[Mindfulness on the Go: Simple Meditation Practices You Can Do Anywhere] (By: Jan Chozen Bays) [published: January, 2015]

by Jan Chozen Bays

A pocket-sized collection of mindfulness practices anyone can do anytime--from the author of Mindful Eating. Mindfulness can reduce stress, improve physical health and quality of life, and give you deep insight. Meditation practice is one way to do it, but not the only way. In fact, there are easy ways to fit it into your everyday life. Jan Chozen Bays provides here 25 practices that can be used on the go to cultivate mindfulness. The three-breath practice, the mindfulness of entering rooms, offering compliments, tasting your food one careful bite at a time--these deceptively simple practices can have a cumulative effect for the better. The book is an abridgment of Bays's longer collection How to Train a Wild And Other Adventures in Mindfulness.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Spirituality, Health, Philosophy, Buddhism, Meditation

Paperback

First published December 2, 2014

Reviews

[Niklas Braun · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a pretty cool little book. It has lots of activities one can incorporate into their daily lives, pretty much nullifying the "I don't have time to meditate" excuse. Really this book convinces you that you can always have time for it no matter where you are. The explanations are somewhat lackluster though, and often not that relatable. But overall it gives solid tips and practices that I have been slowly incorporating over time.

[Becky Ryser · Rating 4 out of 5]

2018 Challenge—“A Book You Can Finish In A Day”

Best Part: I’m better motivated to live each day more fully, more aware, and more grateful.

Worst Part: Following the suggested guideline of practicing one technique a week would take about half a year to get through all of them.

Overall: This is one I’ll be referring back to.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

This pocket-sized book is perfect for anyone looking to spice up their daily routine, or as the title implies, cultivate “mindfulness”. Dr. Bays is a certified Zen master, and has created 25 tasks or practices anyone can incorporate into their everyday life to encourage mindfulness. Mindfulness is simply a deeper awareness of our surroundings and a more invested interest in the many choices we have to make in any given day. According to Bays, an increase in mindfulness can reduce stress and make for better physical and mental well-being. Each of the 25 practices/tasks is tied-in to a Zen philosophy and Bays describes how each is beneficial. Some examples include: using your non-dominant hand; saying “yes”; eliminating filler words in our speech; when eating, just eat. Some practices are trickier to implement depending on what sort of job you have, but even trying out just a few of Bay’s ideas will perhaps cause you to reevaluate your daily routine and adopt some new ones. You’d be surprised at how these simple practices can alter your outlook!
–Hannah V.

[Jenika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, relatively easy exercises to do to help make you more present in the moment, a bit of background for each. I enjoyed it!

[Justine Camacho-Tajonera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book on a whim because it was so small and so promising (the keywords were: simple, do anywhere). It was true to its word. This will not be the first time I will read this book. This was actually my "banyo" read (sorry, TMI!) for the whole of August and September. My favorite practices were: 1) using my left hand (non-dominant hand) to brush my teeth (that was all I could manage for August), 2) feeling the bottoms of my feet. It's very interesting how relaxing it can be to put one's awareness in one's feet. We are all so used to centering our attention in the head or the heart (or even the breath), it's very refreshing to feel one's feet entirely. 3) When eating, just eat. It's very easy to use eating time as a time for talking or doing something else (like reading or browsing through Facebook!). Eating to just eat helped me pay attention to being full. 4) Just three breaths. This is a very easy mindfulness exercise. It just takes the space of three breaths and it can instantly bring me into the present. 5) Being present to the temperature. I notice that when I feel the slightest discomfort, I try to change the temperature (put on the fan or put on aircon) but actually adjusting to the temperature is a good mindfulness exercise. After a few minutes, it's not as bad as one thinks. This book will be a much-beloved companion in the future.

[Liz Shine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appropriately, this was a quick read that got right to the matter at hand: simple mindfulness practices for even the very busy person who feels like they don't have time for mindfulness. The book delivered 25 fairly simple ways to increase awareness to the present moment. The advice of the book was to read one at a time, try it for a week, then come back to the book. That wasn't going to work for me. So, I read the whole thing and wrote down all the exercises and then wrote each one on a separate notecard. I will pull randomly from the deck of cards every so often and try to see how it goes for me. Some of the exercises resonated strongly with me, because I've had moments of peace from doing those things. Mindfulness has become a bit of a fad and I wonder sometimes if it's becoming diluted and misunderstood. I care only because I think that bringing awareness to the present moment can lead to change and alleviate suffering. I wanted to read this book because I've been hearing the word tossed around so often lately, I felt like I needed a refresher. And I'm busy, real busy, so I bought this book. I am glad. It went down like the warm beverage alluded to on the cover. An extra hot almond milk chai, to be precise.

[Kunal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good easy read that really empowered you to know that you can be mindful by doing a variety of things with such ease no matter where you are. Even just sitting down having a meal and doing nothing but thinking about each bite as you eat the food and waiting to swallow it before picking up the fork to get the next bite or just while driving just being present in the moment of driving and everything around you or just really focusing on the sense of touch and what everything your hand touches feels like. It really goes to show you that you can be mindful in just about anything you do in life which is such an incredible way to ensure you get out of your own head and not letting your thoughts hurt you and provide a negative impact for you.

Nothing transformational about this book, but it did make you realize how easy it is for us to all be a little mindful and enjoy the experiences we are going through by being present in that thing in which you are doing at that time.

