Wholeness Healing Center

A Book Review: Mindfulness Volume 1

I recently received a copy of Mindfulness, Volume 1, A Beginner’s Journey to the Unleashed Self, by Curtis Daniel, my son-inlaw. “Mindfulness” has been the “buzzword” for the past few years, and I have read many books on the practice, so would also like to share my take of Daniel’s book.

The book includes 11 chapters, from explaining what mindfulness is, the benefits and Finding Inner Peace and Happiness. From Chapter 2, Benefits, Daniel writes, “We must hold on to the truth that every single moment is new and every past moment is gone”. (Daniel, p. 11) From Chapter 3, he writes, “Experiencing setbacks and hard times is a part of life, but self-directed positive action including mindfulness is key to finding inner peace in a raging world.” (Daniel, p. 14) He then writes his perception of ego and shadows, and how people are compromised by some of those perceptions.

Other chapters, including Building Habits, Managing Anger and Hurt, Techniques, and Increased Focus further take the reader into the “practice” of setting up ways to learn and implement mindfulness. Chapter 7, on Mindfulness and Meditation features 5 steps to increase focus, while Chapter 8 is about promoting compassion and peace through the practice of mindfulness. Chapter 9 is about managing stress and anxiety, through the origin. In Chapter 10, Incorporating Mindfulness in Everyday Activities, Daniel writes, “True beauty is natural and it is all over the environment; we only need to pay attention”. He offers moments the practice of mindfulness can be implemented in routine times, with a focus shifted to becoming more aware of the external world and how we exist in it internally. He then transitions into body exercise as opportunity to practice mindfulness.

Throughout the book, gratitude is encouraged, as is a positive  mindset, focusing on the present, limiting the time focused on the past or the future, and walking into an increased awareness.

Easy to read, with simple clear instructions, this could be the perfect handbook to implementing mindfulness into daily practice. A great addition is the “My Mindfulness Journal”, an accompanying workbook with intentional and positive affirmations and quotes. Especially helpful is the Introduction, a guideline to working one’s way through the
journey, through mindfulness and through the reflection with the use of the journal.

Works Cited

Daniel, Curtis. (2019) Mindfulness, volume 1, a beginnner’s journey to the unleashed self. Middleton, DE

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