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How to Train a Wild Elephant: And Other Adventures in Mindfulness
A growing body of research is showing that mindfulness can reduce stress, improve physical health, and improve one’s overall quality of life. Jan Chozen Bays, MD—physician and Zen teacher—has developed a series of simple practices to help us cultivate mindfulness as we go about our ordinary, daily lives. Exercises include: taking three deep breaths before answering the phone, noticing and adjusting your posture throughout the day, eating mindfully, and leaving no trace of yourself after using the kitchen or bathroom. Each exercise is presented with tips on how to remind yourself and a short life lesson connected with it.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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2739 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
June 26, 2019
A practical and valuable book of exercises to increase mindfulness. I found this book very clear, very useful, and I have incorporated a few of its practices into my routine.
February 12, 2017
This is (yet another) mindfulness book, by (yet another) Buddhist teacher who had contact with Chögyam Trungpa, the famous (or infamous) Tibetan Buddhist gone radical, iconoclast founder of the new Shambhala lineage and Naropa university in Boulder Colorado.
Other contemporary Buddhist luminaries from this clique include: Pema Chodron, Reginald (Reggie) Ray and Mark Epstine to name but a few.
This book is okay. It wouldn't be my first recommendation if you are shopping around for books on mindfulness or Buddhism.
But it's pretty good. If you are amenable to traditional Buddhism you may very well enjoy this book quite a bit.
Warning: I'm in the process of quitting coffee. So I'm a little cranky lately. I'm about to go on a lengthy, negative rant. Stop reading if you don't want to hear me bag on Buddhism.
The author Jan Chozen Bays, MD (born 1945), is a pediatrician and Zen teacher practicing in Oregon.
She's clearly a really nice lady, and obviously worked very hard on this book. So it's nothing personal what I'm about to say.
But I'll just come out and say it. If I never read another book on mindfulness by a baby-boomer Buddhist I won't be any the lesser for it.
I'm just not interested in the traditional Asian Buddhist perspective any more.
It's absolutely gorgeous, particularly the Zen tradition. And I still love the traditional contemplative practices.
But I just can't rely on the traditional Buddhist explanatory context or language for meditation practices and experiences. It's just not useful to me any more. And it's religious, yuck!
If you're shopping around for a religion, and you're attracted to Buddhism, go for it. I think you'll love this book.
But I've been hanging around Buddhist and Hindu's for well over three decades now. And I personally am feeling very done with the whole program.
It drives me bonkers when traditional buddhist explain psychological phenomena that is better (i.e. more clearly and more plausibly) explained by contemporary evolutionary biology, experimental psychology and neuroscience.
For instance, at one point in the book the author talks about a mindfulness practice where their zen teacher asked all of the students to maintain absolute mindful awareness every time they crossed the threshold of a door.
The author was amazed at how difficult the task was and lamented at how the "unenlightened" human is sleepwalking 90% of the time.
The implication being that this automatic (sleepwalking) behavior is necessarily problematic and that an "enlightened" being never does anything habitually.
That my friends is what you call a head fuck.
While it's true that people's behavior becomes programatic and inflexible with repetition. That's mostly a feature not a flaw.
It's an evolutionary adaptation that allows us to think and plan for our future, or reflect on the past while we do (some actually quite difficult) things like drive to work.
Obviously, this feature is problematic at times. What the mindfulness traditions point out is that we may want to "turn off" this automatic pilot feature when it's problematic.
But my point is, most of the time, it's a really useful little feature. And as we say in the psychotherapy biz; if it's not a problem, it's not a problem.
It's obviously wonderful to be able to maintain mindful awareness, particularly in the service of flexible behavior.
But if we had to be consciously present for every little task throughout the day, it would be an enormous handicap.
It's great to be able to bring some of our problematic inflexible behavior into conscious awareness and either (a) make it more flexible, or (b) retrain it and allow it to become automatic again. But lets not go overboard.
The Buddhist traditions revere conscious awareness and consciousness so much that they essentially deify it. Consciousness becomes a god in many of the Buddhist traditions. It has mystical properties. It pervades the universe. All things have consciousness at their core. Enlightened masters are one with the pervasive consciousness of the universe. Bare awareness (i.e. contentless awareness) is the natural state.
