A Little Bit of Mindfulness: An Introduction to Being Present

by Amy Leigh Mercree

In the “ Little Bit of” a fresh, accessible introduction to the increasingly popular spiritual practice of being present and peaceful in the moment.

In these fast-paced modern times, mindfulness can keep us centered, calm, and energized—no matter how much the outside world keeps distracting us. Thanks to Amy Leigh Mercree’s accessible introduction, beginners can master this spiritual practice. You’ll learn methods for cultivating inner peace, accessing a deeper creativity, and creating a healthier body, along with rituals that support these mindfulness techniques.

Genres: Self Help, Spirituality, Nonfiction

128 pages, Hardcover

Published November 6, 2018

About the author

Amy Leigh Mercree is a bestselling author of eighteen books, journals, and card decks. She is a media personality, holistic health expert, and mystic teacher. She instructs internationally sharing Meet Your Goddess Guides, Ancestral and Karmic Shamanism, and Atomic Healing Method: Medical Intuitive Certification.

Amy is an internationally acclaimed medical intuitive with 23 years of experience. Using a combination of spirituality and science, Amy’s job is finding the root cause of imbalances in the body. She’s helped thousands of people find the root causes of numerous mild and moderate medical conditions and uncover their bodies wisdom to heal permanently.

Mercree has been featured in Glamour Magazine, Women’s Health, Inc. Magazine, Shape, The Huffington Post, Your Tango, Soul and Spirit Magazine, Mind Body Green, CBS, NBC, Hello Giggles, Reader’s Digest, The Oprah Magazine, Forbes, ABC, First for Women, Country Living, CW, FOX, Bustle, Well+Good, Refinery 29, Hello Glow, She Knows, Thrive Global, Spartan, Poosh, Parade Magazine, Oprah Daily, and more.

Mercree is the author of “The Spiritual Girl’s Guide to Dating,” “Joyful Living: 101 Ways to Transform Your Spirit and Revitalize Your Life,” “The Compassion Revolution: 30 Days of Living from the Heart,” “A Little Bit of Chakras: An Introduction to Energy Healing,” “The Chakras and Crystals Cookbook: Juices, Smoothies, Sorbets, Salads, and Crystal Infusions to Empower Your Energy Centers,” “A Little Bit of Meditation: An Introduction to Mindfulness,” “Recipes for Natural Living: Essential Oils Handbook,” “Recipes for Natural Living: Apple Cider Vinegar Handbook,” “A Little Bit of Mindfulness: An Introduction to Being Present,” “The Mood Book: Crystals, Oils, and Rituals to Elevate Your Spirit,” “A Little Bit of Goddess: An Introduction to the Divine Feminine,” “Guided Journal A Little Bit of Chakras: Your Personal Path to Energy Healing,” “Guided Journal A Little Bit of Meditation: Your Personal Path to Mindfulness,” “Guided Journal A Little Bit of Mindfulness: Your Personal Path to Awareness,” “100 Days to Calm: A Journal for Finding Everyday Tranquility,” “The Healing Home: Your Room-by-Room Guide to Positive Vibes,” “Blissful Baths: 40 Rituals for Self-Care and Relaxation,” and “Aura Alchemy: Learn to Sense Energy Fields, Interpret the Color Spectrum, and Manifest Success.”

Connect with Amy at AmyLeighMercree.com and @AmyLeighMercree on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Pinterest.

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Reviews

[Kirsty ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book; short, to the point and full of mindful meditations to help you live a calmer life. One of the most interesting things for me was the introductory history of mindfulness. I had no idea the practise could be traced back so far and I enjoyed reading about the links to both Buddhism and Hinduism.

I really enjoyed the meditations at the end of the book which look at walking, eating, relationships, your thoughts and much more. Lots of ways for me to put my mindful thoughts into practise. 

A really enjoyable book

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too many dry research facts in the first half of the book... although, some of this is necessary and important. It just got a little dry and repetitive after a few chapters of it. The second half of the book was much better with practical mindfulness exercises.

[Milliebot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent little beginner's guide to mindfulness - it explores the history and science behind the practice and includes some mindful activities you can incorporate into your daily life. I found it useful as a starting point, as it's something I want to start practicing. Mostly I bought it for the guided activities - the history and science part of the book is interesting, but incredibly repetitive. Sometimes I felt like I'd read the exact same sentence 5 or 6 times. But I did highlight some points throughout and I plan to start practicing the guided activities, so I think it'll be useful.

[Skye512 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice, quick read. I wish that there was a bit more of variety in the exercises (while they did provide a good bit for a tiny book, I had gone in assuming that we would learn many more ways to practice mindfulness within our busy lives). Overall though, it was a solid short read and there's definitely a few exercises I'll be thinking about using from in there.

