Mindfulness For Dummies

Alidina opens with an unexpected memory: at eight came the sudden realisation of «actually living on this planet, in this universe»; the author told everyone, but nobody shared the excitement. The sense of wonder faded with adulthood and returned with the discovery of mindfulness and philosophy. Alidina frames the book's aim as reminding readers that they are here «not just to tick off a to-do list, but to truly live». In true «For Dummies» style the book can be dipped into anywhere, with icons and boxes as signposts.

Chapter 1 defines mindfulness as paying attention to the present moment on purpose, with kindness, curiosity and acceptance. The word translates the Pali «sati», which carries the senses of awareness, attention and remembering. A nice detail is the Japanese character that combines the signs for «mind» and «heart». Jon Kabat-Zinn's classic definition is then unpacked step by step: paying attention, the present moment, non-reactivity, non-judgement and openheartedness. The author distinguishes formal practice (time set aside each day) from informal practice (while cooking or walking).

The chapter's most useful idea is the difference between mindfulness and relaxation. Relaxation, Alidina says, is a pleasant by-product, not the goal. If you aim to relax and fail, you become more tense; in mindfulness you cannot fail, because there is no particular experience to achieve. This defuses the beginner's most common trap — the worry «I'm bad at meditating». A favourite short formula appears here too: «What we resist persists; what we accept transforms.»

Alidina likens the mindfulness path to a sea voyage: first excitement, then «rough seas and pirates» — resistance to practice, thoughts like «I can't focus at all» — and finally realising that the land on the horizon is your own home. Little stories, such as the teacher who tells a young man asking how to cross the river, «My friend, you are already on the other side», bring the chapter to life. It ends with a short exercise that moves attention through the five senses.

Chapter 2 opens by comparing the benefits to dancing: dance for the sake of your cardiovascular system and the joy goes out of it — mindfulness is the same. It then turns to the body–mind link: under stress the body switches into «fight or flight», and because it doesn't know what to do with all that energy, the muscles tense. Rather than trying to get rid of the tension, Alidina suggests getting curious about it: where in the body is it, what shape and colour does it have? The observation that as babies we were constantly in touch with our bodies, while as adults we treat the body as «a vehicle for carrying the brain from one meeting to the next», is one of the most memorable lines in the book.

The weakness lies in the scientific claims. Chapter 2 says mindfulness reduces stress, anxiety, pain and depression, increases energy and creativity, and that monks who meditated all their lives showed well-being «far higher than scientists thought possible». Some of this rests on solid evidence, but the book presents it with sweeping generalisations. Research in later years has shown that mindfulness effects are often moderate and do not suit everyone equally. The half-jokey «For Dummies» tone and the repetition may also tire some readers.

• Every concept explained through short exercises you can try immediately
• Easy navigation thanks to «For Dummies» icons and boxes
• A warm, half-humorous tone and short wisdom stories