I'm sorry, but all of that is absolute and total nonsense.
Consciousness is made by brains. Only things with brains have consciousness.
Consciousness evolved to enable us to survive and perpetuate the species. It's relatively rare in the living world. It's a special adaptation that only a few animals evolved. Mostly because it's not necessary to survival and reproduction. Think about plants and insects. They do just fine without it.
Conscious awareness is neat. But I doubt it's the pervasive, mystical ground of the universe. That sounds an awful lot like another way of creating God in our image.
And I can see no reasons, other than religious doctrinal reasons to strive for a state of total conscious awareness about all things at all times.
It's as if Buddhists, particularly western Buddhist have turned consciousness into a thou shalt style commandment.
Thou shall be mindful.
Why?
Because mindfulness is good and natural.
I actually don't need my mind to be colonized by a religion like that. Or any other religion for that matter.
Thanks but no thanks.
Contentless (bare) awareness is also neat. I have experienced it many times. I'm not bragging. Anyone who has been meditating for a little bit has probably experienced it. People who don't meditate probably also experience it all the time but don't know what to call it.
I doubt very much that this is the natural "enlightened" state. The cognitive garden of Eden that we've all been ejected from and that we must all find our way back too.
To me, it actually seems like a very special, rarified cognitive state. If our ancestors had been walking around like that 24/7, they would not have become our ancestors. They would have become sabertooth tiger food.
Cognitive content can be very useful and downright entertaining at times.
Stop dissing it!
Experiencing "bare" or contentless awareness is very useful. It helps you de-fuze from painful or problematic self talk. It can help you take adaptive action at times when you would have otherwise been maladaptivly "acting out" on emotions or distorted thinking.
But I just can't get down with the notion that enlightened teachers have pierced the veil and are operating from an "egoless" natural state of pure or choice-less awareness 24/7. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a scam to me.
I've spent a lot of time with so-called "enlightened" teachers. They usually have a staff of minions making their food and helping them dress, and helping them pay the bills.
Again, I'm not really in the market to become indoctrinated into an Asian religion anymore than I'm in the market to become indoctrinated into Judeo Christian religion.
I love mindfulness practice. I love integrating mindfulness into psychotherapy. But I'll take mine with out the religion please.
Anyone who claims Buddhism is not a religion (and there are lots of people who make this claim) is either lying or mistaken.
It is.
And no thanks.
Other contemporary Buddhist luminaries from this clique include: Pema Chodron, Reginald (Reggie) Ray and Mark Epstine to name but a few.
This book is okay. It wouldn't be my first recommendation if you are shopping around for books on mindfulness or Buddhism.
But it's pretty good. If you are amenable to traditional Buddhism you may very well enjoy this book quite a bit.
Warning: I'm in the process of quitting coffee. So I'm a little cranky lately. I'm about to go on a lengthy, negative rant. Stop reading if you don't want to hear me bag on Buddhism.
The author Jan Chozen Bays, MD (born 1945), is a pediatrician and Zen teacher practicing in Oregon.
She's clearly a really nice lady, and obviously worked very hard on this book. So it's nothing personal what I'm about to say.
But I'll just come out and say it. If I never read another book on mindfulness by a baby-boomer Buddhist I won't be any the lesser for it.
I'm just not interested in the traditional Asian Buddhist perspective any more.
It's absolutely gorgeous, particularly the Zen tradition. And I still love the traditional contemplative practices.
But I just can't rely on the traditional Buddhist explanatory context or language for meditation practices and experiences. It's just not useful to me any more. And it's religious, yuck!
If you're shopping around for a religion, and you're attracted to Buddhism, go for it. I think you'll love this book.
But I've been hanging around Buddhist and Hindu's for well over three decades now. And I personally am feeling very done with the whole program.
It drives me bonkers when traditional buddhist explain psychological phenomena that is better (i.e. more clearly and more plausibly) explained by contemporary evolutionary biology, experimental psychology and neuroscience.
