I Am Here Now: A Creative Mindfulness Guide and Journal

by The Mindfulness Project

Mindfulness is the simple and powerful practice of training your attention. It's simple in that it's just about paying attention to what's happening here and now, and powerful because it can keep you from getting lost in thoughts about the future or past, which often generate more stress on top of the real pressures of everyday life.

While learning to live in the moment, the joyful mindfulness exercises, meditations, coloring pages, and habit-breakers in this beautifully designed and illustrated book will challenge your powers of observation, investigation, and cultivation while bringing new awareness to your senses, thoughts, and emotions.

I Am Here Now inspires readers to explore the world with greater curiosity and find moments of mindfulness in everyday life, while unleashing your creativity along the way.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology, Spirituality, Journal, Personal Development, Meditation

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2015

Reviews

[A whole new girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVELY little journal.

Perfect size for carrying in a bag, purse or pocket. Excellent quality in print, paper and weight.

I am one of those people that wants to keep a beautiful journal but can never start or don't want to mess up the pages of my blank sketch book. The entries here are perfect to help you just start doodling out your stress and worries in the same way that a list of writing prompts helps a person to begin and continue a writing journal.

At first, it seemed that the "Teaching" aspect of mindfulness was absent, but after reading through the exercises and entry suggestions I realized that the process of completing them and the act of the journaling itself IS the act of learning and practicing mindfulness.

This little journal does not beat anyone over the head with its wisdom or theory. Instead, a person might doodle and journal along with the exercises and never realize that they are relaxing, letting go and learning mindfulness. Plus, just like adults have discovered with the coloring book, there is therapeutic value and sheer fun and joy in drawing and doodling in your own little sketchbook.

I received this from GoodReads Giveaways and am happy to leave my honest review even though I am not obligated to do so. I would recommend purchasing this book for yourself or for others. This would make a great gift that people can actually use and can experience rather than a book that sits on your coffee table as a display. My daughter actually adopted this journal for a while and I had to get it back from her in order to review it! That is always a good sign for me!

[Aleshanee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das ist mal ein ganz anderes Buch als das, was ich sonst so lese und ja, irgendwie erreichen mich genau diese Bücher immer zu einem Zeitpunkt, wo ich sie sehr gut brauchen kann.

Es ist ein Übungsbuch mit vielen Tipps, die helfen sollen, achtsamer zu sein. Was heißt das jetzt genau? Ich denke mal, wir alle wissen wie sehr wir uns oft durch den Alltag hetzen, von einem Termin zum anderen mit dem Kopf voller Dinge, die wir noch erledigen müssen. Dabei haben wir dann auch noch ein schlechtes Gewissen, denn viele Fehler oder Fehlentscheidungen aus der Vergangenheit brennen sich in unserem Gedächtnis fest und gleichzeitig haben wir die Zukunft vor Augen und Ziele, die scheinbar zum Scheitern verurteilt sind.

Wie hilft uns jetzt das Buch weiter, aus diesem starren Korsett auszubrechen?

Es gibt auf jeder Seite kleine Rätsel, Aufgaben und Anregungen (auch für kleine Meditationen), die uns einen Weg zeigen, uns auf das Jetzt zu konzentrieren. Den Moment wahrzunehmen und vor allem auch anzunehmen: das Glück, das uns begegnet, aber auch den Schmerz, der uns trifft. Denn alles ist vergänglich und das, was uns vor Jahren noch bewegt hat, hat heute doch meist schon wieder einen ganz anderen Stellenwert.

Nicht jeder Übung in diesem Buch konnte ich etwas abgewinnen, aber es sind viele dabei, die ich ausprobiert habe und die mich wieder an das Wichtige im Leben erinnert haben:

- Einfach mal aufzulisten, wofür man dankbar ist - man glaubt gar nicht, wie viel da zusammenkommt und es gibt einem ein gutes Gefühl, das auch mal schwarz auf weiß zu sehen.
- In Momenten, in denen es mir schlecht gebt, auf die Atmung zu achten und es ist wirklich erstaunlich, wie groß hier der Einfluss auf die Stimmung sein kann.
- Der Trophäenschrank, wo man sich auch mal für das auszeichnen kann, worauf man Stolz ist - auch etwas, das viel zu oft zwischen Problemen und Vorwürfen untergeht.


