The Mindfulness Revolution

Book excerpt: A collection of essays on the benefits and everyday applications of mindfulness—featuring contributions from Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and more A growing body of scientific research indicates that mindfulness can reduce stress and improve mental and physical health. Countless people who have tried it say it's improved their quality of life. Simply put, mindfulness is the practice of paying steady and full attention, without judgment or criticism, to our moment-to-moment experience. Here is a collection of the best writing on what mindfulness is, why we should practice it, and how to apply it in daily life, from leading figures in the field. Selections include: • Leading thinker Jon Kabat-Zinn on the essence of mindfulness, stress reduction, and positive change • Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh on the transformative power of mindful breathing • Professor of psychiatry Daniel Siegel, MD, on how mindfulness benefits the brain • Physician and meditation teacher Jan Chozen Bays, MD, on how and why to practice mindful eating • Pioneering psychologist Ellen Langer on how mindfulness can change the understanding and treatment of disease • Leadership coach Michael Carroll on practicing mindfulness at work • Psychologist Daniel Goleman on a mindful approach to shopping and consuming • Pianist Madeline Bruser on how mindfulness can help us overcome performance anxiety • And much more The Mindfulness Revolution also includes an in-depth discussion by writer-editor Barry Boyce about how mindfulness is being applied in a variety of professional fields—from health care to education, from performing arts to business—to improve effectiveness and enhance well-being.