For instance, at one point in the book the author talks about a mindfulness practice where their zen teacher asked all of the students to maintain absolute mindful awareness every time they crossed the threshold of a door.
The author was amazed at how difficult the task was and lamented at how the "unenlightened" human is sleepwalking 90% of the time.
The implication being that this automatic (sleepwalking) behavior is necessarily problematic and that an "enlightened" being never does anything habitually.
That my friends is what you call a head fuck.
While it's true that people's behavior becomes programatic and inflexible with repetition. That's mostly a feature not a flaw.
It's an evolutionary adaptation that allows us to think and plan for our future, or reflect on the past while we do (some actually quite difficult) things like drive to work.
Obviously, this feature is problematic at times. What the mindfulness traditions point out is that we may want to "turn off" this automatic pilot feature when it's problematic.
But my point is, most of the time, it's a really useful little feature. And as we say in the psychotherapy biz; if it's not a problem, it's not a problem.
It's obviously wonderful to be able to maintain mindful awareness, particularly in the service of flexible behavior.
But if we had to be consciously present for every little task throughout the day, it would be an enormous handicap.
It's great to be able to bring some of our problematic inflexible behavior into conscious awareness and either (a) make it more flexible, or (b) retrain it and allow it to become automatic again. But lets not go overboard.
The Buddhist traditions revere conscious awareness and consciousness so much that they essentially deify it. Consciousness becomes a god in many of the Buddhist traditions. It has mystical properties. It pervades the universe. All things have consciousness at their core. Enlightened masters are one with the pervasive consciousness of the universe. Bare awareness (i.e. contentless awareness) is the natural state.
I'm sorry, but all of that is absolute and total nonsense.
Consciousness is made by brains. Only things with brains have consciousness.
Consciousness evolved to enable us to survive and perpetuate the species. It's relatively rare in the living world. It's a special adaptation that only a few animals evolved. Mostly because it's not necessary to survival and reproduction. Think about plants and insects. They do just fine without it.
Conscious awareness is neat. But I doubt it's the pervasive, mystical ground of the universe. That sounds an awful lot like another way of creating God in our image.
And I can see no reasons, other than religious doctrinal reasons to strive for a state of total conscious awareness about all things at all times.
It's as if Buddhists, particularly western Buddhist have turned consciousness into a thou shalt style commandment.
Thou shall be mindful.
Why?
Because mindfulness is good and natural.
I actually don't need my mind to be colonized by a religion like that. Or any other religion for that matter.
Thanks but no thanks.
Contentless (bare) awareness is also neat. I have experienced it many times. I'm not bragging. Anyone who has been meditating for a little bit has probably experienced it. People who don't meditate probably also experience it all the time but don't know what to call it.
I doubt very much that this is the natural "enlightened" state. The cognitive garden of Eden that we've all been ejected from and that we must all find our way back too.
To me, it actually seems like a very special, rarified cognitive state. If our ancestors had been walking around like that 24/7, they would not have become our ancestors. They would have become sabertooth tiger food.
Cognitive content can be very useful and downright entertaining at times.
Stop dissing it!
Experiencing "bare" or contentless awareness is very useful. It helps you de-fuze from painful or problematic self talk. It can help you take adaptive action at times when you would have otherwise been maladaptivly "acting out" on emotions or distorted thinking.
But I just can't get down with the notion that enlightened teachers have pierced the veil and are operating from an "egoless" natural state of pure or choice-less awareness 24/7. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a scam to me.
I've spent a lot of time with so-called "enlightened" teachers. They usually have a staff of minions making their food and helping them dress, and helping them pay the bills.
Again, I'm not really in the market to become indoctrinated into an Asian religion anymore than I'm in the market to become indoctrinated into Judeo Christian religion.
I love mindfulness practice. I love integrating mindfulness into psychotherapy. But I'll take mine with out the religion please.
Anyone who claims Buddhism is not a religion (and there are lots of people who make this claim) is either lying or mistaken.
It is.
And no thanks.
March 11, 2015
A faculty mindfulness group recently started gathering, and I went out of curiosity. This book was mentioned as a good way to start. It probably isn't for everyone but I needed concrete ideas of specific things to do, rather than just hoping to be more mindful.