Es gibt auch eine Wut-Seite oder eine Spaß-Agenda und kleine Riten, um die Geduld zu trainieren und unser Tempo runterzufahren.

Ich bin ja schon so, dass ich tatsächlich z. B. auf dem Weg zur Arbeit mal kurz stehenbleibe, weil mir eine schöne Blume ins Auge fällt, ich die Bäume im Wind rauschen höre oder ich den blauen Himmel genieße. Auch wenn ich den Regen rauschen höre während ich zuhause auf der Couch liege, das sind so meine 5 Minuten, die ich gerne bewusst wahrnehme und alles andere ausblende. Und das tut wirklich gut!
Man sollte das Buch eine zeitlang immer griffbereit bei sich haben, denn es hilft ungemein, zwischendurch darin zu blättern und sich wichtige Dinge wieder in Erinnerung zu rufen.

Fazit

Das Buch finde ich einen sehr hilfreichen kleinen Ratgeber, der einen unterstützt, wieder mehr zu sich selbst zu finden - Momente festzuhalten, die einem Ruhe und Kraft geben und uns wenigstens ein bisschen aus dem Stress und der Hektik herauszunehmen. Aber auch im Jetzt zu leben, denn das ist das, was zählt und wenn man die Freude und den Ärger bewusst anzunehmen bereit ist, gibt einem das ein viel entspannteres Lebensgefühl.

© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have finished reading through and am gonna start doing one exercise a day. i hope.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found "I Am Here Now" by the Mindfulness Project to be a really fascinating book. It's not a book that should be read though and that was my mistake. This is a book that needs to be owned. It encourages (and to be used properly) requires interaction. There's places for writing and drawing and reflecting, even cutting out. I borrowed the book from the library and I'm pretty sure they would discourage all of those.
That being said, this book explains what mindfulness is and encourages different activities that help people explore the idea of being present. It is a book to be sat with, to take a month or more and work through. It's definitely worth using just be aware it's not meant to be read in the traditional sense.

[Cristiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and relaxing for a Sunday afternoon, but did not really impress me too much. Will use some of the advice in the book, but it feels to me more like a fun game than a really help for training creativity.

[Christy Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A library book checkout that I then purchased, this is the type of book I'll return to on a daily basis for a spell then circle back around again to choose another activity, a bit of refreshment and creative, silly inspiration for mindfulness and meditation styles and activities. While I don't tend to write and cut books in the ways suggested in some of the activities, I nevertheless have tried over half the exercises and made a large number of journal entries based on the experience. I've read through the book in its entirety and while I've skipped a few activities that don't appeal to me and will continue to work through some of the ones I just haven't gotten to yet, I feel confident in recommending this as a very different sort of mindfulness guide, one less concerned with giving you technique or daily words of inspiration/reflection and more on showing how mindfulness can be incorporated everyday and in unexpected ways.

[Alina Stepan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usor cam basic, budism pentru occidentali + meditatie + trait in prezent, rabdare, atentie. Utila insa ca principiu, caci de multe ori uitam sa facem lucrurile astea simple. Spun uneori ca traim cu 2 organe din corp: capul si stomacul, si uitam de restul, ca si cum astea doua ar fi suspendate in aer si ar functiona singure. Nu vorbesc aici de asa-zisul hara, al doilea creier din stomac, un mod 'for dummies', dar eficient, de a constientiza faptul ca fibrele nervoase leaga creierul si stomacul (pentru o carte mai serioasa aici, recomand Sarmul discret al intestinului'', de Giulia Endres, aparut la Editura Lifestyle Publishing.). Pentru mine, care am trecut prin cativa ani de autocunoastere, ca parte a formarii de psihoterapie, poate nu e cea mai potrivita carte. O voi folosi insa cu siguranta in cabinet la sedintele cu clientii mei. Cu totii avem nevoie sa ne dam voie din cand in cand sa stam si sa ne uitam cum ferbe apa pusa intr-o oala fara sa intindem mana spre telefon...

