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The Mindfulness Solution: Everyday Practices for Everyday Problems
Siegel, R. D., Guilford Press, 2010

To order a copy please visit Guilford Press or Amazon.com.

Book Description
Mindfulness practice can transform our experience of ourselves, offer a path to well-being, and provide tools for coping with life's inevitable hurdles. And you can cultivate it—and reap its proven benefits—without special training or lots of spare time.

Dr. Ronald Siegel shows exactly how in this inviting guide. He shares his own experiences and those of his patients as he presents a rich blend of informal and formal mindfulness practices. Engaging quizzes and exercises help you master time-tested techniques for fostering awareness, acceptance, and insight. You’ll get effective strategies to use while driving to work, walking the dog, or washing the dishes—plus tips on creating a formal practice routine to fit any lifestyle.

Flexible, step-by-step plans will help you:

• Become more focused and efficient in daily life
• Cope with difficult feelings, such as anger and sadness
• Spend less time worrying about the future or brooding over past mistakes
• Deepen your connection to your spouse, partner, or children
• Feel more rested and less stressed
• Curb unhealthy habits
• Find relief from anxiety and depression
• Resolve stress-related pain, insomnia, and other physical problems

Learning to practice mindfulness will give you a new understanding of why life as we normally live it can be so hard. Dr. Siegel shows how an astonishing variety of problems actually stem from trying to hold on to pleasure and avoid pain, rather than appreciating each moment as it unfolds. By helping us observe how we create our own distress, mindfulness practices help us to let go of harmful mental habits and replace them with more useful ones.

This book combines age-old Eastern meditative practices with modern psychological science, all presented in lively, conversational language. It’s for anyone who wants to start living a more balanced life—today.

Free audio downloads of meditation exercises and other resources in the book are available at the companion website, Mindfulness-Solution.com.

Reviews

“Down-to-earth and helpful, Dr. Siegel offers genuinely practical training in the transformative art of mindfulness.”
    — Jack Kornfield, PhD, author of The Wise Heart

“Mindfulness is an innate capacity that, when cultivated, can awaken us to true health and happiness. Dr. Siegel’s book is a clear and comprehensive guide for anyone who wants to apply the power of mindful awareness to challenging emotions, physical pain, or relational difficulties. Filled with wisdom that is both practical and deep, this book is an invitation to live the real moments of our life with presence and heart.”
    — Tara Brach, PhD, author of Radical Acceptance

“In your hands is a readily accessible book that can walk you step by step to a better life. Being present in the moment with acceptance is more than just a practice—it is a key research-proven strategy that promotes health in the body, in the mind, and in our relationships with one another. Now is the time—and here is the invitation—to step into a new way of being that can reduce anxiety, stress, and fear, and enhance joy, gratitude and well-being in your life.”
    — Daniel J. Siegel, MD, author of Mindsight

“This clear and practical guide can help you discover your own potential to develop mindfulness. It offers guidance for building a formal meditation practice as well as tools for coping in everyday life.”
    — Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness

“Dr. Siegel offers us an abundance of exercises, transformative practices, and the skillful means to live a mindful life of conscious awareness and meaningful connection. I applaud and recommend his unique perspective, gleaned from a life of meditation and psychotherapeutic practice and research. This wonderful book is a real contribution to the field of happiness studies and spiritual development.”
    — Lama Surya Das, author of Awakening the Buddha Within

“Talk of ‘mindfulness’ brings up images of monks spending years on end doing something mysterious. But Dr. Siegel shows how to bring the simple wisdom of acceptance and mindfulness into the everyday actions of ordinary living. Gentle, genuine, and wise, this book coaxes, cajoles, and guides the reader into looking with clear eyes at how we humans get in our own way, and provides simple, powerful, step-by-step methods for learning how to live the kind of lives we want.”
    — Steven C. Hayes, PhD, author of Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life

“Both accessible and persuasive in showing how mindful awareness can help us take care of ourselves and stay centered as we navigate life’s inevitable challenges.”
    — Zindel V. Segal, PhD, coauthor of The Mindful Way through Depression

“While most books on mindfulness are extremely general, Siegel...offers detailed chapters on applying the concept to such specific areas as intimate relationships, medical pain, bad habits, and aging anxiety. Using case studies, assessment tools, and step-by-step instructions, Siegel helps readers to identify better the maladaptive habits of their minds, see thoughts more clearly, more aptly attune themselves to others, lessen personal suffering, and improve general spiritual/psychological well being. This is an excellent, inclusive introduction.”
    — Library Journal