Mindfulness Made Easy

By Sara Rae Hoaglund

"Living mindfully is about finding a balance between accepting what is, while also taking purposeful action towards where you want to be. Mindfulness will open doors and paint a bigger picture. It teaches patience and acceptance, along with appreciation and ambition. There's always something to strive for, and there's always something to be grateful for. The effort of developing mindfulness is well worth it in either situation (and every situation in between)."

 

Making Mindfulness Meditation Manageable

 

Mindfulness truly is easy! It just appears complicated because of how often we get stuck in our own heads. Wouldn't it be a nice change to finally feel like you have control over your life? How different would life be for you if you could better manage your emotions? We all know how important managing our mental health is. But how do we actually DO that? We practice mindfulness—and this book will teach you everything you need to know about mindfulness in a simple way.

 

Mindfulness is the gateway to personal growth. By practicing mindfulness, you're making the deliberate choice to improve yourself, your life, and your health. There's NOTHING more empowering than recognizing your own innate ability to be in control of what goes on in your head.

 

Part One defines mindfulness and meditation in an approachable way. We'll discuss the important role mindfulness plays in our mental health, and what happens when we refuse to be mindful. You'll learn how to change even the most deeply ingrained habits quickly and painlessly. Part Two goes into the specific details of mindful meditation techniques, practices, and style choices. It also comes with a bonus guided meditation perfect for beginners! You'll be meditating like a guru in no time at all. Part Three is geared toward dispelling common challenges, excuses, and limiting beliefs around mindfulness meditation. We will also learn how to transform limiting beliefs into liberating beliefs—because we are so much more capable than we think we are.

 

With the mindfulness teachings in this book, you'll be able to:
- Heal from your anxiety, depression, and low self esteem
- Recognize your coping mechanisms and heal the trauma
- Find true, lasting happiness authentically
- Discover inner peace and stability
- Effectively combat stress
- Gain control of your incessant thoughts
- Create a brand new reality for yourself
- Expand your awareness and get to know the real you
- Raise your spiritual vibration
- Improve and manage your own mental health
- Massively shift your perceptions and change your worldview
- Open yourself up to receive love and miracles
- Rid yourself of judgment, anger, and dis-ease
- Fully and safely express all your emotions instead of repressing them
- Recognize the sound of your own inner voice and change what it's saying
- Find more joy and beauty in life
- Start and end your day calmly with gratitude
- Drastically improve your physical health
- Strengthen the connection between mental health and physical health
- Connect deeply with your breath and your soul
- Rekindle your passion for life, work, and leisure
- Find mindful moments throughout normal daily life

 

Does mindfulness and meditation really deserve all the hype they get? The short answer: YES! And this book will explain why mindfulness is the single most important skill anyone can develop, in full detail. And then you'll learn exactly how to develop the skill and apply what you've learned in your life. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sunflower Media
• Release date: Mar 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393960294

Book preview

MINDFULNESS MADE EASY

AN INTRODUCTION TO MEDITATION

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SARA RAE HOAGLUND

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

PURPOSEFUL PERSONAL GROWTH

PART ONE:

WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?

WHY MINDFULNESS MATTERS

PERSONAL GROWTH

MENTAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPING EMPATHY

THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND VS. THE CONSCIOUS MIND

WHAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF MINDFULNESS?

PART TWO:

LIVING A MINDFUL LIFESTYLE

MINDFULNESS FOR THE CONTENT PERSON

MINDFULNESS FOR THE DRIVEN PERSON

MINDFULNESS FOR THE TRADITIONAL PERSON

MINDFULNESS VS. MEDITATION

MINDFUL MULTITASKING

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION PRACTICES

TIP #1: MAKE THE HABIT A NON-NEGOTIABLE

TIP #2: HAVE A TRIGGER

TIP #3: KEEP THE LENGTH OF TIME CHALLENGING BUT REALISTIC

TIP #4: FIND YOUR MEDITATION STYLE

GUIDED MEDITATIONS

RECITING AFFIRMATIONS

JOURNALING

15 MINDFULNESS EXERCISES

MINDFUL BREATHING

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL BREATHING

MINDFUL TALKING

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL TALKING

MINDFUL LISTENING

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL LISTENING

MINDFUL EATING

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL EATING

MINDFUL MOVEMENT

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL MOVEMENT

MINDFUL SEX

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL SEX

MINDFUL SLEEP

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL SLEEP

MINDFUL CREATING

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL CREATING

MINDFUL PLAY

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL PLAY

MINDFUL MUSIC

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL MUSIC

MINDFUL LEARNING

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL LEARNING

MINDFUL PLANNING

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL PLANNING

MINDFUL ECONOMIC CONSUMPTION

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL ECONOMIC CONSUMPTION

MINDFUL CAREER BUILDING

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL CAREER BUILDING

MINDFUL SHARING

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL SHARING

STEP BY STEP BEGINNER MEDITATION

TRY THIS EASY MEDITATION TO GET STARTED

1. PHYSICALLY PREPARE YOURSELF

2. MENTALLY PREPARE YOURSELF

3. FOLLOW YOUR BREATH

4. CHECK IN AND REPEAT

5. CLOSE WITH GRATITUDE

6. PRACTICE AGAIN TOMORROW

PART THREE:

THE CHALLENGES OF MINDFULNESS

CAN BALANCE BE ACHIEVED?

