Slow down, calm down, and come together with this complete guide to meditation for the whole family—featuring targeted practices for parents, teens, and kids of all ages.
As a certified yoga teacher, meditation teacher, and host of the chart-topping podcast Mindful in Minutes , Kelly Smith is no stranger to the wide-ranging health benefits of meditation . And she discovered she needed them more than ever when she became a mom for the first time. Suddenly finding herself coping with sleepless nights, disheartening physical changes, uncontrollable worries, and near constant sensory overload, Kelly found solace in the same thing she always her daily meditation practice. In doing so, she discovered how meditation could help not only moms cope with common family challenges, but every other member of the family as well .
Kelly shares her hard-won wisdom with listeners across the country in her second podcast Meditation Mama , and now, in this fully illustrated book. Mindful in Meditation for the Modern Family helps families of all kinds learn how to use meditation to cope with the everyday struggles of being a person who is also part of a family . Covering topics ranging from quieting the mind and managing stress to handling resentment and cultivating compassion, this book offers specialized practices for each family member by age—adults, teens and older kids, and small children. Topics
With three distinct, age-appropriate practices for each topic , Kelly ensures that every member of the family has access to a practical, focused meditation “toolkit” to draw on when they need a little extra help. The book also includes a series of dedicated meditations for expectant parents, a series of meditations to promote a healthy, loving relationship between partners, and over 250 mantras to help you focus your mind and go deeper into your practice.
Whether you are a meditation beginner or a long-term practitioner, this book will help you and your family feel calmer, happier, and more connected.
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
Mindful in Minutes is a meditation book for families with over 100 different practices to try. The aim of this book is to support the modern family as a unit with issues we all face today; anxiety, overstimulation, frustration, anger, and sadness. What I especially loved was that each practice was broken down to fit each family member; kids/tots, teens, and adults - which makes it more accessible, achievable and easier to follow and understand for each person. It's a great book to do as a family and support each other through the process. Mindfulness is more important today than ever, and this is a great practice to practice it for sure. I really want to get a physical copy of this book to do with my own daughter as it's definitely something we both would benefit immensely from!
Words can't do justice to the beautiful illustrations and practices in this book. I highly recommend it. Part of the beauty of Smith's book is that each meditation comes in 3 versions: adults, kids/teens, and little ones. They're designed to help manage difficult emotions like anxiety, frustration, sadness, or challenges like nightmares or overstimulation. I really liked her exercises for little ones, which are gleaned from her own hard-earned experience as a mom and yoga teacher.
First off this book is really pretty. The illustrations are watercolor and just lovely to look at. Secondly, the tips are greats. There are so many different practices you will surely find something that works for your family.
Mindful in Minutes: Meditation for the Modern Family" is a comprehensive guide to incorporating meditation into the lives of families. Written by Kelly Smith, a certified yoga and meditation teacher, this book offers over 100 meditation practices tailored for parents, teenagers, and children of all ages.
As a new mother, Kelly Smith experienced firsthand the challenges of parenthood, including sleepless nights, physical changes, worries, and sensory overload. Drawing from her own meditation practice, she realized the potential benefits of meditation for the entire family. In "Mindful in Minutes," she shares her wisdom and offers practical guidance to help families cope with the everyday struggles of modern life.
The book covers a wide range of topics, including quieting the mind, managing stress, handling resentment, cultivating compassion, and finding joy. Each topic is accompanied by three distinct, age-appropriate meditation practices, ensuring that every family member can benefit from a personalized meditation "toolkit." Additionally, there are dedicated meditations for expectant parents and practices to promote a healthy relationship between partners. The inclusion of over 250 mantras further enhances the depth of the meditation practice.
What sets this book apart is its accessibility. Whether you are new to meditation or an experienced practitioner, "Mindful in Minutes" provides clear instructions and explanations that make it easy for anyone to engage in meditation. The illustrations throughout the book add visual appeal and help bring the practices to life.
The author's expertise shines through in her thoughtful approach to addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by each family member. By tailoring the meditations to specific age groups, Kelly Smith ensures that children, teenagers, and adults alike can find practices that resonate with them. This inclusivity allows families to come together and embark on a shared journey of mindfulness and connection.
Overall, "Mindful in Minutes: Meditation for the Modern Family" is a valuable resource for families seeking peace, calm, and connection in their lives. Whether used individually or as a collective, the practices presented in this book can help families navigate the stresses of modern life and cultivate a deeper sense of well-being. With its practical approach, engaging illustrations, and wide range of topics covered, this book is sure to benefit both beginners and experienced meditators alike.
I really enjoyed the various focus areas explored in this book! This is very inclusive of different family compositions. I enjoyed the mediation mantra ideas for various topics (fear, concentration, sadness, overstimulation, compassion, nightmares, anxiety, self-care to name a few).
I liked the graphics! I do wish this was a bit more diversity in the illustrations but did enjoy the additional visual aspect the graphics provided. We will definitely continue using this guide in our family!
