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Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness
Mindfulness has attracted ever-growing interest and tens of thousands of practitioners, who have come to the discipline from both within and outside the Buddhist tradition. In Fully Present, leading mindfulness researchers and educators Dr. Sue Smalley and Diana Winston provide an all-in-one guide for anyone interested in bringing mindfulness to daily life as a means of enhancing well-being. Fully Present provides both a scientific explanation for how mindfulness positively and powerfully affects the brain and the body as well as practical guidance to develop both a practice and mindfulness in daily living, not only through meditation but also during daily experiences, such as waiting in line at the supermarket, exercising, or facing difficult news.
367 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 13, 2010
238 people are currently reading
2146 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
June 4, 2020
One of the best books on the subject of mindfulness. I actually listened to the audiobook in French because the English audio version isn’t available, at least not on Audible.
I have been practicing mindfulness since lockdown and have found it super effective in reducing stress and enhancing concentration. This book gives much science background in plain language.
I have been practicing mindfulness since lockdown and have found it super effective in reducing stress and enhancing concentration. This book gives much science background in plain language.
November 3, 2012
I like the idea of presenting the research that backs up the utility of mindfulness along with information on how to practice it. I think it could have been edited down a lot though. Because it tried to appeal to rational and irrational parts of the mind it included a lot of examples of scientific studies and anecdotes that covered the same ground. I also felt that there was a bit too much of both. Studies were often described even if the author admitted that they were not rigorous enough to suggest anything other than the need for further research in that area. I felt that a lot of these could have been cut--this is for lay people and not a grad paper after all. The writing also could have been clearer and better worded at times. For example: "Today the remnants of these readily made fears are evident by the disproportionate number of phobias that people have toward snakes and spiders compared with things to which they are exposed far more often, such as kittens or toothbrushes" (p.103 in the paperback edition). I believe the real reason people are more afraid of snakes than toothbrushes is because one is possibly poisonous and one is a freakin' toothbrush! It would have made far more sense if they had said cars or hamburgers, which both actually have a chance at killing you yet are less likely to scare people. I suppose it's possible they were trying to be funny, but it really didn't seem like that. It's disappointing that the book isn't better written because I think it contains a lot of great information and there's several practices from this book that I found helpful and am implementing in my life. I do recommend this book because it does have great nuggets of information in it, but I'd also recommend skimming through a lot of it and just focusing on the parts that you think will be useful.
Read more of my reviews at: http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com/
Read more of my reviews at: http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com/
March 3, 2023
Susan Smalley and Diana Winston run the UCLA Mindfulness Awareness Research Center (MARC). I have been assigning their meditations to students and clients for over 10 years. I finally read their book to accompany their meditation practices and it is excellent! It is a perfect introduction to mindfulness and meditation. I highly recommend it!!
June 20, 2013
I particularly enjoyed the higher dose of science and rigor in this book, compared to my other brushes with mindfulness and meditation instruction. The format is really solid, and progresses through explaining the science and arguing for the usefulness of a given practice (with data!), then to outlining how one might most effectively pursue it, and then each chapter gives a few practice exercises and suggestions for integrating a given technique into your routine.
I listened to this as an audiobook, which was both helpful and sometimes grating (I do have a threshold for people talking to me in a calm, soothing voice), but in many ways it was ideal. The audio was an excellent reminder for me to observe and re-examine my auto-pilot mode, and my day-to-day actions.
I listened to this as an audiobook, which was both helpful and sometimes grating (I do have a threshold for people talking to me in a calm, soothing voice), but in many ways it was ideal. The audio was an excellent reminder for me to observe and re-examine my auto-pilot mode, and my day-to-day actions.
February 14, 2017
Pretty good overview of the benefits of mindfulness and strategies to put to use. Pay attention to the stories you tell yourself....always good advice.
January 9, 2018
•(My reviews are intentionally generalized, concise, and contain little to no summaries. Here I will focus on my overall experience and personal interaction while reading this book)
•I Learned: We can train our minds to deal with life better. With practice, we really can heal our minds from the stress of life.
•I Felt: hopeful, empowered, free
•It Changed me: I need to practice mindfulness more and make it a daily habit. When I try, I can let thoughts slide by and not affect me in harmful ways. This helped me to know myself better.
•I Learned: We can train our minds to deal with life better. With practice, we really can heal our minds from the stress of life.
