The Mindful Woman: Gentle Practices for Restoring Calm, Finding Balance, and Opening Your Heart

by Sue Patton Thoele

Imagine a day in which you can be in the midst of chaos but maintain a clear head and sense of balance and focus and have your feet firmly planted on the ground. Even the busiest of women among us has the ability to embrace mindfulness and will reap the benefits of doing so!

In this book, Sue Patton Thoele shows you how to incorporate mindfulness into your busy and dynamic life. The book's gentle and humorous approach makes it a practical and easily understood guide for those who are new to the practice of mindfulness as well as those who are already familiar with its gifts.

The book offers over sixty-five simple and effective practices to help you embrace mindfulness one moment at a time. Filled with both the author's and other women's personal stories about the joys and hurdles that come with embracing mindful living, The Mindful Woman is a friend whose hand you can hold on the path toward being present in the moment. Finding your way will lead naturally to a more open heart, inner peace, and greater zest for life-a path well worth pursuing.

I have been a fan of Sue Patton Thoele's gentle wisdom since her very first book. Here she takes on mindfulness in her typical wise and caring way. The Mindful Woman is a retreat in a book!
-M.J. Ryan, author of This Year I Will…, Giving Thanks, and many other titles

The Mindful Woman is a warm-hearted tour of many effective ways for a woman to feel more peaceful, focused, and happy in the middle of her busy life. Based on scientific research and its author's deep insights, it is comprehensive and caring…a wonderful book.
-Rick Hanson, Ph.D., psychologist, board member of Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and author of Mother Nurture

Sue Patton Thoele is a heart-filled and gifted wordsmith who draws you into an enchanted journey of personal growth in each of her books. The Mindful Woman may well be her crowning glory… and yours… so get ready for a big treat!
-Bobbie Sandoz Merrill, MSW, author of Settle for More, Parachutes for Parents, and In the Presence of High Beings

Sue Patton Thoele is the master of explicating real life and real people. In The Mindful Woman, she adds a new dimension: real thinking. Many books preach mindfulness, but this is the only one that makes it so simple that you fall into practicing it as you turn the pages. Thoele has surpassed even her early groundbreaking books tailored to women's needs. Here is the hallmark of a deeply intuitive writer who presents her message in gentle, non-judgmental, and attractively intimate prose.
-Hugh Prather, author of Morning Notes, Notes to Myself, and Spiritual Notes to Myself

Sue Patton Thoele's books have long been a guiding light for me. The Mindful Woman is warm, wise, and wonderful and has become a touchstone to which I turn for advice and clarity. Reading Sue Thoele has truly made a difference in my life and has made me more mindful of the happy, healthy woman I am becoming.
-Brenda Knight, author of Wild Woman and Rituals for Life

wise, witty, and wonderful guide to what eludes us most: peace of mind and heart in a turbulent world.
-Janice Lynne Lundy, author of Your Truest Self

This book now has a permanent place on my nightstand. The Mindful Woman does much more than inform the reader about mindfulness. Through tiny, sweet bites of easy practice, it transforms a thoughtful woman into a mindful woman. Sue Patton Thoele's tenderness toward her reader warms each page as she reveals her own slips and slides in finding the positive and pleasant view of every circumstance.
-Cynthia Wall, LCSW, author of The Courage to Trust

Genres: Self Help, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Psychology, Philosophy, Meditation, Womens

222 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Roniq · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on being mindful with a few short exercise after each chapter.Things we all have learned about and know I'm sure but it's just great to get a shot of inspiration via a new spin. An interesting part for me was about being "Compassionately Detached". I had never heard this term and found it quite refreshing in it's meaning.

[Nicol Siemaszkiewicz · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me quite some time to finish this book. There’s a lot of practices that you can use daily which I love but it is most definitely a book for beginners so I didn’t have a lot of use in this. Also a lot of the practices are the same thing “breathe” “take some time”

[Taylor Inouye · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was very insightful advice but over time the book became very repetitive.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Profound messages of wisdom in her words. Deeply resonated with my mind, heart, body and soul
🤩

[Kirsty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dit boek kreeg ik ruim een jaar geleden aangereikt.
Nu ik er in lees begrijp ik de bedoeling. Het boek Pil van M.Bodde zal ik terugaanbieden.
Hier ga ik vast iets aan hebben, maar de timing was op dat moment nog niet zo goed.

Ik lees de vertaling, misschien is het origineel prettiger geschreven, maar ik betwijfel het.
het heeft mijn interesse gewekt en ik zal eens rondkijken naar een boek met dit onderwerp, maar ik vind dit boek heel onprettig geschreven, heb moeite me er doorheen te worstelen.

[Martha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe I've read too many of these kinds of books, but this seemed like a superficial pastiche of self-help platitudes. I'd go straight to the sources, e.g., Kabat-Zinn and Pema Chodron among others whose books are deeper, better written, and appear to come out of long personal and professional experience.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really pleased with the beautiful lessons and practices within this book. Psychoanalyst Patton Thoele doesn't spit out "The Secret" nonsense. She helps you find the power to redirect your thinking and stay on the journey of mindfulness.

Because it's a journey, not a destination. This book will stay by my bedside to pick up whenever I need a reminder.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of you looking for practical ideas about how to become more mindful in everyday life and try to live more in the present this book is for you. In fact there are almost too many suggestions and I may re-read it and pick a handful to focus on. I think it is best read one "practice" a day (or less often) rather than reading more at a time. (Each practice is a few pages of reading).

[Advie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book for searching into self, soul, religion, and not just for women. The author speaks of many religious not just one in specific. Many topics covered. Good for reflection and spiritual searching.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful guide for developing a practice of mindfulness - which is simply paying attention to where we are in the immediate moment. This book is written with the overextended, multitasking woman in mind! Full of simple suggestions and gentle practices....

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mainly skimmed through this book, it didn't hold my interest very well but I wouldn't say it's a bad book. It contains practical advice with helpful exercises that serve as relevant reminders to any woman at any phase of life.

[Carol McGillivary Rodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Due to circumstances that I have no control over I am near the end of myself in regards to too much stress...this little book is helping me to restore...or at best at least guide me gently on the path to some calm...

[Lora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book on a whim at a women's spirituality conference I attended this fall. It is a book that I read through quickly and now it sits on the table next to my bed and at least once a week I dig in and try one of the practices.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an easy read, with lots of tidbits for thought. The intro and conclusion were about mindfulness, and the bulk of the book included short anecdotes with ideas of how to apply various mindful thinking strategies in your own life. I liked it!

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of my mindful living project.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

mindfulness is a goal of mine- some good exercises in here

[Y · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an introductory book and offers little if any original advice I hadn't read elsewhere. It also didn't feel specifically catered to women... I read about half and was ready to quit reading.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book written for any woman who wants to experience greater peace and serenity. I love the author's concise writing style and her insights into everyday challenges.

[Maret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful & inspiring collection of ideas, stories & lessons that have really helped me stay calm, enjoy the simple things in life and become more mindful.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very common sense approach that every woman should try to employ. I am already seeing positive results for myself. A great gift for family and friends in your life.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would buy a copy of this one.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading with my sisters!

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this. Very practical ways of trying to incorporate mindfulness into your life.

[Chantal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, very practical and a life changer for me.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read small daily meditations

[Cindy]

One of my favorite authors.