Mindfulness for Women: Declutter your mind, simplify your life, find time to 'be'

Description

No matter who we are, or what stage of life we are at, we all long for similar things; to be happy, connected with others, in touch with a sense of calm and peace, vital, alive and joyful. And we long to be able to ride out the tough patches that hit all of us from time to time with some degree of grace and dignity. The good news is that we can fulfil these longings at any time, in any place. They are only a moment away, a breath away. We can learn how to be comfortable with our body, know and understand our mind, and love our heart. It isn't difficult, long-winded or time-consuming. In doing so you'll feel happier in your own skin, less stressed, more confident, more capable and more at ease with yourself and life. This is what MINDFULNESS FOR WOMEN is about. It is a practical guide to coming home to yourself in each present moment. To finding the ledge behind the waterfall. To resting in the depths of the ocean rather than being tossed about by surface waves. Mindfulness is a potent antidote to anxiety, stress, depression, exhaustion and irritability. It leads to a greater sense of contentment and can also reduce addictive and self-destructive behavioural patterns. This book will enable you to experience the benefits for yourself. It's not designed as a lengthy course but is solutions-based. It's fast - evidence shows that a little bit of mindfulness goes a long way. It's also bespoke - you can read all of it cover to cover, or simply dip in and out, depending on what you want to focus on. You can listen to whichever meditation track suits you at any given time and you can run tracks together if you want to meditate for longer periods. It's designed to suit your life and priorities now and well into the future.

Vidyamala Burch is founder and co-Director of Breathworks, an organisation offering mindfulness-based and compassion-based approaches to living well with chronic pain, illness and stress. This is based on her own experience of living with severe chronic back pain for most of her adult life following a spinal injury in her teens that resulted in partial paraplegia. In 1985 she started to meditate and is now an experienced meditation teacher who works internationally. She offers wise and practical guidance in how to bring mindfulness and kindness to experience so one can 'live well' with a free and relaxed mind, whatever the circumstances. Claire Irvin is a journalist and leading magazine editor. Latterly, she was Editor of SHE magazine, where she was responsible for a critically acclaimed relaunch. Prior to SHE, Irvin was Editor at Large of weekly glossy Grazia.

Mindfulness for Women demystifies meditation techniques and the philosophy of mindfulness that underlies them, aiming to bring a sense of calm and stillness - an 'inner compass' for active lives, fostering 'being' rather than 'doing'. The combination of Vidyamala's experience and practicality with Claire's excited discovery of using mindfulness makes a joyful combination. Evidence, examples, strands of self-compassion, plenty of exercises and challenges: all are infused with the same generosity of spirit that the book will help readers to cultivate. * Dr Amanda C de C Williams, Reader in Clinical Health Psychology, University College London *