The Little Book of Mindfulness: 10 Minutes a Day to Less Stress, More Peace

by Patrizia Collard

Mindfulness is the easy way to gently let go of stress and be in the moment. It has fast become the slow way to manage the modern world - without chanting mantras or finding hours of special time to meditate.

Bring these simple 5- and 10-minute practices into your day to find freedom from stress and ultimately, more peace in your life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Spirituality, Mental Health, Personal Development, Meditation

98 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 7, 2014

Reviews

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I purchased this year and it will be my last review for the year.

I bought this book of meditation on 1/1/2018. Little did I know what 2018 had in store for me and how much strength I would gain from taking 5 or 10 minutes out of my day to rest my mind. It sounds easy, but it’s not. In times of chaos and uncertainty it’s not normal for me to randomly think, ‘you know, I should take a 5-10 minute time out.’ Seriously, I don’t have time for that! BUT when I did, I felt a renewed energy and a little different focus. When I caught on that this is a useful tool it was easier to set aside 5 minutes.

2018 was a great year, but incredibly stressful. My daughter graduated from high school and was accepted at UNLV. During the summer, my husband received a job offer that had us moving again when I just found my footing in less than a year from the last move. Once again, we’re moving at the beginning of a senior year. He’s my youngest so no more moving and all the stress of changing schools.

Reading and all my friends here on Goodreads have been my constant and for that I’m so thankful! Love and Peace in 2019. Happy New Year!

[Negin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't the sort of book that one reads in one go. I read a section a day and dragged it out. This little pocket-sized book focuses on practical tips and exercises for mindfulness. It's probably most suitable for a beginner, and does not go into all the philosophy and endless details. The illustrations are pretty, and there are some lovely poems and quotes.

A friend loaned me this book. It’s the sort of book that I might have bought several years ago, but I’m not really into this sort of stuff these days. I enjoy stretching and yoga, but I don’t really need a book for that. Guided meditation is not my thing. I enjoyed the part about mindful eating, which is something that I struggle with.

A quote and a story that I thought to share:

“Taking a mindful approach to illness means initially accepting what is.

“Buddha told this story of the ‘two arrows’ to his visitors:
‘Life often shoots an arrow at you and wounds you. However, by not accepting what has happened, by worrying about it, by saying it is unfair and wondering how long the pain will last, we tend to shot a second arrow into the open wound and increase and prolong the pain. Pain is often a given, but suffering is optional.’”

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great for beginners -if you're looking to add mindfulness to your life and are new to the idea, then I'd recommend it. I found it to be a little dull at times, but there were a couple ideas I highlighted.

[Amna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was introduced to Mindfulness as an approach from my psych classes when we discussed CBT and other therapy methods. This book added much more to my knowledge, and helped me think about ways to infuse mindfulness in my own daily life. I'd recommend this to anyone and everyone, and I think it could actually be a very thoughtful gift.
Truly uplifting, hopeful and peaceful.

[[ J o ] · Rating 1 out of 5]

Everything said is pretty much fact. We are living in a too-fast, too-full, too-horrible world and we need to slow down before we kill ourselves. We don't need a book to know this, we already know. Perhaps some need a book to have it drilled in to them, or they don't quite understand until someone will a prefix to their name says something about it. It is the same with everything: we are just too lazy, too secure in our capitalist, consumerist world to really, really care. As long as we have the new iPhone, we care about nothing else. One book will not help that.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Packed full of quick meditations, yoga poses and breathing techniques that help you become more mindful. Sometimes we neglect to stretch our bodies and carry around with us emotional tension and the body scanning techniques and yoga poses really helped to release this. A couple I particularly liked were mindful walking and mindful eating. This book in essence helps you to slow down and reflect on how you are at that moment in time. It also allows you to consider the present moment and how to actually live within it.

[Salha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is wonderful for anyone who's looking for a way to de-stress or unwind from daily tensions for a couple of minutes. Each exercise takes from 5 to 10 minutes each, and you can practice them as many times as you want.

These exercises really helped to get my day started in a much more relaxed and positive way.

[Dr. Tobias Christian Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

We tend to focus on the negative things in life because of stress and overwhelming. The mindfulness philosophy uses millennia-old ideas to help you slow down and rethink. Learn to let go and give in, to consciously perceive the world with new eyes and to concentrate on the beautiful and positive things in life.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is from Patricia Collard, NOT Julia (or it should be her 2nd name)
I've bought this nice little fellow last December 2014 during my trip to Newport Beach (California) and love her short practices. You try them one by one during your coffee or lunch break and are very effective for your daily health. Back in Europe, I make use of her advise to find a personal training schedule trainer to personalize my daily mindfulness practices.

[Donna Shackleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be well presented. It talks about why we need to be mindful and suggests exercises to put it into practice. I will be going back to certain chapters as I need them and do the exercises.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read, easy to understand. Contained very simple and clear instructions to mindfulness. There were also some poetry which, is a plus for me!

I used this as a reference to my paper, and I feel obliged to share that this is worth it yall!

[Harbir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clear and well structured- perfect for people who have very limited time to themselves during their working day. I work 12.5 hours a day 4-5 days a week and find it hard to relax after a shift regardless of how much meditation I do or even light reading which usually helps.