Then I hit this part of the introduction:
Then I hit this part of the introduction:
"Our essential hunger is not for food but for intimacy. When intimacy is missing in our lives, we feel isolated from other beings, alone, vulnerable, and unloved in the world. We habitually look to other people to fulfill our needs for intimacy. However, our partners and friends cannot always be there for us in the way we need. Luckily a profound experience of intimacy is always available to us - all it requires is that we turn around and move toward life. This will require courage. We have to intentionally open our senses, becoming deliberately aware of what is going on both inside our body and heart/mind, and also outside, in our environment."Well, that resonated with me and I paid more attention to the rest than I might have otherwise. I borrowed this from a library but want to get my own. I tried out a few of the exercises a week at a time, and my favorite was probably the non-dominant hand. I even taught a class writing on the board with my left hand, ha.
Read
June 10, 2021HTWE stands true to its lofty reputation. It offers actionable exercises and ideas to help improve ones body (posture), mind (dexterity) and outlook (positive thinking). Unlike other "mindfulness" tales HTWE doesn't resort to contrived narratives or superficial fast-food spiritual quests.
This isn't just a book to read but a book to do; HTWE presents an idea, explains how to do it and challenges the reader to put the idea into practice! I enjoyed trying to write left handed and created lists of positive points from throughout my day thanks to this book's suggestions.
HTWE tanks up there with Herman Hesse's Siddhartha and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow as books with the most mindful/spiritual bang for your buck. Now what does it all have to do with elephants? Read to find out!
This isn't just a book to read but a book to do; HTWE presents an idea, explains how to do it and challenges the reader to put the idea into practice! I enjoyed trying to write left handed and created lists of positive points from throughout my day thanks to this book's suggestions.
HTWE tanks up there with Herman Hesse's Siddhartha and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow as books with the most mindful/spiritual bang for your buck. Now what does it all have to do with elephants? Read to find out!
February 9, 2020
Excellent. I already read “Mindfulness of the Go” which is a pocket-sized version of this book, so much of the content was familiar. But I was happy to re-read it again. The writing is so clear and accessible, and all of the 53 exercises are interesting and include stories and bits of wisdom I appreciate. I will try many of them and have already incorporated some (“Waiting”) into my daily practice.
August 10, 2023
I am trying to practice the recommendations on mindfulness from this book and it is really helping me stay grounded. This is one of those books that I think everyone could benefit from reading.
January 2, 2012
Jan Chozen Bays has written a book that brings us back to ourselves and calmly, gently, laughingly teaches us to focus on immediate tasks…not to get them over with but to be guided by the process. This is book meant to be read slowly, which is a good thing, for it took me a year. Each chapter is meant to be read one week at a time, giving us time to perform the daily exercise for a week. It gives us time to savor the moments of everyday life, not rush through them as though there were somewhere to be other than where we are.
Everyone can do these exercises. They do not require special equipment or set-aside time. They do require some flexibility, and the author encourages us to do them with a group that may meet at the end of a week and discuss the results. This seems a fine way to grow in closeness, since, as the author points out, intimacy is what we humans crave more than any other thing.
Whether or not one completes the exercises for a week at a time, just reading about them brings a sense of peace, lengthens the spine, deepens the breath. One wants to be in that place of mindfulness. And it is a book one can pull out again and again to remind oneself what it is to be “in the moment,” to focus, to notice. The group of exercises themselves will undoubtedly bring a sense of control, and of peace, to those that practice.
Everyone can do these exercises. They do not require special equipment or set-aside time. They do require some flexibility, and the author encourages us to do them with a group that may meet at the end of a week and discuss the results. This seems a fine way to grow in closeness, since, as the author points out, intimacy is what we humans crave more than any other thing.
Whether or not one completes the exercises for a week at a time, just reading about them brings a sense of peace, lengthens the spine, deepens the breath. One wants to be in that place of mindfulness. And it is a book one can pull out again and again to remind oneself what it is to be “in the moment,” to focus, to notice. The group of exercises themselves will undoubtedly bring a sense of control, and of peace, to those that practice.