[Uta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beim Stöbern im Netz stieß ich auf das Buch „Ich im Hier & Jetzt.“ Ein kreatives Achtsamkeitsbuch für ein entspanntes Leben – wie der Untertitel verspricht. Das muss ich haben. Außerdem habe ich meine Achtsamkeitspraxis in der letzten Zeit ein wenig schleifen lassen. Da kommt so ein Buch mit Achtsamkeitsübungen als Anregung gerade recht. Also bestellte ich mir ein Rezensionsexemplar dieses Buches von The Mindfulness Project.

https://vereinbarkeitsblog.de/rezensi...

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the summary was a fair description:

I Am Here Now inspires readers to explore the world with greater curiosity and find moments of mindfulness in everyday life, while unleashing your creativity along the way.

I enjoyed working through the activities. Next time, I'd like to get other people to join in the exercises. It would be fun to compare notes and experiences.

P.S. I won this book through a goodreads giveaway.

[Gilraen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un libro ideal para quienes realizan autocuidados o trabajan en el cuidado de personal. Tiene variados ejercicios para centrar la atención y que son bastante sencillos de llevar a cabo.

Así tambien hay algunos que pueden ser adaptados para el trabajo en aula con estudiantes, a fin de generar rutinas de atención.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The activities are quick little tricks to really get you in the moment. Some of them are easy, some make you dig a little deeper and really think about how your feeling. I really enjoyed reading this and working through some of the exercises. I plan to have this near me to pull out when I find myself getting anxious, angry or agitated.

[Edith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tiene ejercicios bastante llevaderos y entretenidos, un buen libro para aprender de el y pasar un buen rato a meno, llevado de la mano con tus vivencias y experiencias que se van a ir reflejando en cada uno de los ejercicios sin perder tu esencia.

[Marta Morgado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Acho que é muito do estilo do Destrói Este Diário e adoro como tem vários exercícios práticos e divertidos para se fazer em relação ao mindfulness! Não fiz grande parte delss agora, mas guardei-os para depois!

[Sarah Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

It isn't really a case of 'reading' and 'finishing' this book, as it's a journal and workbook that invites daily use and constant revisiting. I have read through it, chosen my favourite exercises and am using it daily to help with my mindfulness practice.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me way too long to get through this book, and in all honesty, I didn't. I gave up about a quarter of the way through. Many of the activities were geared toward a much younger generation and were of no use to me.

[lali · Rating 3 out of 5]

leo muchos libros de autoayuda, pero en lo personal este no me gusto mucho por lo dinámico que era, fueron más ejercicios que texto.
solo me gustan las ultimas paginas ya que tiene unas hojas con notas para cuando hagas meditación escribas tu proceso.

[Dan Marin · Rating 2 out of 5]

O carte interesanta. Dar atat. Exercitii simple de mindfullness.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 A small book filled with simple and thoughtful exercises to increase mindfulness in your life. "The little things? The little moments? They aren't little." - Jon Kabat-Zinn

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I teach mindfulness daily to my clients. This is a great, simple book that helps clients with different ways to apply it to their daily lives.

[Saul Souto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente recopilación de ejercicios de Mindfulness, en la parte de “informal”. Para mí se volverá una obra de consulta para el futuro.

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of creative prompts. A notebook that I keep handy and keep working on from time to time.

[X · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gives some solid beginner's info on mindfulness and has some helpful techniques, but also some of the exercises aren't worth doing. Save your money, get it from your library like I did!

[Sue Gregg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found this too simple and basic.

[Miss sarah elsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful ideas, some for adults maybe more for younger generation, text too small to read without glasses

[Talib Faridy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book with phenomenal tools for meditation

[Beckie Flannagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great guided journal for starting a mindfulness practice.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Useful in helping create a more mindful and present persona

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically an activity journal of fun things to do to get you to focus on being mindful.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interestingly, I only had a few minutes with this book before my tween daughter took it to her room to read/do! I retrieved it the next day, had a good 30 minutes with it (and enjoyed the content), and it disappeared again into her lair. She loves it!

I'm looking forward to trying a few of the very creative exercises, and I'm really impressed with the whole book! A delightful interactive book that our whole family can enjoy.

Thanks, Goodreads, for the giveaway!

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was kindly gifted this book from the publishers.
While I probably never would have picked up this book myself, I can appreciate what the authors were trying to accomplish. In an age where people are glued to their smartphones, it can be a breath of fresh air to have people actually remember to look up every once in a while. The guided games and activities seemed a little childish at times, but sometimes people need such simple steps when remembering how to be mindful of this world.