•I Felt: hopeful, empowered, free
•It Changed me: I need to practice mindfulness more and make it a daily habit. When I try, I can let thoughts slide by and not affect me in harmful ways. This helped me to know myself better.
September 2, 2024
This book is another one that was recommended to me by a colleague in our well-being department who leads meditation sessions. A great overview, well-researched, and well-written. Informative and helpful, but without using mindfulness as a gimmick -- they do a nice job presenting research in full (e.g., acknowledging flaws in research studies instead of blindly using a study to support a claim without recognizing the limitations of said study). One of the best books I've read on this topic.
July 31, 2019
Simply defined technichs for mindfulness , must read for all due to modern distracting and stressful situations in daily life.
March 25, 2011
Ironic that the only time I have ever missed Emily's bus was while I was reading this book...
March 20, 2023
Great book on mindfulness, i definitely learned a lot and try to implement some of the practices in my life! I do think the print is incredibly small and the chapters were pretty long so it was hard to get through at times.
March 11, 2017
The subtitle of this book is an excellent description of how this book approaches the subject of mindfulness. The book explains the current science around meditation. And there is an increasing amount of it. The authors make this science lucid and demonstrate how it can be applied.
The art section is more of a case study that shows how one of the authors applied mindfulness in her own life. She explains the difference it made and the growth she experienced.
Finally, the practice section gives useful strategies to start applying to our own lives. Again, the clarity is strong here.
This is a well thought out and executed book. I highly recommend it.
The art section is more of a case study that shows how one of the authors applied mindfulness in her own life. She explains the difference it made and the growth she experienced.
Finally, the practice section gives useful strategies to start applying to our own lives. Again, the clarity is strong here.
This is a well thought out and executed book. I highly recommend it.
May 5, 2017
A great broad overview of mindfulness for a secular audience. As advertised, each chapter is broken into three sections. The first section touches on the relevant scientific evidence, often pointing out when it is in the hypothesis stage, or when there are only early studies. The "art" section seems to usually discuss how it can be applied to day-to-day life, and the "practice" section describes a mindfulness technique for the specific are that is being discussed.
Mindfulness has come up in many of the books that have influenced my thinking on psychology, the mind, and how to better approach your thoughts and emotions. In Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation, the author frequently describes a patient with a difficulty such as anger control problems or ADD, then ends unsatisfactorily with, "...and then I taught him some mindfulness techniques and he lived happily ever after." In The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom, mindfulness is frequently referenced as one of a few techniques that have been successful in overcoming an obstacle to happiness that is being covered. However, the detail of how one might apply mindfulness to manage anxiety or ADD for example, are frustratingly absent.
Fully Present fills in those blanks, and gives readers a framework for applying mindfulness techniques to everyday life. If you're interested in meditation or mindfulness, but are wary of the spiritual/philosophical/dogmatic trappings that are often associated, this book is for you.
Mindfulness has come up in many of the books that have influenced my thinking on psychology, the mind, and how to better approach your thoughts and emotions. In Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation, the author frequently describes a patient with a difficulty such as anger control problems or ADD, then ends unsatisfactorily with, "...and then I taught him some mindfulness techniques and he lived happily ever after." In The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom, mindfulness is frequently referenced as one of a few techniques that have been successful in overcoming an obstacle to happiness that is being covered. However, the detail of how one might apply mindfulness to manage anxiety or ADD for example, are frustratingly absent.
Fully Present fills in those blanks, and gives readers a framework for applying mindfulness techniques to everyday life. If you're interested in meditation or mindfulness, but are wary of the spiritual/philosophical/dogmatic trappings that are often associated, this book is for you.
January 12, 2011
Until recently, if offered a book on meditation, I would have expected it to come with a free Enya cd and a bag of fair trade chai. ;) I have always considered myself too logical-minded for stuff like navel-gazing. This book, however, written by researchers at UCLA, compiles some very convincing data on the benefits of meditation; benefits to the quality of one's daily life, stress level, and longterm physical health. The best part is, the techniques described are ridiculously simple. Not necessarily easy to master, but simple to learn (sorta like Texas Hold 'Em). With this book as a guide, there's hope for any one of us to become, as the authors say, a "recovered fretter."
July 2, 2012
While I appreciated the attempt to secularize and describe this topic, it still has a flavor difficult for me to connect with it in a practical way. I picked up nuggets here and there in the roughly half of the book that I made it through and continue to believe that I might find something useful in this topic, but I lost faith that I'd find it here.
