Mindfulness in... – serie

Mindfulness in Gardening explores the activity of gardening as an exercise for both body and mind. Ark Redwood, a professional gardener for over 30 years and currently head gardener at Chalice Well, one of Britain’s most sacred gardens, guides you through the changing seasons, expanding your knowledge of how to be conscious of the living and providing expert insight on meditating in your natural environment. Practical exercises are included for readers to imitate in their own garden. This book is essential reading for those looking to add a mindful dimension to the experience of gardening and understand the benefits this provides.

Mindfulness in Wild Swimming explores how swimming in rivers, lakes and seas is the epitome of conscious living. Environmental professional and zen-seeker Tessa Wardley reconnects the physical and spiritual cycles of life to the changing seasons and flow of wild waters worldwide, and leads the reader on a mindful journey through the natural world, guiding them through practical mindful exercises and technique tips. With expert insight and personal anecdotes, she shares a sparkling clarity on why our relationship with open water is so fundamental to pure wellbeing, and reveals how wild swimming can be the ultimate physical meditation.

Anyone can pick up a pair of needles and a ball of yarn. And everyone can be mindful. Mindfulness in Knitting casts fresh light on this renowned calming craft, and reveals how the act of “knit and purl” can be the epitome of conscious living. Ethical textile artist Rachael Matthews unpicks the threads of this popular pastime to explore how knitting connects us to each other and to the world around us. Through personal anecdote and expert insight, she unravels the true value of what it means to craft, its therapeutic benefits, and the joys of mindful making.This book is divided into chapters which will teach us to:  Find our place through yarn,  Knit sacred spaces,  Build knitting circles and connecting with others through craftivism,  The art of gifting our creations How knitting helps us discover ourselves. Filled with practical examples, personal insights and creative exercises for you to try at home, this book is suited for knitters of any ability, and will help you whether you want to relieve stress, build self-awareness or improve your mental health through the creative act of knitting.This book is from the Mindfulness series, a range of titles dedicated to exploring the mindful lifestyle, including Mindfulness in Gardening, Mindfulness in Drawing, Mindfulness in Baking, and Mindfulness in Wild Swimming.

The Art of Mindful Baking is a delightful insight into how the act of baking is a practical meditation by its very nature. Julia Ponsonby, head of food at Schumacher College, looks at what it means to use our hands and why kneading promotes wellbeing, and explores the true and enduring value of eating real food. Containing a wealth of mouth-watering recipes that highlight how you can incorporate mindfulness into your baking, this book demonstrates how baking with awareness provides benefits for not only you, but also those around you.

Everyone can draw, and everyone can be mindful. Mindfulness in Drawing is an engaging and enlightening insight into how setting pencil to paper is a meditative act by its innate nature, and how this creates a deeper connection between ourselves and the world around us. Through mindful creative exercises and personal anecdotes, doodlers and artists at any level in their craft will gain practical experience in and discover the joys of drawing mindfully. Written by Wendy Ann Greenhalgh, a writer, artist and teacher of creative mindfulness for over 20 years, this book offers a fresh outlook on perception, flow and instinct, and demonstrates how the combination of creativity and mindfulness helps us realise our potential for inner freedom and wellbeing.

Mindfulness in Reading embraces the joy of absorbing words on a page, encouraging a deeply therapeutic state of mind as vital to our wellbeing as breathing.The healing power of reading has been renowned since Aristotle; focus, flow and enlightenment can all be achieved through this universal act. In this illuminating guide, Ella Berthoud explores how reading mindfully can shape the person you are, encouraging empathy and opening your mind to important morals.Through meditative exercises, engaging anecdotes and expert insights, discover the enriching potential of reading for mindfulness, by learning: How to use reading to develop your emotional intelligenceHow to read in different waysHow to read like a child – without preconceptions and in exciting placesHow to benefit from reading with othersHow to find yourself in a book and remember what you have readIf you like this, you’ll also like Writer’s Creative Workbook, Mindful Thoughts for Walkers and Mindfulness in Drawing.

"In Mindfulness in Bird Watching, Claire Thompson elegantly weaves a narrative full of her own delightfully documented encounters with birds in amongst sage guidance on using mindfulness to help readers become deeply aware of the present moment. Following Claire's clearly described exercises has the potential to lead one from mere identification to making deeply insightful observations into the life of birds." – British Trust of Ornithology Through personal anecdote and expert insight, Claire Thompson of BirdLife International invites us on a mindful journey through gardens, cities, open country, forests, coasts and mountains to enjoy and learn from the magnificent beauty and diversity of the avian world.Who has never gazed enviously at a bird soaring through the sky? Or delighted in the uplifting tunes of nature’s songsters? Birds can do wonders for our hearts and minds – if we simply pay them attention. With Mindfulness in Bird Watching, Claire Thompson reveals how the practice of mindfulness enriches our bird watching experiences – and explores how birds are, in turn, the ideal inspiration for the practice of mindfulness.Enjoy the magnificent diversity of colours, songs, flight patterns and behaviours displayed by birds while reaping the benefits of mindfulness:Increased concentrationIncreased creativityIncreased vitalityReduced stress and anxietyBetter overall physical and emotional well-beingBetter sleepBird flight is a symbol of freedom to soar through life without constraint, and mindfulness similarly enables us to invite freedom and happiness into our own lives.Find even more ways to practice mindfulness with the Mindfulness series: Mindfulness in Sound, Mindfulness in Drawing, Mindfulness in Knitting, Mindfulness & the Journey of Bereavement, Mindfulness of Work, Art of Mindful Singing, Art of Mindful Crafting, Mindfulness and Compassion, Mindfulness for Black Dogs & Blue Days, Mindfulness for Unraveling Anxiety, Practice of Mindful Yoga, The Mindful Man, Mindfulness and the Natural World and more.