators whose work they have so mercilessly ribbed, and whose glorious craftsmanship was the set-dressing of their childhoods. The inspiration they sparked has never faded.

This delightful book is the latest in the series of Ladybird books that have been specially planned to help grown-ups with the world about them.

As in the other books in this series, the large, clear script, the careful choice of words, the frequent repetition and the thoughtful matching of text with pictures all enable grown-ups to think they have taught themselves to cope. The subject of the book will greatly appeal to grown-ups.

Mindfulness is the skill of thinking you are doing something when you are doing nothing.

One of the good things about mindfulness is that you get to do a lot of sitting down.

Sitting down is good for the mind because so much positive energy is stored in the lap.

People who practise mindfulness first find somewhere quiet to sit down.

Alan is sitting down in the Falkland Islands.

Sophie is concentrating on her breath. It smells of Frazzles.

She says she has light for breakfast, air for lunch and love for supper, but Sophie has also secretly had some Frazzles.

Wendell achieves a state of mindfulness by imagining he is floating in a beautiful lake until his mind empties of everyday worries.

Soon he is aware of himself, but no longer worried about money, work, family or whether he left the taps on.

Many home insurance policies now cover Acts of Mindfulness.

Anna has emptied her mind and is just listening to the world around her.

She can hear the neighbours arguing, two ambulances, a burglar alarm, a child crying, and the sound of dubstep coming from a Subaru Impreza.

She is also concentrating on her own feelings, like her cystitis.

People learn a lot about themselves from mindfulness.

Mindfulness has taught Django to live in the moment.

He used to live in the Peak District.

Mindfulness has taught Leanne to accept things as they are: rubbish, expensive, unfair and out-of-date every six months.

It has also taught her to accept things like cake.

Leanne likes cake.

There is more wisdom in a waterfall than there is in a hundred men, says Jake.

Jake is always saying things like this.

His ex-wifes sister calls him Jerk.

Declan is so mindful that he has forgotten to take his car in for its MoT test.

Alison has been staring at this beautiful tree for five hours.

She was meant to be in the office. Tomorrow she will be fired.

In this way, mindfulness will have solved her work-related stress.

Clive likes to practise loving-kindness meditation. This is when someone thinks of a friend, then sends them love.

Clive finds this easier than bothering to meet his friends or lending them money.

Fleur is on a silent retreat. She likes going on retreat because it takes days and nobody demands anything of her.

Today, a guest speaker is giving a silent speech, after which there will be a silent question-and-answer session.

It is all very different from life in the Leicester parking shop where she works. The clock there is very noisy.

Thaddeus has been practising self-realisation for five years.