Morello - The mindfulness beginners bible

The Mindfulness BeginnersBible

How to Live in the Present Moment, Relieve Stress andFind Happiness

Copyright 2015 by TaiMorello

Table ofContents

In recent years, mindfulness has become abuzzword in mainstream media, with regular features in magazineslike Fortune, Forbes, The New York Times, and TheHuffington Post, just to name a few. Today, mindfulnessmeditation is by far the most popular and most researched form ofmeditation in the West, and a growing number of people areembracing it every single day.

In this book you will learn exactly whymindfulness has become so popular over the years and why manyhighly successful people like Emma Watson, Angelina Jolie and OprahWinfrey all incorporate the life-changing practice of mindfulnessinto their lives.

Mindfulness can seem a bit daunting at first,especially if you're not sure where to begin. However, the momentyou recognize that mindfulness is not about trying to empty yourmind, but rather about resting your awareness on your presentexperience, without effort, struggle or resistance, you begin toawaken and mindfulness becomes the most blissful, life-givingmoment of the day.

The Mindfulness Beginner's Bible willteach you how to harness the power of the present moment byintegrating mindfulness into your daily life. You will discover howmindfulness can have profound effects not just on your mind, but onvirtually every aspect of your life your body, relationships,health and even your career.

This book will take you by the hand and showyou step-by-step how to instill simple mindfulness techniques intoyour daily routine, inevitably leading you to a more successful,happier and healthier life. It will teach you a new way of engagingwith the present moment, where you can access a higher level ofconsciousness that is beyond the mind.

Life is a dance. Mindfulness iswitnessing that dance.

AmitRay

Have you ever started eating a packet ofchips and then suddenly realize that there is nothing left? This isone example of mindlessness that most of us experience on a dailybasis. We, as humans often get so absorbed in our thoughts that wefail to experience what is happening right in front of us.

In modern society, most of us suffer from acondition called compulsive thinking. We have this hysterical innervoice that is constantly jumping from one thought to the next,obsessing about every little detail that could go wrong,complaining, comparing and criticizing everything and everyone.Sadly, most of us have become hostages to the whims of our minds,to the point where we even identify with the mind, thinking that weare our thoughts, when in reality we are the awareness behind ourthoughts.

The moment you start observing your thoughtswithout identifying with them, you enter a higher level ofconsciousness beyond the mind and you reconnect with your true Self the eternal part of you that is beyond the transient, ever-wavering physical realm.

Take a few seconds right now and becomemindful of your hands. Feel the warmth that emanates from them.Rest your attention on every sensation in your hands. Feel yourblood pulsing through them. Become one with your hands and noticethe subtle tingling sensation as you become aware of them.

If you did this little exercise, I bet younoticed your mind becoming a bit more still. When you rest yourattention on your body, you are living actively in the now.Awareness of the body instantly grounds you in the present momentand helps you awaken to a vast realm of consciousness beyond themind, where all the things that truly matter - love, beauty, peace,creativity and joy - arise from.

Research has shown that we spend up to 50% ofthe time inside our heads - a state of mindlessness where we arecontinuously consumed by the chaotic impulses of our minds that areconstantly thinking, ruminating the past and worrying about thefuture. Sadly, most people go through life in a walking haze, neverreally experiencing the present moment, which is our most preciousasset.

Mindfulness is about being fully immersedinto your inner and outer experience of the present moment. One ofthe best definitions of mindfulness is provided by the mindfulnessteacher Jon Kabat-Zinn: "Mindfulness means paying attention in aparticular way; On purpose, in the present moment, andnon-judgmentally."

Jon Kabat-Zinn breaks down mindfulness intoits fundamental components: In mindfulness, our attention isheld...

Onpurpose

Paying attention on purpose meansintentionally directing your awareness. It goes beyond merely beingaware of something. It means deliberately focusing your consciousawareness wherever you choose to, instead of being carried away inthe perpetual storm of your thoughts.

Secondly, our attention is plunged

In the PresentMoment

The mind's natural tendency is to wander awayfrom the present and get lost in the past or the future.Mindfulness requires being in complete non- resistance to thepresent moment.

Finally, our attention is held

Nonjudgmentally

In mindfulness there is no judgment, there isno labeling, there is no resistance and there is no attachment. Yousimply observe your thoughts, feelings and sensations as they arisewithout ever energizing them. As soon as you realize that you arenot your thoughts, but the observer behind your thoughts, theyinstantly lose power over you.

Mindfulness goes beyond basic awareness ofyour present experience. You could be aware that you are drinkingtea, for example, however mindfully drinking tea looks verydifferent. When you are mindfully drinking tea, you arepurposefully aware of the entire process of drinking tea you feelthe warmth of the cup, the subtleties in smell and taste of thetea, the sensation of heat as you press your lips against thecupyou intentionally immerse yourself in every single sensorydetail that makes up the experience of drinking tea, to the pointwhere you completely dissolve into the activity.

Mindfulness is about maintaining theintention of being completely plunged into your experience, whetherit is drinking tea, breathing or doing the dishes. You can bringmindfulness to virtually any activity in your life.

"I have realized that the pastand future are real illusions, that they exist in the present,which is what there is and all there is." AlanWatts

When you think about it, the present momentis the only moment that really exists. The past and the future aremerely persistent illusions the past is obviously over, and thefuture hasn't happened yet. As the saying goes, "Tomorrow nevercomes". The future is merely a mental construct that is alwaysaround the corner.

Even when you dwell on the past or worryabout the future, you're doing so in the present moment. At the endof the day, the present moment is all you and I have, and to spendmost of our time outside the present means we are never trulyliving. Spiritual leader Eckhart Tolle puts it beautifully:"People don't realize that now is all there ever is; there is nopast or future except as memory or anticipation in yourmind."

However, most people spend most of theirwaking time imprisoned within the walls of their own thoughts,usually in regret of the past or in fear of the future, which aretwo ways of not living at all.