It’s resolution season! A personal favorite season of mine is the New Year’s season, and I am here to help this year if one of your goals/resolutions is to begin a Mindfulness practice. I’ve created a bulletproof reference guide for starting your practice with exploration and keeping your practice strong in the long run with a few powerful (and personal favorite) tools! With helpful knowledge packed books that aren’t overwhelming in the slightest, easy to use apps to explore what you want your practice to consist of and feel like, and a simple list of important principles to remember when testing the waters and beginning to grow your practice.
Look into these books ~
-Miracles Now, Gabrielle Bernstein
“Let’s be real for a sec. Most of us don’t have time for an hour of yoga or 30 minutes of meditation every day. We’re overwhelmed as it is. Our spiritual practice shouldn’t add to that.
That’s why I’ve handpicked 108 simple techniques to combat our most common problems—stress, burnout, frustration, jealousy, resentment. The stuff we have to deal with on a daily basis. This book is designed so that you can achieve peace and experience miracles now.
Inspired by some of the greatest spiritual teachings, these practical, moment-to-moment tools will help you eliminate blocks and live with more ease. They’re powerful, life-changing meditations and principles, modernized and broken down into easy-to-digest techniques to fit your lifestyle.
Throughout the book, I share principles from both A Course in Miracles and Kundalini yoga and meditation. These tools can help you find your connection to your inner strength. When you practice these techniques, fear will melt away, inspiration will spring up, and a sense of peace will set in.” Author Gabrielle Bernstein on what Miracles Now is for.
This is a personal favorite book of mine to use when I don’t know what to use. I flip to a page (usually get a good reality check of an ass kicking) and use the tool provided on the random page I turned to. This one is so filled with knowledge and powerful tools that work! I would recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about mindfulness as well as personal growth.
-The Desire Map, Danielle Laporte
“Your bucket list. Quarterly objectives. Strategic plans. Big dreams. Goals. Lots of goals and plans to achieve those goals—no matter what. Except …
You’re not chasing the goal itself, you’re actually chasing the feeling that you hope achieving that goal will give you.
Which means we have the procedures of achievement upside down. We go after the stuff we want to have, get, or accomplish, and we hope that we’ll be fulfilled when we get there. It’s backwards. And it’s burning us out.
So what if you first got clear on how you actually wanted to feel in your life, and then created some “Goals with Soul”?”” -An excerpt from Amazon.com of what The Desire Map is about.
I personally own this book as well. Who doesn’t want mindful and intentional goals? This one is perfect to accompany and amplify your New Year’s intentions.
-The Little Book of Mindfulness, Patricia Collard
“Dr Patrizia Collard is a psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher, stress management consultant and lecturer in psychotherapy at the University of East London. Her books include Journey into Mindfulness, Mindfulness-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Dummies and Awakening the Compassionate Mind (2014).
Dr Collard’s wide range of approaches and methodologies includes mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy, rational emotive behavior therapy, core energy management, existential therapy, drama therapy, yoga and meditation, relaxation, and self-hypnosis.” – From Amazon.com about the author.
If you just don’t know where to start, and want to start small and explore what mindfulness consists of and what a mindfulness practice may look like for you. This book is the perfect taste of what mindfulness is.
Helpful Apps ~
Headspace-
Headspace is an incredibly simple meditation app that guides you through how to meditate, different modes of meditation, and how meditation affects the brain. Perfect for the beginner or the expert — and it’s FREE to start!
Truthbomb, by Danielle Laporte-
“Looking for a sign from the universe, a little oracle backup? Use the random pop up feature to see if a #Truthbomb has the answer you need. It’s all divine. Comes with a library of over 300 #Truthbombs, and you’ll get a new #Truthbomb every weekday on your phone. And, sharing is easy breezy. You can text, Pin and post t’bombs everywhere.” – About the app from daniellelaporte.com
I love this app. It gives the most divinely perfect timed truth bombs just when I need them and it keeps me aware of how I am feeling and being, and how I can be better at it all. This one is also free!
The Now –
“Daily mindfulness moments to help you to pause, reflect, and refocus on the present moment. Beautiful imagery and personally curated content. Downloaded over 100k times with a lifetime 4.6 star rating. Helping people live more mindfully since 2010!” – Description of the app from apple.com
I’ve been playing around with this app for the last few months and I’ve got to say I am obsessed! It is impeccably simple and clean and beautifully orchestrated. I highly recommend turning on the notifications to get unexpected breaths of fresh air to pull you back into the present moment each day throughout the day. This app is also free!
Important Things To Know ~
- It is a practice for a reason – It will not be perfect, and the only constant is change. Allow yourself space to play and learn and be open and flexible with your practice. What it is and what it becomes will always be changing to help you grow further.
- Mindfulness can be different than you imagined or expected – And that is okay! Again, be open, be gentle with yourself, and just see where the ride takes you. It is beyond worth it along the journey as you keep working. Letting go of comparison to a friend or relative’s experiences and practices is super important too.
- Your practice will grow and deepen gradually – Let it be natural. Do not force things, do not rush things. Your persistence will create the understanding and awareness you need to grow and deepen as you learn and refine your practices.
I wish you the most luck and success on your journey and I hope the information provided here today can carry you along your journey as smoothly as possible!
Happy growing & learning!
Namaste
~Riley Reign