October 1, 2015
If you're interested in meditation but afraid of the mumbo jumbo, this is a great book. If you're not afraid of the mumbo jumbo, it's still a fantastic book because it grounds everything in physical details rather than it being experimental thought.
December 31, 2015
Great read on mindfulness. Easy, understandable, practical, and the science portion gives it an edge many introduction don't have.
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February 19, 2016Read by ACRL Member of the Week Lindsay C. Sarin. Learn more about Lindsay on the ACRL Insider Blog.
November 12, 2016
Informative and helpful.
August 6, 2021
Summary:
1. Definition of meditation: Meditation is about perceiving without conceptual framework.
2. Meditation has to be trained like a muscle, one cannot expect that thinking of nothing will work at the first time. At the start, it will usually only work for a few seconds at a time.
3. Meditation is commonly associated with practices that derive from the cultures where the art of meditation has been primarily developed, but which are only accidental to meditation. Namely: (A) The yoga seating poses are felt as the most comfortable ones in many eastern countries, but for the western cultures this may correspond to sitting on a chair in an upright manner. (B) Focusing on the breath is the most common technique in meditation, lending its name -directly or indirectly- to spirituality (that is, the occupation with breath, or with the soul); but even this is not essential to meditation. Breath is merely a very useful anchor to focus on, in order to avoid focusing on all the other things.
4. Two meditations for beginners:
4.A. Breath meditation. One can focus on either stomach, chest, nostrils, or all of them. It is important not to focus on them in a conceptual way, for example, don't think "Now I'm inhaling/exhaling.", but just to observe it without comment.
4.B. Body meditation. Focus on all parts of the body (and relax the muscles in them), starting from toes, going up via all limbs to the jaw and face, with all the detailed steps in between.
5. Meditation can be used to deal with pain or negative emotions. The idea is that observing the pain/emotions distances one from their first-order experience. Pain and negative emotions are very pervasive, so it may be useful to resort to some step-by-step recipes: Basically, the pain/emotion is first observed, then its cause is inquired and understood, and then some distancing takes place.
Comments:
(Ad 1.)
A. This definition is very helpful, but also not. It would be more consistent to say that meditation is about observing one's perceptions (that is, on some meta-level). In some passages of the book it sounds as if meditation is about just perceiving the perceptions (as caused by flow, drugs, or being a little child), but I think this is not what is meant by meditation in general or in the other parts of the book.
B. Eckhart Tolle writes that meditation can also be about observing one's thoughts, as opposed to just thinking them. That idea is not explored in this book. If we take the idea into account, we can say that meditation is not so much about not thinking, but about being on some meta-level about one's everyday experience -- be it perceptions or thoughts, or -in between- emotions. (Perhaps, then, it may be easier to be on a meta-level about perceptions than it is to be on a meta-level about thoughts, justifying why the book encourages one to suppress the thoughts during meditation.)
C. Still an open question is whether the mentioned meta-level should include only observation, or whether it may also include thinking. Part of the answer may be that meta-level thinking can help to distance oneself from the first level perceptions and thoughts, thus supporting a subsequent pure meta-level observation of the first level.
(Ad 5.) The described step-by-step technique is well known not only to help against pain and negative emotions; but also against other evils, such as religion or objectivist ethics.
Review:
The chapters are usually made of a science section and of an applied section. The science sections are full of trivia, and I skipped most of them. The authors acknowledge that meditation is about first-person experiences that moreover vary among humans, and that empirical psychology (understandably) still struggles to make sense of these in a satisfactory way. But the scientific attitude of the authors is very useful in that it ensures that the applied sections are also comprehensible for muggles.
1. Definition of meditation: Meditation is about perceiving without conceptual framework.
2. Meditation has to be trained like a muscle, one cannot expect that thinking of nothing will work at the first time. At the start, it will usually only work for a few seconds at a time.
3. Meditation is commonly associated with practices that derive from the cultures where the art of meditation has been primarily developed, but which are only accidental to meditation. Namely: (A) The yoga seating poses are felt as the most comfortable ones in many eastern countries, but for the western cultures this may correspond to sitting on a chair in an upright manner. (B) Focusing on the breath is the most common technique in meditation, lending its name -directly or indirectly- to spirituality (that is, the occupation with breath, or with the soul); but even this is not essential to meditation. Breath is merely a very useful anchor to focus on, in order to avoid focusing on all the other things.