[Michael Sypes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a book you read cover to cover. Pick a chapter and to try following its advice for a week or three, lather, rinse repeat.
There is lots of repetition of basic concepts, like posting notes or symbols all over the place, but that's to be expected. Every other book I've read that involves changing the way you think or react to the world around you includes that. A big part of "mindfulness" is reminding yourself to be mindful.
The individual exercises/chapters range from pretty good to great ideas. I think which ones you'll like and which ones not so much will entirely up to the reader, so I won't go into them. You'll be able to come back and re-read chapters to refresh and renew your efforts over the long term. Suffice to say, you're bound to find plenty of good and useful techniques for being more aware of the world, your reactions to it, and how to adjust those within this cute pocket book that maintains my previous high regard for Shambhala Press.

[Pepper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great pocket-sized guide to learning how to be more you. The you that you were before society intruded upon you with its expectations of what or who you should be.

I highly suggest doing what the guide says to do in taking one week per exercise, don't read or skip ahead if you can help it. I plan on repeating the process more than once. My favorite exercise so far is using your less dominate hand as much as possible. Remember to have a sense of humor & that it is okay to laugh at yourself.

[Kevin O'Keefe · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting collection of mindfulness exercises you can work into your daily life. I'm still a beginner when it comes to mindfulness but found these exercises to be enriching and thought provoking, some more than others. I think I might start over and go through these again.

A few of my favorites from my first run through:

Use your nondominant hand
When eating, just eat
Listen to sounds
Just Three Breaths
Bottoms of your feet
Hot and cold
Look deeply into food

[Randy Garry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book has some good tips and insights about how to improve your mindfulness, your living in the moment. Glad I read it. I don't think I'll be carrying it with me. But I do intend to employ some of its simple practices for a week now and then. I do expect them to help, and I expect they'll encourage me to keep up with my daily meditations. Thanks for the gift, Dave.

[John Stepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully different kind of mindfulness book that can serve as a clear, accessible primer for people new to the topic and as an inspiring collection of simple, thought-provoking (irony intended) practices for even the most experienced meditators.

I highly recommend this book and will return to it again and again.

[Phillip Hinojosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read steadily over the course of three years, kept in my travel backpack. Really excellent read that gives simple steps and ideas to incorporate this pattern of thinking into your daily life. Ends up giving a fresh perspective on how you think and approach just about everything in your day. Very nice!

[Miguel Valentin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meditation and mindfulness can seem daunting and even stressful to perfectionists, like myself. This book helped me to integrate mindfulness meditation into my everyday life. That is invaluable. This book is full of insight, it is well written, and an easy read.

[Phuoc Truong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Một cuốn sách rất hay về ứng dụng thiền trong đời sống.
Các chương đầu viết rất hay, tổng quát rất sát thực. Các chương sau đi vào các hoạt động hằng ngày, có kèm theo hướng dẫn thực hành.
Học hỏi được rất nhiều từ nội dung cuốn sách này.

[Julie Tuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Much of our dissatisfaction with life will disappear, and many simple joys will emerge, if we can learn to be present with things just as they are.”
I loved this book and wish I would have read the real book and not the kindle version.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tiny book with a big message. Each mindfulness technique and chapter in this tiny book appears easy enough to begin but is difficult to master. Small improvements make a big difference, however. I recommend this book for those looking for self-awareness and inner peace.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was inspiring...it’s simplicity and well written ideas were easy to follow and put into practice... I particularly liked the tiny size - easy to fit into a pocket or purse... I enjoyed it periodically... each chapter was complete within itself. I savoured them all.

[Salvatore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great tiny book with easy to-do practices to quiet your mind and allow you the space to appreciate all that is around us. I will definitely be trying some of them and most likely referring back to this book when I undoubtedly fall out of consistency.

[Tommy McGrath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most encouraging little pocket books I've read. It's so easy to go about everyday life and not think twice about going on to the next thing, but the ideas presented really are profound in the way they bring a youthful energy and excitement into the simple moments in life

[Michelle Garthe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written small book about mindfulness. My go to book when I need a little pick me up.

[Ava Butzu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super - lots of little exercises to teach mindfulness and to deepen understanding of how to maintain focus amid the clutter of life. The philosophy was easy to access but felt insightful.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great little book filled with suggestions on how to incorporate mindfulness into everyday life.

[Lili Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice sized book of mindfulness tips.

Notable lines:

“We wouldn’t pay to rent and watch the same painful movie 250 times, but somehow we let our mind replay a bad memory over and over, each time experiencing the same distress and shame. We wouldn’t remind a child 250 times of a small mistake he or she made, but somehow we allow our mind to continue to call up the past and to inflict anger and shame upon our own inner small being.”

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't a book meant to be read in one sitting, though one can, it's meant to be absorbed and practiced rather than knowledge acquired with intellect.

At most I would recommend doing a practice a day until done. However, as the book states it's best to do one practice every week or two. Afterward attempt to add each practice into your daily life, until you're mindful in everything you do.
To quote Firefly: "You don't fix faith, it fixes you."

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

25 of the 53 mind-free-ing ideas from the previous "How to train a wild elephant" with a snappy title and marketable cover.

An essential reference reminder for when we get mind 'stuck'

Love Jan's gentle humour and desire to help enlighten the world.

[SARA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily applicable!

[Plarmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this off and on but have conpleted. I forget how many wonderful tidbits are available in this little gem. Now a permanent fixture on my nightstand. Thank you Erin Wood

[Aryanne De Ocampo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. Something I'll definitely return to from time to time.

[Helen Lemus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like all great books, this one will change the way you see the world and your place in it. You will be grateful to be alive.

This book made me more aware of beauty and serenity. I thank the author.