July 31, 2011
This is a wonderful collection of exercises to achieve and maintain mindfulness on a daily basis. Bays offers 52 ways to focus attention, a handy format for spending a year training your wild elephant mind one week at a time. I read this book on my kindle, but I am going to buy the paperback edition immediately so that I can have it around to refer to frequently and remind myself to practice. There have been only a few books I have kept handy over the years to use as guides and references whenever I need a meditation or relaxation technique or an idea to reign in my focus and let go of worry, fear and negativity. I have had maybe four or five copies of Shakti Gawain's Creative Visualization over the years, having given away, lost in moves and dog-eared into oblivion one copy after another. How to Train a Wild Elephant will be one of those books for me. Thank goddness publishing hasn't gone 100% digital yet.
April 13, 2021
This book is about centering one-self about the present. If you stop your mind for a moment to notice the life going on around you and inside you, you will be astonished by the detail that you never imagined existed. You will also be surprised by how novel and strange life is, how much of a stranger you are even to yourself.
There is no such thing as finishing a book like this one. Mindfulness is a practice. And this book is like a companion.
There is no such thing as finishing a book like this one. Mindfulness is a practice. And this book is like a companion.
September 12, 2016
I picked up this book to help me deal with the stress of cancer surgery and treatment, and though I never finished it and rarely look at it now, it has changed the way I approach life. Its 52 mindfulness exercises--one for every week of the year--help you slow down, calm down, and find some inner peace.
October 19, 2017
Este libro es sobre mindfulness.
Si piensas que es una práctica esotérica sin fundamento, te quiero decir que la Dra. Chozen Bays tiene mucha experiencia en ello, y que cada vez hay más evidencia científica que la respalda.
Muchas similitudes entre el mindfulness y el tratamiento cognitivo conductual. Un libro lleno de ejercicios que se pueden llevar a la vida cotidiana. Pero sabes que... no tienes porqué creerme así que te invito a leerlo y que experimentes los ejercicios. Se incrédulo y realiza así cada práctica...
Te puedes sorprender al final, como cuestiones tan sencillas se pueden aplicar a cada día y a cada momento .
Si piensas que es una práctica esotérica sin fundamento, te quiero decir que la Dra. Chozen Bays tiene mucha experiencia en ello, y que cada vez hay más evidencia científica que la respalda.
Muchas similitudes entre el mindfulness y el tratamiento cognitivo conductual. Un libro lleno de ejercicios que se pueden llevar a la vida cotidiana. Pero sabes que... no tienes porqué creerme así que te invito a leerlo y que experimentes los ejercicios. Se incrédulo y realiza así cada práctica...
Te puedes sorprender al final, como cuestiones tan sencillas se pueden aplicar a cada día y a cada momento .
April 3, 2021
This book was given to me by a friend who is always making herself better. When I hit 50, my desire to change was no longer there so I didn’t make it through most of the ideas in this book. Very thought provoking and a lot of good work if you're up for it.
November 26, 2023
5 Stars
A perfect guide to mindfulness for the beginner, but also an excellent way to deepen mindfulness practice for the more advanced readers.
Definitely a book I will be coming back to for reference.
A perfect guide to mindfulness for the beginner, but also an excellent way to deepen mindfulness practice for the more advanced readers.
Definitely a book I will be coming back to for reference.
December 13, 2019
Somewhat of a disappointment.
September 3, 2022
Very Interesting book ! I will try all the exercises mentioned in this book . Will write detailed review after my personal experience:) I would say must read book
January 15, 2023
This isn't a book you just read. Each 3 page chapter is an exercise or habit to practice in order to create change in how you think, interact with the world and/or be. Awful title by the way. Its eye opening and worth your time. I took a star off only for the title.
July 21, 2025
This was beautiful, insightful and oh so helpful
I recommend it to everyone ❤️
I recommend it to everyone ❤️
April 22, 2019
This book came highly recommended to me, and I won't make the mistake of recommending it to anyone else. It has some helpful exercises, but it's the patronizing, judgy way in which they're presented that makes this book unbearable.
