
Mindfulness
Thank you for visiting my mindfulness webpage. I do hope if you have read my books that you have found them helpful. You will know from "I Met a Monk" that I went through a very sad time with my husband becoming very ill with dementia and then dying in 2015.
I cannot tell you how much the wisdom the monk shared with me helped me to navigate those dark times and has continued to be a part of my life ever since, helping me to find inner strength and peace that has affected my whole life.
After writing I Met a Monk I went on to write EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE, a pocket-sized book based on the talk that the Buddha gave when he introduced the practice of mindfulness to the huge crowd who had gathered to hear him speak. The simple method he gave, based on 16 mindfulness breathing exercises, is as relevant and helpful today as it was then, and has helped many people to breathe their way to a mindful life. For, as I say in the book, ‘we are all born with the perfect tool for mindfulness. One that is with us all the time, that we can connect with wherever we are, whatever we are going through, and that will never let us down: it’s our breath.’
These books together explain Buddhist philosophy and mindfulness and offer a helpful approach to dealing with life’s pressures and challenges.
I Met a Monk:
8 Weeks to Happiness, Freedom and Peace
Chances are it's the second one. But it doesn't have to be that way Buddhism offers a truly life-changing point of view that can make everyday stress a thing of the past. But what is Buddhism anyway? Join renowned vegetarian chef Rose Elliot and a diverse group of people as they gather in her sitting room to learn about mindfulness meditation from the wise and witty Buddhist monk Rose has invited into her home.
Part autobiography, part self-help book, I Met a Monk forms a series of workshops, structured into eight chapters that cover the weekly discussions held between a Buddhist monk, Rose, and a group of men and women, including a student, a hairdresser, a doctor and a grandmother, where they talk about the Buddhist way to finding happiness, freedom and peace.
Every Breath You Take:
How to Breathe Your Way to a Mindful Life
Like many people, I had heard about mindfulness. I knew that it meant paying attention, opening our awareness to what is happening in the present moment and accepting it without judging or trying to control it.
I knew also that practising mindfulness has been shown to have many benefits - more peace, energy, self-confidence, less stress, relief from depression and anxiety, fewer aches and pains - and I wanted to experience some of those for myself.
However, much as I tried, I struggled with the practice. I found it dreary, dull and boring - all that "notice what you're doing while you clean your teeth" - I just couldn't get to grips with it all. Then........