This book opened my eyes to other ways of relaxing when feeling stressed and unsure of how to wind down. It contains exercises as well as wise words to help you through it. I learned how to relax myself and be more mindful about my day. I am grateful I have come across this book during these difficult times because I found it horribly hard to shut down after work due to the crisis going on and this book has supported me well!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed it and i recommend to anyone who is in a similar situation!

[Allison Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful little book of reminders and practical exercises to be more mindful.

I had it as an e-book and would do some of the 5 or 1p minute exercises on my lunch break.

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was fine for what it is, but pretty standard fare for this kind of book, taking 100 pages to say what could have been said in 10. Slow down, Breathe, think about your breathing, live in the now, repeat.

Much of it was a bunch of basic yoga exercises, and while that is no bad thing, I think there are probably a lot better books out there on that.

The only passage that really resonated with me, with regard to slowing down and trying to stop worrying about everything was:

"We need only remember when we were children who gazed at the sky and the drifting clouds. There was nothing to do, nothing to achieve. There was no notion of time nor any guilt for 'wasting' it. Time and guilt are concepts we learn about much later in life."

[Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short book is a great resource for both experienced mindfulness practices and novices. It gives a good, basic introduction, though I recommend reading some more background materials if you are completely new to mindfulness. It then focuses on a diverse number of mindfulness practices, from simple breathing exercises, to body movements, applying mindfulness to specific situations such as stress, illness or loss and even other practices such as mindful walking ore eating. It is a great collection for quick reference with even a few new exercises and twists that I will surely be using frequently.

[Tracy Gaughan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Easy beginners guide to meditation. Short 5-10 min sessions, so nothing overwhelming. I use the techniques as often as I remember. Really useful when you find yourself getting impatient in queues, anxious in traffic, unsettled in waiting rooms or supermarkets or stressed-out at any time in any way. It's all about being kind to yourself; being more aware of the present moment; mindfully listening, eating, walking, speaking. It's a gentle message and a necessary time-out.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same old things I've seen in other books, so not really all that special. Still has some fairly good, if simple, ideas, but nothing spectacular.

Overall, I've realized I'm not a huge fan of having written yoga instructions.

Things like "keep your hips above your knees" - or whatever - just make me think of Bart Simpson trying to do a Rubik's cube and saying "turn your main finger top-wise." :P (I.e. I just don't get it!)

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short little book that contains a variety of mindfulness exercises designed to take between 5 and 10 minutes. The exercises are good and it's a handy little compilation of them. The extra added stuff like poems and little sayings and a few short passages that are added to try and turn it more into a book don't really add anything. Anyone steeped in mindfulness probably won't glean much from this, and ultimately you could probably find most of these in a list on some mindfulness website, but I think it's a handy little compilation and writing this review is reminding me I need to get back into using it.

[Derek Fleming · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little book wasn’t quite what I was expecting or looking for... the first half was focused more on yoga type exercises and practices, which I understand helps with mindfulness, but I was hoping for more information and guidance on “how to” practice and be mindful. For example I enjoyed the raisin exercise. I wanted more of that. But then again, I did learn to accept the book for what it is. Mindfully. 😀

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

What makes this little book amazing is it's ability to demonstrate to the reader a multitude of quick ways (usually lasting between 5 and 10 minutes) to practice mindfulness. It outlines small but powerful ways to be mindful daily. You can be more grounded, present and mindful even if you aren't able to dedicate an hour a day to meditation. This little lovely, succinct book shows you how.

[Tracy Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Becoming Mindful

Mindfulness is a process of acknowledgement of everything around us, ourselves, and even our breathing. Great tips in here! Ready to learn more in the future about this topic.

[Tiia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kätevä, taskukokoinen muistutus läsnäolon hetkiin. Perusjuttuja tiiviisti koottuna. Ei sinänsä mitään uutta mitä ei mindfulness- sanalla googlaten heti löytäisi, mutta kaikki keskeinen on ytimekkäästi mukana. Ajattelisin, että tällainen on erityisen hyvä sellaiselle, joka ei ole kiinnostunut lukemaan paljoa tietoisuustaitojen historiallisesta ja tieteellisestä taustasta, mutta joka on perehtynyt sen verran että olisi valmis tarttumaan vinkkeihin. Mukana on myös helpon lähtötason fyysisiä harjoitteita, sänkytoipilaan tilasta alkaen.

[Monipops🍭 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a great little pocket sized book. It offers a bit of insight into mindfulness, some helpful exercises, and some nice poetry for inspiration. I felt it had a good mix of mindfulness and is perfect for everyday use.

[Stavro · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Nothing profound. Not bad but not what I expected.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book. Full of great techniques to help balance the mind among our stormful days of modernism.

[Daniel Swensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun romp through various mindfulness techniques and ideas. Good for some light reading to brush up on your practice, or as a low-effort introduction if you're just getting into it.

[Vina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and great with tips to help with meditations and help with a stress free life.

[Jennifer Monroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book on mindfulness!

I wanted an introduction to the practice of mindfulness, and this book is it! It's a quick read that includes exercises and ideas to practice daily. I imagine that I'll refer to this book often on my journey toward mindfulness and less stress.

[Emma]

Lovely illustrations

[Jerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mindfulness Nuggets

There were several places where I marked things to come back to. So glad this is a digital book. It allows me to keep it handy and refer to it often. Delightful!