Get ready for the overwhelming implication that your anxiety is your fault. You're not a normal person doing your best, you're an unenlightened fool who just needs to see the error of having chosen to live in the 21st-century real world and not a literal monastery. You have anxiety because you are doing life incorrectly and that makes you bad.
Other gems include:
- "So, you're anxious, are you? Have you tried, hmmmm, NOT having anxiety???"
- Sooooo much "hurrr bdurrr kids these days with their texting and their filler words"
- "Can't we just go back to a time where everything was simpler and better?"
- "Nothing in this life matters, so why are you upset about it?"
- "The secret to being happy is to just stop caring."
- The bizarre correlation between a multicultural world and a world where truth is relative
It's just painfully clear to me that How to Train a Wild Elephant was written by a baby boomer who is out of touch with modern anxiety and how it manifests in people who aren't also in their seventies. Do yourself a favour and stay back - this book is more likely to give you a panic attack than help take them away.
Get ready for the overwhelming implication that your anxiety is your fault. You're not a normal person doing your best, you're an unenlightened fool who just needs to see the error of having chosen to live in the 21st-century real world and not a literal monastery. You have anxiety because you are doing life incorrectly and that makes you bad.
Other gems include:
- "So, you're anxious, are you? Have you tried, hmmmm, NOT having anxiety???"
- Sooooo much "hurrr bdurrr kids these days with their texting and their filler words"
- "Can't we just go back to a time where everything was simpler and better?"
- "Nothing in this life matters, so why are you upset about it?"
- "The secret to being happy is to just stop caring."
- The bizarre correlation between a multicultural world and a world where truth is relative
It's just painfully clear to me that How to Train a Wild Elephant was written by a baby boomer who is out of touch with modern anxiety and how it manifests in people who aren't also in their seventies. Do yourself a favour and stay back - this book is more likely to give you a panic attack than help take them away.
May 10, 2014
Loved practicing these mindful exercises so much that I am going to go through the book again. Thanks, Tonya Miranda, for the book rec.
March 1, 2020
I consider it a win if I can change one of my behavior: Leave No Trace.
March 10, 2024
About this book, I have two opinions, one is bad, and the other is good.
Let's start with the good one. In this book, we get a plethora of advice on how to become the best version of ourselves. Everything lies in our actions, control, and awareness. Most of our actions are thoughtless, so when we put a little effort into them, we can completely transform ourselves and our world. Motivation flows from this book in every subsection.
On the other hand, in this book, we also get a plethora of advice on how to become the best version of ourselves. All our past actions have been insufficient because simply thinking about change won't bring us change. And the poured-out motivation from the book starts to annoy me. Instead of getting insightful advice and questions that the reader should answer for themselves, we get reasons to conclude that our entire past life has been accidental.
I resent the book for adapting such a valuable idea to the reader in a way that encourages them to start applying everything without reflection to become a better version of themselves. And what does it mean to be a better version of oneself? More coordinated? More hardworking? More accomplished?
As a result, I began to wonder if our lives really have a single purpose: to become the best version of ourselves? Well, the book evokes a lot of emotions. It will help many, and for many, it will be a waste of time. I neither recommend nor discourage it.
Let's start with the good one. In this book, we get a plethora of advice on how to become the best version of ourselves. Everything lies in our actions, control, and awareness. Most of our actions are thoughtless, so when we put a little effort into them, we can completely transform ourselves and our world. Motivation flows from this book in every subsection.
On the other hand, in this book, we also get a plethora of advice on how to become the best version of ourselves. All our past actions have been insufficient because simply thinking about change won't bring us change. And the poured-out motivation from the book starts to annoy me. Instead of getting insightful advice and questions that the reader should answer for themselves, we get reasons to conclude that our entire past life has been accidental.
I resent the book for adapting such a valuable idea to the reader in a way that encourages them to start applying everything without reflection to become a better version of themselves. And what does it mean to be a better version of oneself? More coordinated? More hardworking? More accomplished?
As a result, I began to wonder if our lives really have a single purpose: to become the best version of ourselves? Well, the book evokes a lot of emotions. It will help many, and for many, it will be a waste of time. I neither recommend nor discourage it.