[Maxine Smitiuch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and easy read about mindfulness. Practical and easy tips to become more present 🧘‍♀️🙏🏼

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would have been more useful to me on audio. Then, I could have followed the meditations better.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Primarily discusses mindfulness and meditation. Instructs the reader to use your senses - smell, taste, touch,sight, and hearing - to fully soak in the world. Being mindful helps to focus on our thoughts, feelings and actions. The book has easy to follow steps to deeper mindfulness.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not your typical mindfulness book. In the first part of the book, the author throws a lot of statistics at you all purporting to prove the health benefits of being mindful. She tells us when the study took place and its results. Interesting, but not helpful. Assuming the reader gets past the recitation of why she should practice mindfulness, the author finally get to the part the reader probably picked up the book in the first place, i.e., the how of mindfulness.

There are better books if you’re just interested in learning how to be mindful. But if you’d like to see what the researchers say about the benefits of being mindful and learn how to be mindful, then this is the book for you.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Little Bit of Mindfulness: an Introduction to Being Present, is part of a series written for the layperson about mindfulness.

Amy Leigh Mercree, the author, clearly knows what she is talking about and has a gift for simplifying what is really a complex way of living. Accessibility is the most important feature of this book. Enough guidance to ease one into living in the moment but not so much that people are overwhelmed.

I enjoy the topic and was happy to read this book. I learned some good pointers.

[Riss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic intro to mindfulness. I had some background because of the meditation class I took in college using the MBSR method which was briefly discussed throughout the book. Nothing particularly insightful for someone with any background in mindfulness.

Last few meditations didn’t allow for the interpretation of religious thought and felt pushy with the meditations including praise to a variety of gods from different religions. I appreciate more vague mantras that allow each religion to have interpretations within them.

[Jennifer Rust · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice short read. Best chapters were on breathing properly (“Quieting the Chemical Symphony.”) and watching your thoughts as an observer. (“Watching the Inner Show.”) The author is a practitioner of Eastern forms of meditation-and some of the exercises include prayers to Hindu deities. I skipped those. Also, she doesn’t seem to realize that Judaism predates Hinduism, and that the Psalmist was writing about meditation long before: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great reminder of all the ways that we can be mindful in our everyday life. I like that is also provided examples on how to meditate for different areas of our lives such as during meal times or on a walk. I’m generally a fast eater so that meditation will be useful for me to practice daily.

[Ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bought 4 or 5 of these “A Little Bit Of...” books because I really enjoyed the first one I read but the last few haven’t quite lived up to the first one. A large portion of this book read like a research paper which isn’t exactly what I’m looking for. But I did enjoy the examples of different types meditation and how to practice them.

[Yendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Idk... If you're more into the "scientific" perspective of mental health this might be the one for you. In my case I was sort of looking for practical strategies that I could integrate in my routine (which are provided in the book, but the majority of the chapters were related to studies and historical details).

[Tracy Mate · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever needed a reason to practice mindfulness this is the book to read first. A deep dive on the positive effects of this lifestyle and practice will help you start this journey. Easy and fast read, completed in just a couple of hours.

[A Canadian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has a beautiful cover.

[Alex Gruenenfelder · Rating 5 out of 5]

An upbeat, positive look into mindfulness and meditation. Useful to those who wish not only to get basic insight, but also some basic practices.

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to mindfulness and the science behind it.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

a nice quick read, with some good tips on mindfulness throughout your daily activities.

[Kate McKenney · Rating 4 out of 5]

the mindful relationships meditation was magical 💕✨

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

YTT 2020

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an easy read, but super informative! There are even a few meditation and mindfulness techniques included.

[Rachel Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series!!!

[Gary Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great guide to learning mindfulness practices. I think everyone needs this book. Practicing mindfulness meditation has been extremely helpful for me in times of stress and when I’m feeling anxious.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few meditation techniques, more history in how meditation became more popular. It was alright.

[Zander · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book taught me how to do things in different ways. For example eating was a big topic in this book which taught me how to eat mindfully. Another topic was the history of the term being mindful which was nice . The book also gave direct instructions on how to do mindful practices in every day life which I tried while reading the book. Meditations in this book made sense and seemed easy to learn.my favorite part of this book is the history of mindfulness part because it was the most interesting. 3.9 stars

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pros: Short, sweet, and simple.
Cons: Repetitive

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guide to mindfulness is perfect for those who are completely new to the subject. The authors summoned up the background and the basics of "being present" really well. There are different techniques to calm the mind. The step-by-step guide makes it pretty easy to follow along. I love that Amy mentions different areas related to mindfulness (yoga, meditation, etc...). As the title suggests it is a little bit of everything that is known about mindfulness. I think people who begin their journey by reading this book will be guided very well.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mindfulness is a powerful and effective topic that all take for granted concerning their health. Mindfulness has become a very popular topic in our library and this book does a great job reflecting and explaining mindfulness in its concept and how it's effective. This book definitely lives up to turning a novice of mindfulness like myself into an expert of mindfulness. The exercises and concepts presented in this book are easily applicable to everyone's everyday life.

Thank you Netgalley and Sterling publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. We will definitely consider adding this title for our self help collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

[Rhiannon Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mindfulness is a skill. Learned and more difficult than one would think it should be.

I love that "A Little Bit of Mindfulness" looks at the science and positive effects of Mindfulness on our health.

My only criticism is that it would be easier to follow the exercises if they were set up in a table rather than a list.

This book is a great resource for those wanting to be more mindful in their day to day lives.