4. Two meditations for beginners:
4.A. Breath meditation. One can focus on either stomach, chest, nostrils, or all of them. It is important not to focus on them in a conceptual way, for example, don't think "Now I'm inhaling/exhaling.", but just to observe it without comment.
4.B. Body meditation. Focus on all parts of the body (and relax the muscles in them), starting from toes, going up via all limbs to the jaw and face, with all the detailed steps in between.
5. Meditation can be used to deal with pain or negative emotions. The idea is that observing the pain/emotions distances one from their first-order experience. Pain and negative emotions are very pervasive, so it may be useful to resort to some step-by-step recipes: Basically, the pain/emotion is first observed, then its cause is inquired and understood, and then some distancing takes place.
Comments:
(Ad 1.)
A. This definition is very helpful, but also not. It would be more consistent to say that meditation is about observing one's perceptions (that is, on some meta-level). In some passages of the book it sounds as if meditation is about just perceiving the perceptions (as caused by flow, drugs, or being a little child), but I think this is not what is meant by meditation in general or in the other parts of the book.
B. Eckhart Tolle writes that meditation can also be about observing one's thoughts, as opposed to just thinking them. That idea is not explored in this book. If we take the idea into account, we can say that meditation is not so much about not thinking, but about being on some meta-level about one's everyday experience -- be it perceptions or thoughts, or -in between- emotions. (Perhaps, then, it may be easier to be on a meta-level about perceptions than it is to be on a meta-level about thoughts, justifying why the book encourages one to suppress the thoughts during meditation.)
C. Still an open question is whether the mentioned meta-level should include only observation, or whether it may also include thinking. Part of the answer may be that meta-level thinking can help to distance oneself from the first level perceptions and thoughts, thus supporting a subsequent pure meta-level observation of the first level.
(Ad 5.) The described step-by-step technique is well known not only to help against pain and negative emotions; but also against other evils, such as religion or objectivist ethics.
Review:
The chapters are usually made of a science section and of an applied section. The science sections are full of trivia, and I skipped most of them. The authors acknowledge that meditation is about first-person experiences that moreover vary among humans, and that empirical psychology (understandably) still struggles to make sense of these in a satisfactory way. But the scientific attitude of the authors is very useful in that it ensures that the applied sections are also comprehensible for muggles.
November 26, 2022
Interesting take on fully present with mindfulness practices sprinkled throughout the book.
This book help me understand one thing of mindfulness.. it's about the practice. Yes there is a science and art to it but at the end of the day if you're not practicing it it doesn't matter how much you have learned.
It took me a while to understand what mindfulness really means for me. For me it was that creative pursuit in finding happiness and joy in whatever I do.
Being fully present and being in the moment was all about paying attention to what I'm doing and noticing the things around me in the most serendipitous way.
Thank you Susan and Diana for your wisdom.
A few notes from the book that resonated:
I remain open and curious about both the joyful and painful situations of life.
Mindful Awareness Practice - MAP
We are immersed in a society of speed, technology, and information overload.
Mindfulness can be cultivated through explicit practices, such as meditation or yoga or t’ai chi, or even through creative processes in the arts or walking in nature.
An unexamined life is not worth living. —SOCRATES
.......
And this note is from me to you, the seekers of mindfulness:
To all the seekers out there - you're on the right path, just take one step at a time and the universe will conspire, when you least expect it.
This book help me understand one thing of mindfulness.. it's about the practice. Yes there is a science and art to it but at the end of the day if you're not practicing it it doesn't matter how much you have learned.
It took me a while to understand what mindfulness really means for me. For me it was that creative pursuit in finding happiness and joy in whatever I do.
Being fully present and being in the moment was all about paying attention to what I'm doing and noticing the things around me in the most serendipitous way.
Thank you Susan and Diana for your wisdom.
A few notes from the book that resonated:
I remain open and curious about both the joyful and painful situations of life.
Mindful Awareness Practice - MAP
We are immersed in a society of speed, technology, and information overload.
Mindfulness can be cultivated through explicit practices, such as meditation or yoga or t’ai chi, or even through creative processes in the arts or walking in nature.
An unexamined life is not worth living. —SOCRATES
.......
And this note is from me to you, the seekers of mindfulness:
To all the seekers out there - you're on the right path, just take one step at a time and the universe will conspire, when you least expect it.
