“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

- Albert Einstein   (German born American Physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. 1879-1955)

 

 

 

 

Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness

 

  Susan L. Smalley PhD (Author), Diana Winston (Author)

 

 

 

Mindfulness—the art of paying attention with an open and curious mind to present-moment experiences—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.

 

 

 

Fully Present is a comprehensive and accessible introductory guide to mindfulness as taught at the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center by the Founder of the Center and its Director of Mindfulness Education.

Fully Present provides cutting-edge scientific explanations for how mindfulness positively and powerfully affects the brain and the body as well as practical guidance to develop both a meditation practice and discover mindfulness in daily living.

 

 

 

From Publishers Weekly

You wouldn't go through your day after having left your leg at home, so why are so many of us living lives with our minds left behind? 

 

Smalley, a former professor of biology, and Winston, a former Buddhist nun, answer this question and enable readers to remedy the absent-minded lifestyle. 

 

As founder/director and director, respectively, of UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center, the authors draw on their experience of bringing mindfulness to the masses and present the scientific side of mindfulness with an artful approach that results in a well-rounded synthesis accessible to scholars and laymen alike. 

 

Research studies, personal accounts, and practical applications illuminate mindfulness as a form of meditation; with activities as simple as breathing, listening, and walking, the practice can be easily incorporated into any lifestyle. 

 

Though a surprisingly extensive list of benefits from mindfulness is supported by what current research exists, the authors simultaneously acknowledge that more needs to be done and they find encouragement in positive results that reveal mindfulness as a simple yet profound solution to daily problems. 

 

Smalley and Winston will pique interest in living a completely present life, even if what that means has yet to be fully understood.
 

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