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Deeper Mindfulness
a new way to Rediscover Calm In A Chaotic World
By Mark Williams and Danny Penman
By Hachette UK Limited
ISBN: 978034943320-2
When I was first given this book, I had no idea what 'mindfulness' actually meant. I had heard the word before, but it meant nothing to me at the time.
However, the first few pages, after the bios of the authors, gave me an understanding of the meaning and the purpose of the book.
They introduce the book from the perspective of a follow-up to their 2011 publication called 'Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World' and this book adds to the 2011 contents with more information from fresh research results in the field of NeuroScience.
Deeper Mindfulness takes the reader to the next level of mindfulness, without having to revert to the previous book.
The first three chapters introduce the reader to how the mind works, how the brain operates in regard to memory and emotions and how we react to, and feel about, everyday circumstances as they happen, that affect us all.
It introduces the reader to 'vedana' or 'feeling tones', the fleeting 'feel' you experience in the moment that can be pleasant, unpleasant or somewhere in between. Most people, they don't recognise this 'feeling', because, in an instant, it fades away. All we are aware of is the many thoughts, feelings and emotions that follow. Some may be positive, others may be full of anxiety, stress, anger or depression.
Deeper Mindfulness will help you to recognise this 'feeling tone' through the following course and 'tame' these thoughts, feelings and emotions to produce a more balanced state of mind.
From Chapter 4 onwards, each chapter contains an exercise to be completed each week for 8 weeks. Williams and Penman explain that you can read each chapter and do the exercises in turn, or you can read the whole book first, before returning to Chapter 4 and starting the course.
Personally, I have never been interested in meditation and never given it much thought (even when the Beatles embraced it in 1968). So this was a new experience for me.
I read the boo cover-to cover, just to get an understanding of what was involved and I am impressed. Impressed by the step-by-step instructions, the empathy that exudes from the pages, the kindness offered by the authors and the testimonials of many of the students who travelled on this journey.
Each chapter gives a full explanation of the tasks for each week and it is helpful that there is a QR code and two website addresses in each chapter. You can use these to either stream or download the lessons.
Each lesson has both the fully guided meditation, or the 'minimal instructions' . You can use either or both. As you journey through the course each day, you may want to choose the silent track, which only gives the sound of a bell every 5 minutes.
You can choose your session to last twenty minutes a day or ten minutes, twice a day and dedicate one day to thirty minutes.
Personally, I have decided I will do this, but not at the moment. I've so much going on. This may sound to you like procrastination and, I have to say, it probably is. However, this course can deal with procrastination too.
Deeper Mindfulness is very well written. The authors use everyday language in a friendly and personable style.The information is very interesting and useful to help readers deal with the management of your mind.
I recommend this book to everybody (because everybody has a brain).
The authors
Professor Mark Williams is Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology at Oxford University. He co-developed mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), is co-author of the international bestseller The Mindful Way Through Depression and author of Cry of Pain: Understanding suicide and the suicidal mind.
Reviewed by Ken.
This is independent review, I am not paid by the publishers, so.If you
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