July 27, 2021
This book clearly changed my life. Last year, I read similar book about living in Finland and sisu. That has brought massive change toward my daily life. This week, I stumbled upon the similar yet also complementing the good habits in me. This book is very practical and I even apply several things at once during this week. It has helped me gaining a more conscious way to live the life.
Although some reviews are underlining the relevance to religion and less of a scientific science (and thus creating a diversion between the two), it is actually very easy to understand if we have time to reflect.
The writing itself clearly speaks with humble and friendly tone of voice, helping us imagining the soothing voice to guide throughout the book. Some of the context perhaps are far in between: Buddhist monastery, sitting down all night under gigantic tree, or perhaps cooking from scratch. But the rest are focusing on pain point we all experience during daily life. Car honks during traffic jams, anger arise whenever we hear disagreement, or even the urge to reply before someone finish talking. Those all are enough to be the seed of reflection before progressing through the excercise.
Kudos to the writer herself for bring such meticulous and essential practice into various mindblowing (yet mindful) activities we can try!
Although some reviews are underlining the relevance to religion and less of a scientific science (and thus creating a diversion between the two), it is actually very easy to understand if we have time to reflect.
The writing itself clearly speaks with humble and friendly tone of voice, helping us imagining the soothing voice to guide throughout the book. Some of the context perhaps are far in between: Buddhist monastery, sitting down all night under gigantic tree, or perhaps cooking from scratch. But the rest are focusing on pain point we all experience during daily life. Car honks during traffic jams, anger arise whenever we hear disagreement, or even the urge to reply before someone finish talking. Those all are enough to be the seed of reflection before progressing through the excercise.
Kudos to the writer herself for bring such meticulous and essential practice into various mindblowing (yet mindful) activities we can try!
November 4, 2025
I love how this book is formatted and how it breaks mindfulness down into something approachable. It explains that becoming more mindful happens by focusing on a single habit for about a week or so until it feels natural, and then layering in a new one while continuing to practice the earlier ones.
The exercises range from simple to a little intimidating, but all are explained clearly and feel doable. What I really enjoy is that after each short, straightforward exercise, the author expands on the deeper lesson behind it, why it matters, what it reveals about our patterns, and how it connects to larger mindfulness principles.
The way I’m choosing to go through the book is by reading a few exercises each week and picking the one that calls to me the most to focus on for that week. I love that this structure makes mindfulness feel like a gradual lifestyle shift rather than something to master all at once.
This could also be a really fun and meaningful book to read with a friend or book club! sharing insights and experiences each week would make the practices even more impactful.
The exercises range from simple to a little intimidating, but all are explained clearly and feel doable. What I really enjoy is that after each short, straightforward exercise, the author expands on the deeper lesson behind it, why it matters, what it reveals about our patterns, and how it connects to larger mindfulness principles.
The way I’m choosing to go through the book is by reading a few exercises each week and picking the one that calls to me the most to focus on for that week. I love that this structure makes mindfulness feel like a gradual lifestyle shift rather than something to master all at once.
This could also be a really fun and meaningful book to read with a friend or book club! sharing insights and experiences each week would make the practices even more impactful.
March 11, 2018
In einer ca. 20-seitigen Einführung erläutert Jan Chozen Bays die Vorteile für das alltägliche Leben, die achtsames Handeln mit sich bringt, danach stellt sie 53 Übungen vor, die jeweils eine Woche lang praktiziert werden sollten. Die Beschreibung der Übungen ist insofern interessant, als es sich nicht nur um eine Gebrauchsanweisung handelt, sondern auch Erfahrungen anderer Menschen mit diesen Übungen geschildert werden. Jede Übung schließt mit vertiefenden Überlegungen ab, die zum weiteren Nachdenken anregen. Auf diese Weise wird der im Zen-Buddhismus so wichtige Wechsel zwischen Praxis und Theorie berücksichtigt.
Ziel der Übungen ist die Verbesserung der Lebensqualität, weniger subjektiv empfundener Stress, ein rücksichtsvollerer Umgang mit sich selbst und anderen Menschen usw. Insgesamt ein Buch, von dem sowohl LeserInnen als auch ihr soziales Umfeld profitieren werden.
