Ebook The Little Book of Being Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness Diana Winston Books
Download As PDF : The Little Book of Being Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness Diana Winston Books
A practical guide to experiencing natural awareness—an effortless and spacious state of resting in the depth or our being.
Do you recall, as a child, being enthralled by a drifting cloud, a rain-soaked leaf, a wandering ladybug? Or suddenly having a sense of timelessness, contentment, and ease? If so, then you've already had a taste of natural awareness.
Known and revered in many traditions as a complement to focused mindfulness training, natural awareness transcends even these wondrous childhood moments. Some describe it as a profound “awareness of awareness”—an effortless, boundless state of resting in the depth of our being.
For those new to meditation and experienced meditators alike, these 72 “mini-chapters” guide you on an in-depth odyssey into natural awareness, illuminated by many simple and enjoyable insights and exercises. The Little Book of Being invites you to explore
Do you recall, as a child, being enthralled by a drifting cloud, a rain-soaked leaf, a wandering ladybug? Or suddenly having a sense of timelessness, contentment, and ease? If so, then you've already had a taste of natural awareness.
Known and revered in many traditions as a complement to focused mindfulness training, natural awareness transcends even these wondrous childhood moments. Some describe it as a profound “awareness of awareness”—an effortless, boundless state of resting in the depth of our being.
For those new to meditation and experienced meditators alike, these 72 “mini-chapters” guide you on an in-depth odyssey into natural awareness, illuminated by many simple and enjoyable insights and exercises. The Little Book of Being invites you to explore
- The spectrum of awareness practices, from focused mindfulness to flexible mindfulness to natural awareness
- How classical mindfulness and effortless natural awareness enrich and shape each other, and how to practice both
- Three ways to move into natural awareness—relaxing effort, broadening awareness, and dropping objects
- A treasury of “glimpse practices” to spark natural awareness anytime, in just a few moments
- How to bring this way of “simply being” into your daily life, into your connection with others, and into the world
Ebook The Little Book of Being Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness Diana Winston Books
"In The Little Book of Being Diana Winston presents a form of meditation she calls “Natural Awareness.†Winston is the director of mindfulness education at the UCLA Semel Institute’s Mindful Awareness Research Center and has been teaching mindfulness for 20 years. She begins by showing a continuum of meditation practices starting with focused meditation (for example focusing on your breath which serves as an anchor), then flexible meditation, which means shifting your focus at times and then going back to your focus and finally fully flexible meditation, which does not have an anchor. Her approach is different. Natural awareness is effortless and objectless. The idea is to become aware that you are aware. It is a way of knowing and being wherein our focus is on the awareness itself. The author provides a number of suggestions on achieving this state. One is the idea that natural awareness is the sky and objects are just clouds in the sky. We want to try to focus on the sky and let go of the clouds. She also suggests the idea of “Glimpse Practices,†short-term meditations as you go about your day.
I think this book is well worth reading, both for the practicing meditator and those considering taking up the practice."
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The Little Book of Being Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness Diana Winston Books Reviews :
The Little Book of Being Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness Diana Winston Books Reviews
- There are many books on mindfulness. I have read over 40 of them and they have been valuable guides to my personal practice. Some books resonate more than others and there are a few that I return to over and over. The Little Book of Being joins those few and reads like it was written just for me. I suspect many others will have the same experience.
The book takes the reader through a guided and personal tour from ordinary awareness through focused awareness and ultimately to natural awareness with clear explanations and simple, readily accessible practices throughout. This journey invites the reader to make the practice her own and encourages creativity. If you, like many others, don’t think you can meditate or benefit from the practice, this book is for you. If you have a strong practice and are looking for fun and creative ways to take it further, this book is for you.
The Little Book of Being joins a short list of the most useful and impactful treatments of mindfulness I have seen and is highly recommended for anyone interested in this practice. - This little book is so helpful - it is like discussing with a friend what meditation practice really is all about. I cherish it and will keep it on my shelf as a reference. After many, many years of practice and reading, this book sums it up for the reader in a way that is accessible and provides invaluable "aha" moments. Gratitude to the author!
- Meditation books tend to be either shallow, riding pop culture waves mindfulness, or narrow, focusing on one particular lineage, cultural tradition and set of practices. The latter is often too much, and the former is almost always too little. However, Winston's book manages to be both accessible to beginners and relevant to those with an established practice, who have already read numerous books on meditation. This balance is reflected in the author's personal experiences with meditation, finding a middle path between pop culture spiritualism and archaic Eastern traditions.
More specifically, Winston offers a banquet of little practices, habits, and suggestions for bringing deeper awareness into ordinary life. I read an advanced copy of the book, and as I started writing this review, I realized just how much of it I've incorporated it into my daily practice, and how many of her insights have helped me.
For example...
1. The Spectrum of Awareness - pretty much, my entire practice is now built around her chart on page 32. Moving between Focused, Flexible, and Natural awareness is PRECISELY the challenge I have had throughout my life.Â
2. Glimpses Practices. I started using these over the summer, and many of them have become automatic. Her River Analogy for example or the "Just this" glimpse are so simple, almost child-like, yet they are profound, especially after doing them over and over. They just continue to get deeper.
3. Building a Daily Meditation Practice. Along with a book on somatic meditation by Reginald Ray, her book has become the foundation for my daily meditation. Before I read it, I'd practice intermittently but not daily, and not with the kind ease I have now.
Lastly, it's the kind of book you can dip into repeatedly to try out yet another simple practice, unlike many books which end up in the "yard sale" box within a year. I recommend it highly to anyone who'd like a bit of specific, practical advice about how to stop and notice what hell is going on.
(Full disclosure I know Diana, and I've heard her speak at UCLA.) - Wonderful book and practices! Thank you, Diana Winston, for your contributions to the practice of mindfulness!
- Approachable ~ Gentle ~ Useful
tl;dr Ways to center yourself that seem doable
Meditation is often approached as a luxury and a rarified experience afforded the prvilieged few. This book presents mindfulness in an accessible manner. Winston points out that everyone has natural moments of clarity, often in nature. She creates a gentle tome, with short chapters, and concise activities to help people access this feel of mindlessness in a more conscious manner. Winston's tone is approachable. The book has been framed for the frazzled, busy reader, with bolded elements, short sentences, and simple directions. In other words, all onboarding challenges have been met. This book would be a great gift for that meditation cynic amongst your circle.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. - In The Little Book of Being Diana Winston presents a form of meditation she calls “Natural Awareness.†Winston is the director of mindfulness education at the UCLA Semel Institute’s Mindful Awareness Research Center and has been teaching mindfulness for 20 years. She begins by showing a continuum of meditation practices starting with focused meditation (for example focusing on your breath which serves as an anchor), then flexible meditation, which means shifting your focus at times and then going back to your focus and finally fully flexible meditation, which does not have an anchor. Her approach is different. Natural awareness is effortless and objectless. The idea is to become aware that you are aware. It is a way of knowing and being wherein our focus is on the awareness itself. The author provides a number of suggestions on achieving this state. One is the idea that natural awareness is the sky and objects are just clouds in the sky. We want to try to focus on the sky and let go of the clouds. She also suggests the idea of “Glimpse Practices,†short-term meditations as you go about your day.
I think this book is well worth reading, both for the practicing meditator and those considering taking up the practice.