This book was a breathe of fresh air for a teacher wanting to have material to recommend to their prenatal and postnatal clients/students. Great ideas for helping them in class and allowing your clients to continue it at home. Completely recommend to all my clients and anyone wanting to bring mindfulness to the home around them. I absolutely loved the layout and how easy it is for anyone to follow and understand, for anyone new or old to the practice.
I loved this book! I just received my copy and this weekend and read it in one sitting and I know I will revisit it again and again. Not only are there so many great mindfulness and meditation practices for me and my family (9,2, and one on the way) but the honest reflections on motherhood through out the book were insightful, lighthearted, and comforting. My kids are already loving the practices and I’m so excited to try the prenatal ones too!
This book has it all. It’s easy to understand, light-hearted, fun, and most of all, so HELPFUL. Honestly, everyone could benefit from many of the mantras and practices offered. The author does a great job of making the really important, and often misunderstood topics of meditation and mindfulness approachable in a way that could be beneficial for those new to the topic and those who practice daily, alike. I will be using this book and the practices frequently for years to come.
Kelly really knows what she is talking about. Her meditation expertise was really challenged with her new family. Her tips and techniques come from real experience and are invaluable when dealing with the stresses of the demands on the today's family. Highly recommended as a way to find peace in a sometimes crazy world.
This has been such a wonderful addition to our family library. We have been focusing on mindfulness and were looking to incorporate more meditation into our daily lives. I especially loved the detailed instructions with mantras that made it so easy for my children to start meditating.
Whether you are new to meditation or a seasoned veteran, there is something for you in this book. Written in an easy to use format with targeted meditations for different age groups and beautiful illustrations. This is an essential book for any family or caregiver.
Minnesota author - she was on Twin Cities Live. Good information & so many benefits to meditation. 10 minutes a day - that’s it. I struggle to do it, but I like the concept. I loved the mantras in the book and the guidance for any age.
Love this book! Great for getting everyone into the practice of meditation! I found this book very helpful in digging deeper into my own meditation practice.
This book has fantastic artwork. It also contains easily accessible mindfulness practices. I will use and recommend this book for my practice as a therapist.
Lovely calming book. This is such a great meditation journal with gorgeous watercolour illustrations. I like that this is achievable to do and is a great resource to go back to.
Helpful resource for me to help manage stress, improve sleep, and be more present with family when I am home. Not too dense, easy to follow, and provides multiple practices for each section which I like (not one size fits all).
For a modern parent juggling work, family commitments, etc can't recommend this book enough!
his book has everything but the details on the subject in proper manner.
There was long introduction on what it is and how it work but in the reality, the roots of meditation and yoga attached to Indian civilization even before this epoch, when there were not even nomads in other parts of the world. But, here is no such briefing. Not a single fact on the true incidents. How come someone become writer without deep-diving into it. Even the word "Mantra" is from Indian language 'Hindi' but yet it didn't either strike to author or she intentionally opted to omit it out.
Now, coming to the very content on titular subject, I must say that there is not much success-steps that one can rely on to get stress relieved. Her all time therapy is Breathe-in-and-breathe-out, which is just basic of yoga and not a part of meditation. I say, she need to first learn about basic definition of Meditation. Meditation can lead to self-knowledge and it had always been a key for Sages since epochs ago to even time-travel while contemplating, which is the first step to meditation. One thing she could have done, was to separate the sections on meditation and yoga. That way it would be better to cover atleast yoga part.
For me, it is good for nothing (1-star), but I would like to give 2-star for her efforts to put together whatever she had known so far. on yoga (and not meditation).
Mindful in Minutes: Meditation for the Modern Family is a beautiful book that is accessible for beginner and experienced meditators of all ages. After a brief explanation of meditation, the bulk of the book is a collection of guided meditations on a variety of topics, with specific meditations for younger kids, older kids and teens, adults, pregnancy, and partnership.
I loved the topical approach to the meditations - everything from compassion to anger to intuition to burnout. As a teacher of yoga and meditation, I enjoyed the various guided meditation scripts, but I have to wonder how effective they will be for families actually trying to use them, as it seems like something better suited to audio. I enjoyed the author's writing style, succinct explanations, and gentle tone. I think there was just the right amount of personal commentary to make it credible and relatable without treading too far into memoir territory. The watercolor illustrations were beautiful. Overall, I think this is a lovely book that will serve many families well.
Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds via NetGalley for gifting me with an ARC to review! I enjoyed it.
I enjoyed this guide is broken down by type of meditation & then by age range. I truly loved the graphics and would love to have seen more included, or a seprate book of the illustrations. I, myself has a parent and grandparent am trying to focus on including more meditation into my everyday and this book has and will continue to help not only myself but to teach my children to mindful. I also found that we had more of a connection after spending time meditating & using the mantras provided for each tyoe of meditation.