Shamash Alidina - Mindfulness For Dummies

Mindfulness For Dummies

by Shamash Alidina

Foreword by Steven D. Hickman, Psy.D., Clinical Psychologist, Assistant Clinical Professor, University of California at San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, Director, UCSD Center for Mindfulness

Mindfulness For Dummies

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ISBN: 978-0-470-66086-7 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-470-66515-2 (ebk), ISBN 978-0-470-66374-5 (ebk), ISBN 978-0-470-66375-2 (ebk)

Printed and bound in Great Britain by Bell & Bain Ltd, Glasgow

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About the Author

Shamash Alidina has been practising mindfulness since 1998. He was invited to experiment with a short mindfulness exercise whilst studying in an Eastern philosophy evening class, and caught the mindfulness bug! He was amazed at the power of mindfulness meditation to transform his state of mind, both during the meditation itself, and through exercises in day to day life. He decided to dedicate his time to learn and teach mindfulness to others. He taught mindfulness to groups of adults, and then additionally taught in a childrens school in London for eight years which integrated meditation into the curriculum.

Shamash formally trained at Bangor Universitys Centre for Mindfulness in Wales. He runs his own successful training organisation, Learn-Mindfulness.com, to teach mindfulness professionally to the general public, as well as to coaches, therapists, clinicians and business organisations, both in-person and through distance learning. He has trained in managing workplace health with the Health and Safety Executive and regularly coaches executives in stress reduction. He has taught mindfulness all over the world, including the Middle East, the USA and Europe.

Shamash has been interviewed by several national newspapers in the UK, including the Sunday Times Magazine, has featured in mindfulness campaigns, and regularly blogs on his two main passions, mindfulness and advaita philosophy. He currently lives in London next to the delightful Bushey Park.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to you, the reader. May the practice of mindfulness be of benefit to you, and those close to you.

Authors Acknowledgments

I would like to personally thank Jennifer Prytherch and Nicole Hermitage from Wiley for commissioning me to write this book on such a topical and important subject, and for coming to visit me personally! I would also like to say a special thank you to Jo Theedom who has been so tolerant and patient of my many questions, and hugely supportive of the book throughout production. I would like to wholeheartedly extend my thanks to the whole production team at Wiley, especially Rachel Chilvers, Anne ORorke and Zoe Wykes for their incredible attention to detail - I must say, Ive honestly been very impressed by the For Dummies team.

Special thanks go to Sandra, for sharing my excitement of the project, and providing the many cups of tea while I spent evenings and weekends either practising mindfulness exercises, or staring intently at my laptop looking confused. Thanks to my brother, Aneesh, who first suggested the idea of Mindfulness For Dummies, and my parents Manju and Fateh, who supported me throughout. Thanks to Sarah Silverton of Bangor Universitys Centre of Mindfulness, who commented on some of the chapters, and Jon Kabat-Zinn for his comments and positive support. Thanks to my wonderful friends Maneesh Juneja, for his encouragement, comments and advice on some chapters and Garry Boon, whose wisdom and humor continue to be a source of joy.

I would like to thank Steven Hickman, Director of the UCSD Center for Mindfulness, for his positive comments about the quotes I post on-line, and for writing a beautiful foreword to this book.

Finally Id like to thank Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta and Sailor Bob Adamson for their lifetime of dedication in inspiring others to look deep within themselves and discover who they truly are.

Publishers Acknowledgments

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