I’ve read a lot of books about mindfulness, but my absolute favorite was just published by National Geographic in March – The Mindful Day: Practical Ways to Find Focus, Calm, and Joy From Morning to Evening by Laurie J. Cameron.
The Mindful Day is a book designed for busy professionals looking to integrate or deepen mindfulness in their daily lives. But this book is really for anybody, “busy professional” or not, who could use a comprehensive guide to everyday mindfulness. The Mindful Day draws on contemplative practice, compelling neuroscience, and positive psychology to bring peace and focus to the home, workplace and beyond.
How often have you thought, “Sure, mindfulness sounds like a good idea. But how do I actually do it?”
Mindfulness is about more than having a meditation practice. Formal mindfulness meditation familiarizes us with the state of present moment awareness that mindfulness practices as a whole (formal and informal) help us weave into the fabric of our entire day, bringing greater calm, clarity, and joy to our lives.
The Mindful Day teaches us how to do that weaving.
The content is organized into five broad categories: Home (at the start of the day), Work, Play, Love, and Home again (this time, at the end of the day). Laurie breaks down those categories into bite-sized sub-sections, each packed with insightful commentary and practical recommendations that anybody can implement with intention (and yes, “Set intentions” is one of those sub-sections, including an enlightening explanation of the difference between intentions and goals).
Just a few of my favorite sections are “Meditate through exercise,” “Shower with awareness,” “Transform your commute,” “Create space when overwhelmed,” “Calm your inner critic,” “Welcome one another,” and “Savor eating.”
It goes without saying, though, that my number one favorite section in The Mindful Day is in the Play category. Drum roll please…
“Take pictures.”
Yup! Laurie actually identifies photography as a mindfulness practice. BOOM! And I thought Damselwings Photography was just my own unique mindfulness endeavor. I guess it’s not all about me after all. ;-)
This wasn’t the only time I felt Laurie had written this book just for me. Another section in the Play category is “Visit a museum.” Had she read my blog post about this very subject? (Not likely, but you can read it here.)
The Mindful Day was released when I was on my 10-Day Silent Meditation Retreat. I didn’t have a chance to start it until I was on a plane to Malaysia in May. It was the perfect book to have along on our southeast Asia trip, given that the 12 flights, numerous boat rides, and generally packed schedule knocked me off my formal daily meditation routine.
I practically cried with gratitude when I read the sections “Engage with your children” and “Travel with curiosity and wonder,” (the latter of which inspired this blog post about mindful travel). “Listen to nature’s symphony” and “See your loved ones with fresh eyes” were also fun to practice on our nature adventure vacation.
And here’s the absolute coolest part: among her many other impressive credentials (including Founder of the executive coaching firm PurposeBlue, trained by Thich Nat Hahn and other world-renowned mindfulness masters, Senior Fellow with the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being at George Mason University, Guest Professor at the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, and mindful mom), Laurie is also a senior teacher with the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI), the very organization I’m training with right now.
I had the pleasure of seeing Laurie in action a couple of weeks ago when I volunteered at a Search Inside Yourself public program at Georgetown University. It’s one thing to write a book, but to watch her embody the work so completely while teaching the curriculum was truly inspiring.
I just updated my mindfulness resources list for my 30-Day Mindfulness Meditation Challenge participants. Laurie J. Cameron’s The Mindful Day is now at the top of that list and the book I would recommend if you were forced to pick just one title. Whether you are an experienced practitioner or just becoming interested in exploring mindfulness, you will benefit greatly from this read.
Follow this link to learn more and get your copy: https://lauriejcameron.
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