HOW TO SPOT CORRUPTION IN BUSINESS

HOW TO SPOT AUTHENTICITY IN BUSINESS

MINDFULNESS DOESN’T HAVE TO AVOID BUSINESS

MEDITATION AND SCIENCE

LIMITING BELIEFS IN MEDITATION

NOT HAVING ENOUGH TIME

ACTION ITEM

FEAR OF PERFECTION

ACTION ITEM

CHECKING MEDITATION OFF THE TO-DO LIST

ACTION ITEM

NOT GIVING YOUR BEST EFFORT

ACTION ITEM

LACK OF TANGIBLE RESULTS (INSTANTLY OR LONG TERM)

ACTION ITEM

THINKING YOU’RE BAD AT MEDITATION

ACTION ITEM

FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE OF THE EGO

ACTION ITEM

CHALLENGES VS. EXCUSES

TRANSFORMING LIMITING BELIEFS TO LIBERATING BELIEFS

CATCH THEM RED-HANDED

SCRIPTING A NEW STORY

COUPLE IT WITH ACTION

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

CONCLUSION AND NEXT STEPS

BEGIN PRACTICING MEDITATION TODAY

COMMIT TO YOUR PATH OF PURPOSEFUL PERSONAL GROWTH

SHOW FORGIVENESS AND COMPASSION

SPREAD THE KNOWLEDGE

GAIN EVEN MORE KNOWLEDGE

ABOUT SARA RAE

RESOURCES

PURPOSEFUL PERSONAL GROWTH

It goes by many names; mindfulness, meditation, mental health, zen, inner peace, etc. At the end of the day, we are all just referring to the mental discipline of gaining control of our incessant (and sometimes painful) thought patterns, so that we may dig deeper into the subconscious to uncover more about ourselves.

Practicing mindfulness comes with a certain degree of mental surrender. I know that seems counter-intuitive because mindfulness is a means of gaining control. But releasing the need to control is what allows us to have even more control. If the idea of controlling your thoughts is completely foreign, then you might feel a little confused by the concept. But don’t worry, this book will clear the air.

For those who have never formally practiced mindfulness before, I commend you for embarking on this journey. It can be scary, overwhelming, and downright weird if you are used to letting your inner train of thought run constantly. Most people don’t grow up practicing mindfulness, especially in a society that glamorizes busyness. It’s not their fault, and there is no one to blame. It’s just one of the many challenges of being human with a highly intelligent and naturally curious mind.

Some people question the validity of mindfulness and its long-term effects on our mental health and happiness. Does this simple practice really make a difference, and can we turn to science for proof? Anything related to the topic of consciousness walks a fine line between faith and science. Plenty of people out there are actively working to avoid mindfulness and meditation because of its inherently spiritual nature. They seem to want a solution that’s much more complicated, rooted in research and statistics.

And I get it—having data available satisfies the analytical side of our human brains. But much of the effects of personal growth cannot be quantified. Still, science is slowly beginning to uncover secrets about mindfulness meditation that humanity has believed to be true for thousands of years.

But for now, I have questions for you, my darling reader: Why did you pick up this book? Are you interested in the buzzword mindfulness? Are you already feeling the benefits of mindfulness? Are you just mind-curious? Have you been following my blog for the past five years and wanted to support my work?

If that last one is the reason, then YOU FREAKING ROCK. Otherwise, I want you to honestly answer this question for yourself, and keep an open, non-judgmental mind. Why do you want to learn about and practice mindfulness?

* * * * *

Spiritually Inspired is my blog where I aim to touch the souls of modern mystics with love and light through amazing free content, hopefully inspiring them to better themselves and their community in their own special way.

All my work may come from a spiritual place, but honestly, there’s nothing all that spiritual about mindfulness. It’s just a gateway to spirituality. Once we learn to move past our conscious mind into our subconscious mind, we can discover something greater than ourselves. Often by surprise!

Mindfulness Made Easy is less about spirituality, and more about purposeful personal growth. Of course bits of spirituality will seep in here and there, but you do not have to consider yourself spiritual to benefit from mindfulness. This book is rather short because I don’t want you to get caught up in your own head thinking about your growth. That’s actually the exact opposite of what I’m trying to accomplish here.

I aim to inspire you to practice mindfulness, reap the benefits, and finally feel safe inside your own head. No one else can ever be inside your head, so it’s up to you to take responsibility for your mental health. If you’re up to the challenge, keep on reading!

Thank you for downloading this book. I sincerely hope it helps you on your mindfulness journey.

PART ONE:

WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?

There’s nothing to prove, nothing to figure out, nothing to get, nothing to understand. When we finally stop explaining everything to ourselves, we may discover that in silence, complete understanding is already there.

Steve Hagen, Dharma Field Zen Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Mindfulness is living in an ever-growing state of self awareness. An ancient therapeutic technique, it is defined in this modern age as the practice of acknowledging and accepting our own feelings, thoughts, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment just as they are right now.⁷ This happens on a moment-by-moment basis in a very gentle and loving way.

Mindfulness is a lifestyle choice that sparks immense amounts of happiness and inner peace. This is an innate human ability anyone can tap into at any given moment.

The most magical thing about mindfulness is the fact that it’s completely universal. It’s extremely easy to begin because it requires no additional skill. We already have the capacity to be mindful, there’s no need to change who we are or what we believe in. The only thing that needs to change is the habit of constantly analyzing every bit of stimuli we experience. Relatively speaking, that’s a pretty easy thing to do. It only takes practice.

Bringing a high level of self awareness into everything we do cuts down on needless stress. Our attention gets redirected from our response to the experiences to just the experience itself. Most of the stress we