Mindfulness in a Busy World

In a world with so many distractions all vying for our attention it should come as no surprise that there is a dramatic uptick in students and adults at all age levels struggling with their inability to focus, listen, and calm down. Utilizing her training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, her clinical practice and her familiarity with neurobiological advances, Dr. Beaudoin, and co-author K. Maki, offer a detailed curriculum to facilitators and educators who are struggling to cope with this attention deficit. It is replete with creative mindfulness, breathing, and body exercises that offer opportunities for class participants "to discover in themselves, and experience first hand the unknown capacities of their minds. -- Sharon Salzberg, author of "Lovingkindness" and "Real Happiness"
I love this book! What a wonderful resource for teaching mindfulness. It offers busy adults and children a wide variety of effective, age-appropriate, and creative exercises to calm their bodies and minds, and cultivate awareness and wisdom. Much needed in these times! -- Diana Winston, Director of Mindfulness Education UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center and author of The Little Book of Being
While there are numerous books that describe mindfulness activities and practices (for adults and for children), there are few that seem to bridge neuroscience and practical mindfulness in such an accessible way. Only someone with a great deal of experience teaching, in my opinion, is able to describe these kinds of activities with such clarity and creativity. -- Michelle Flaum Hall, Xavier University
Infused with creativity and grounded in neuroscience, Marie-Nathalie and Kelsey’s book provides rich and highly engaging mindfulness activities that kids and adults will love to try. The easy to follow instructions, detailed scripts and inquiry questions make it easy to pick up and get started. I can't wait to use these practices in my family mindfulness groups and with my own children. -- Sara Marlowe, author of No Ordinary Apple: A Story about Eating Mindfully & My New Best Friend
In reviewing Beaudoin and Maki's book I was reminded of my yearlong retreat with Rinpoche Tarthang Tulku in 1981. Beaudoin and Maki take the reader on a journey of embodiment in time, space and knowledge. They offer lovely practices to guide each of us to responsively engage life from a place of loving kindness, appreciative joy, compassion and equanimity. -- Jerry Gale, PhD, LMFT, emeritus professor, Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia; former student of Dorothy Stroh and Raphael J. Becvar
In the preface to Mindfulness in a Busy World, Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin provides readers with an enticing invitation to delve into the pages when she states, "People become who they practice to be, so let us give them compelling opportunities to discover in themselves, and experience firsthand, the little-know capacities of their minds." I found myself responding with a 'yes, please' to this statement, for what I could gain personally in my own mindfulness practice and for what I could share with others in a professional capacity. Marie-Nathalie and Kelsey Maki have delivered a well charted map for exploring the terrain of mindfulness, complete with a myriad of entry points and pathways to deeper discovery whether one travels alone or leads a group. The multitude of approaches for practicing and engaging creates a 'how to' book unlike any other, complete with a compelling 'why' that lures even the skeptical. I look forward to sharing this work with others and to the impact it will have on the health and well-being of so many. -- Patsy Sellars, MSW, Casey Family Services, Managing Director, Field Offices Management
With the increased access to technology and the faster pace of life in this new decade, children seem to be experiencing a significant increase in anxiety and stress. After 15 years of benefiting from Marie-Nathalie’s school programs, I highly recommend that you implement the engaging exercises in this book. Students really look forward to these intriguing sessions, and learn strategies that dramatically change lives. -- Priscilla Spencer, principal, Marshall Lane Elementary School, Saratoga, CA
Enlisting her prodigious experience as a clinical therapist, educator and author, Dr. Beaudoin and her co-author K. Maki, respectfully present research, historical context and meditation exercises to help professionals and laypersons tap into the extraordinary benefits of mindfulness in ways that are engaging and sustainable. Those interested in creating conditions that allow people’s body-brain-selves to settle and sing, will find this text indispensable. -- Ron Estes, MFT, Narrative Initiatives San Diego, CA (NISDcounseling.org)
This book is very creative and inventive. I was drawn into the exercises immediately. As an experienced mindfulness teacher, I am always seeking innovative ways to reach young adults. -- Allison Buller, University of Bridgeport