April 30, 2020
Ever wonder, sometimes, there aren't really clear causes of unhappiness or insufficiency. Whether we were living in the past or caught up in the future. Things always flow expeditiously. Lacking awareness, most of the time we aren't living the present.
A powerful book with scientific reasonings, precise descriptions of the practical approach without letting go of the art section. Modern mindfulness seamed as a rebranding approach of changing autopilot negative behaviors, empowers intuitions, discovery one true self, help in combating inner struggles-emotionally and psychologically-in kind and compassionate way A must-have book.
After all, we are human beings, not human doings.
A powerful book with scientific reasonings, precise descriptions of the practical approach without letting go of the art section. Modern mindfulness seamed as a rebranding approach of changing autopilot negative behaviors, empowers intuitions, discovery one true self, help in combating inner struggles-emotionally and psychologically-in kind and compassionate way A must-have book.
After all, we are human beings, not human doings.
June 27, 2018
An excellent resource for everything concerning mindfulness and meditation for mental health, as well as helpful tips and activities for how to do it. Much of this I already knew from my masters studies, but it was helpful that everything was located in one book and it was clear and easy to read. I borrowed this from the library, but I will probably buy it to refer back to. I would definitely recommend if this is a practice you want to know more about.
March 15, 2019
A guide to mindfulness, which can be easier than we think. If you grab a fruit, picture where it came from, starting as a seed, traveling a journey to your home, and finally tasting it, heightening your sense of awareness and making you ask if you truly want to eat it, savoring it, and making it a great tasting fruit. Whether it is focusing on your breathing, savoring every bite, or becoming attentive to what you feel, mindfulness can be practiced everyday if you train and make a habit.
December 22, 2019
I did find some new things in this book such as CBT is a way to change your thoughts whereas mindfulness is changing your relationship with your thoughts. It is my intention for 2020 to continue to find a way to slow down my thoughts, improve my ability to respond rather than react and to grow my emotional intelligence both in my workspace and with my family. I did find this book to be rather repetitive and wonder if perhaps it could have been about half as long....
July 18, 2020
New learnings about mindfulness:
1) Focused Mindfulness vs Open Mindfulness - the latter being the awareness of all the happenings around us while keeping a open attitude to analyse & embrace the whole world of sounds, smells & warmth etc the senses (audio, smell, kinetic)
2) Practice self-kindness - when the world is full of people who self-hate or self-doubt.
3) “Pain is unavoidable. Suffering is optional” - by Haruki Murakami
1) Focused Mindfulness vs Open Mindfulness - the latter being the awareness of all the happenings around us while keeping a open attitude to analyse & embrace the whole world of sounds, smells & warmth etc the senses (audio, smell, kinetic)
2) Practice self-kindness - when the world is full of people who self-hate or self-doubt.
3) “Pain is unavoidable. Suffering is optional” - by Haruki Murakami
July 30, 2019
amazing, speechless, this book has taught me so much and has made me re-think about myself and who i want to be- what i want to believe in- what i want to learn and contribute to society. I am currently practicing mindfulness and I have a daily-meditation goal I want to follow, this book has given me all the tools and a big part of me didn’t want it to end so soon!
February 5, 2021
Lots of great information about secular mindfulness, as well as the (somewhat limited) science being applied to it. The book was written at least 10 years ago, so the scientific data is even more limited than what you find now. That said, it all still holds true and the practices and reasons for practicing are all still totally valid and useful. Great for someone just diving into mindfulness.
April 23, 2023
It took me forever to finish this one and was not the most "exciting" book to read. But I loved the explanations rooted in science for why a mindfulness practice is so important, and a scholarly explanation for what factors can contribute to success or failure. Now I actually need to try and establish a regular mindfulness practice instead of just reading about it all the time...
February 17, 2018
Great book for the beginner to mindfulness
I got a little bored with the extensive scientific talk in this book - I just skimmed the science portion and read more attentively the parts on art and practice.
I got a little bored with the extensive scientific talk in this book - I just skimmed the science portion and read more attentively the parts on art and practice.
May 24, 2018
A must read
For those interested in the basics of mindfulness meditation. Very concise and clear, it gives an overview of all the benefits you can reap from practicing this non religious, scientific based, meditation.
For those interested in the basics of mindfulness meditation. Very concise and clear, it gives an overview of all the benefits you can reap from practicing this non religious, scientific based, meditation.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews