Reading Corner: The Miracle of Mindfulness
As you know from my last post, I wanted to start sharing here more–so, I’ve been looking for what to share. Mostly, I want to share things that I have found helpful on my journey. Some of that will be tips and tricks that I have learned, to hopefully help make your journey a little easier, but I felt like there was something missing. Then it struck me–a HUGE part of my journey has been reading, so why not share mini reviews & recommendations of books I LOVE that have impacted me & my practice. And so, "Reading Corner" is born!
The first book I’m sharing with y’all is Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation. This small, but mighty book is so easy to read it can feel like a meditation in and of itself. Hands down one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. It is filled with easy to follow anecdotes as well as tangible, practical exercises, as a means to mindfulness. The problem most people face with meditation/mindfulness is that when you begin on this journey it can be hard to find tangible things you can incorporate into your life. This book shows how mindfulness can take place with something as seemingly mundane as doing the dishes.
My favorite thing about this book is how approachable it is. So many times, when people give meditation advice, it gets convoluted and complicated–which can be disheartening. This is not the case at all here. A barrier to reading in general that many of us can face is that life gets busy, and it can be hard to squeeze in leisurely reading time. But, since this book is short and sweet, it can easily be read in little bursts. It may be even better consumed like this, to give you time to process what you’ve read.
One thing that should be noted however, is that this was never written as a guide to mediation. The book was compiled from letters Thich Nhat Hanh wrote to a fellow monk during his exile. I don’t want you to go into reading it with the wrong idea. It has been one of the books that has had the largest impact on my meditation/mindfulness practice but not because it was an instruction manual, but because of how beautifully simple Thich Nhat Hanh makes it.
I hope this book has a positive impact on those of you who choose to read it!
PS. I would love to hear your opinions or any questions you have!