Ziel der Übungen ist die Verbesserung der Lebensqualität, weniger subjektiv empfundener Stress, ein rücksichtsvollerer Umgang mit sich selbst und anderen Menschen usw. Insgesamt ein Buch, von dem sowohl LeserInnen als auch ihr soziales Umfeld profitieren werden.
January 3, 2019
Well I read this only because my brother who is heavily into “ Mindfulness “ wanted me to read it. As a Catholic I read this with a jaundiced eye. Because it wasn’t too New Agey” I was pleasantly surprised. In fact most were universal good things to do. (Smile, leave a room better than you found it, gratitude.)
The book is set up so each chapter follows the same format. For example: Chapter One is : “Use Your Non Dominant Hand. “
The next item under the title is “The Exercise” which tells you what to do.
Next is “Reminding Yourself” : hints on how to remember to do exercise
The Discoveries section has antidotes from people about the exercises..
“Deeper Lessons” gives more in-depth insight into “benefits” of exercises.
It concludes with a Final Word quotation. It has 53 chapters and one is supposed to practice one chapter a week. I however read it as a book.
The book is set up so each chapter follows the same format. For example: Chapter One is : “Use Your Non Dominant Hand. “
The next item under the title is “The Exercise” which tells you what to do.
Next is “Reminding Yourself” : hints on how to remember to do exercise
The Discoveries section has antidotes from people about the exercises..
“Deeper Lessons” gives more in-depth insight into “benefits” of exercises.
It concludes with a Final Word quotation. It has 53 chapters and one is supposed to practice one chapter a week. I however read it as a book.
August 9, 2022
I have been on a journey of healing and moving forward. I am a recovered busy, Tasmanian devil, whirling dervish. The pandemic has showed me that life is meant to be savored in each moment. I purchased this book many years ago but finally took time to read it in it's entirety this year. This book is really meant to be read a chapter a week so you can practice different mindfulness activities. However, I read this book in the evenings, contemplated several practices and walked away with a few super meaningful to me. The water chapter spoke volumes to my soul and my need for daily peace. A worthwhile read and many practices to consider on your path to wellness, peace and appreciating everything around you.
April 3, 2021
A lovely, simply laid out collection of mindfulness practices. Whether you’re a skilled meditator or new to mindfulness, these are practices anyone can benefit from. The book is laid out in a way that you should undertake each chapter as a weekly or monthly exploration, though it does help to read it all the way through to see the different suggested practices first.
A warning: it contains plenty of Buddhist concepts, so not for the more secular minded. That said, no meditation practice is skillful if you’re only hearing one source/opinion, so be sure to use this alongside other teachings, practices, and sources.
A warning: it contains plenty of Buddhist concepts, so not for the more secular minded. That said, no meditation practice is skillful if you’re only hearing one source/opinion, so be sure to use this alongside other teachings, practices, and sources.
November 18, 2018
I listened to this on Audible, narrated by the author. Her calm voice lends to the enjoyment of the 'read.' Each chapter involves a mindfulness theme and simple practice, such as, for example, using your non-dominant hand for a week. Each practice set is meant to help individuals become more aware -- mindful -- of her or his abilities, thoughts, and assumptions. Throughout each practice, I became more conscious of my thoughts and assumptions, and I think anyone who is interested in practising mindfulness would benefit from reading/practising this book,
November 1, 2022
Had this book as an audiobook and it was soo boring to listen to. I wish someone else was reading this. Genuinely think that might be the only reason why I give it 3 stars. It's full of options we could incorporate into our daily lives to be more mindful which is great but some of the ideas I thought were ridiculous. But yeah, I believe it's great so people can choose and do what they like the most and what fits their routines the best. Might go back to the book to remind myself of some practices in the future.
April 4, 2019
The Buddhist take on mindfulness is a great tool if one is so inclined to follow the various homework given at the end of each short chapter. Personally, I had too much trouble trying to complete the assignments due to some pretty resistant ADD and chronic pain interference. However, I do think this book has a lot of merit for those who could use a little supportive push into the foray of mindful practice that can be instilled into everyday life.
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