The May feature book highlights one of the most beneficial self-care activities with incredible restorative benefits: mindful meditation.
“Mindful Meditation for Busy Lives” by Chris Berlow targets those of us who have incredibly busy lives juggling multiple tasks, priorities, and roles. For those of you who have heard about the amazing benefits meditation can have on your life but just don’t think you have the time or patience to add this practice into your schedule, get ready for some practical ways to incorporate this into your life.
Personally, I have picked up multiple books about mindfulness and meditation but have never been able to really finish one and feel like it got through to me in a way that would allow me to adopt the habit. This book got through to me. I felt the idea of active meditation refreshing and intriguing as the book discusses how you can use moving meditations to engage your body, mind, and spirit. Chris Berlow talks about how everyday activities can be truly meditative in this accessible and easy to comprehend book. Things like working out, arts and crafts, cleaning your home, spending time with family or friends, being in nature, and praying can be done in a meditative fashion allowing you to reap the benefits of meditation while accomplishing your to-do list or engaging in fun self-care practices. Sounds great - sign me up!
With the focus on busy lifestyles in our increasingly technological society, this less traditional form of meditation can work to promote personal growth, increase our self-awareness, and assist us in having a clear and happy mind.
Chris Berlow uses his unique personal perspective as the owner and teacher at his martial arts school to discuss meditation drawing from his martial arts coaching and training background. Having very little familiarity with the practice of martial arts, I found Chris’ perspective to provide an additional learning opportunity.
The book is presented in three major sections:
1. What is Meditation?
2. What Do You Love?
3. Being Present
Each section consists of its own specific chapters each with a different focus. The first section talks about why we need to meditate, what is active meditation, proper breathing techniques, and the idea of calming down rather than slowing down. It is a great introduction to the practice of meditation. The second section talks about mindful activities like running, swimming, and biking along with activities to do in nature like hiking and gardening. For those who enjoy art, dance, or martial arts, those activities are discussed in relation to how to engage in them while engaging in active meditation. This section also talks about parenthood, work life, and acquiring the ability to meditate. The third section focuses on being present and discusses cooking and cleaning, entertainment, driving, prayer and faith, and how important it is to always be meditating. At the end of each chapter, the author provides a brief summary of key points, which is helpful to review after coming to the chapter’s end.
This book is a concise and easy to comprehend guide on how we can engage in active meditation throughout our busy lives while still accomplishing all our tasks and managing our multiple roles. It’s a refreshing perspective on this topic and I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to incorporate meditation into their busy lifestyle.
Happy reading! Sabrina
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