How to Train a Wild Elephant: And Other Adventures in Mindfulness Paperback – July 12, 2011

This is a delightful little book with 53 short (3 pages) descriptions that lead you into a weekly mindfulness practice. Mindfulness isn't just about sitting around in silence to clear the mind. No, it is about how you live your everyday life. The stories are funny, cute, short, but they bring you to an awareness of options and opportunities you have everyday to become more mindful in everything that you do. The book begins with a great overview of what mindfulness is and why it is beneficial. I find a lot of mindfulness material to be too "woo-woo". Not this book.Each chapter consists of an exercise (use your non-dominate hand, become aware of your posture, pay attention to suffering, become aware of procrastination, look deeply into food) with a detailed description of how to do the exercise follwed by ways to remind yourself. Each chapter has a section on Discoveries which help you to see how the particular exercise can influence you life. Then there is a Deeper Lessons section which take the experience to another level. The chapter closes with some final word of wisdom. All this in 3 pages! I like to use these exercises as opener when I facilitate groups, regardly of the type of group or topic we will be addressing. They provide a nice introduction into being present, in the moment. Working through the exercise for an entire week really does stimulate mindfulness, gratitude and a sense of wholeness. Give it a try. If for no other reason, having a book on your self with this title will draw your or someone elses attention to it!

This book was recommended to me by a mindfulness instructor as one of the best books available on mindfulness. It offers a creative, simple approach to the concept of mindfulness. If you're like me, you're thinking, "I'd like to practice mindfulness, but I don't have the time to add one more thing to my schedule." In a clear and readable introduction, the author defines and explains mindfulness, its benefits, and the misconceptions about it. The fifty-three concise mindfulness exercises provided in this book can easily be incorporated into your day. They are designed to " help [you] be more aware, happy, and at ease within the flow of a busy life." It is suggested that you practice one exercise per week, either in the order presented or skipping around to one you find more appealing in a particular week. The aim is to build your repertoire of mindfulness practices over a year's time until you are living more aware and present to the moments of your life. Each three-page exercise is divided into a one-paragraph description of the exercise, followed by the sections, Reminding Yourself, Discoveries, Deeper Lessons, and Final Words. They provide an and easy and practical approach to learning mindfulness.

This has hands on exercises to play around with in developing a mindfulness habit in your daily lifestyle. Each chapter is broken up by The Exercise (explaining what it is, briefly), How to Remind Yourself to do the exercise daily, discoveries from her own time doing these at the monastery in Oregon, Deeper Lessons other students have experienced while trying this exercise, and final words, which has a sentence or two to take away from the purpose of this exercise. I have put myself to try one a week, I am on "Filler Words" this week (noticing when you use "filler words" in speech). I have already completed Using Your Non-Dominant Hand and Leave No Trace (reset every space exactly how you found it when you are finished). Strangely enough, these few have also led me to consider how I pick things up or put things down: Do I put things down with a bang or gently place them on the table? They aren't related, but once you start noticing things, it's difficult to STOP noticing things that you do.

Easy to read the simple steps that anyone can use to bring mindfulness into their daily lives. Time well spent.

This book is amazing! I had picked it up at my library and could not put it down. All of the daily activities are great to get your mind geared towards living in the present and being fully aware. I especially love the exercise to Leave a Room without a Trace, in which you try and designate a room in your house for a week and make sure you leave no trace of having been in there (i.e. kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, etc.). It is incredible to put forth just the extra few minutes to be mindful of your surroundings and your actions. I found myself wanting to leave no trace in multiple rooms! And that specific exercise perfectly illustrates how we want to leave this world a better place than how we had entered it. I've been buying this book as gifts for friends and family!

I loved the book!. I started "the leaving no trace project" that project alone got me on track. Everyone needs to read this book. It is more than a self help book, it truly can change your life one little step at a time. All you need to do is get on the path, stay on it, and never look back. I would highly recommend this book especially for senior citizens who are trying to decide whether to stay in their own homes or go into "assisted living." My advice: get rid of the clutter, take one baby step at a time, downsize everything, maybe get a like minded room mate and stay in your own humble little abode. Keep life simple.Rosa McCurdy 81 year old former wild elephant loving life and keeping a neat home on my own!

I have given 3 copies of this book to clients. One is using it with her children. They pick one a week to practice. So far the favorites are focusing on the soles of ones feet and looking for the color blue.I am ordering two more copies just in case. I DO want to keep one for mysel.

One of the best meditation books. Love the short chapters with doable meditative habits. You can read from cover to cover or random pages. Have bought and gifted to multiple friends.

I thought at first the title was just a joke but after reading a bit I realised its relevance.This book is suitable for beginners in mindfulness. It might be a bit difficult to actually do each exercise for a week, but even if you can't do that you can get a lot out of the book. It's very simple, but I think all the same it's best to read it at a gentle pace to let the ideas get comfortably into your mind.

Used but in perfect conditions

Easy to read.Arrived promptly.

Good read and reference

Der Titel "How to Train a Wild Elephant" mag etwas absurd klingen, aber das Buch gehört zu den interessanten zum Thema "Aufmerksamkeit".Aufgeteilt in insgesamt 52 kurze Kapitel, bietet das Buch jede Woche eines Jahres eine neue Aufmerksamkeitsübung. Die Übungen reichen dabei von kleinen Aufgaben wie bei jedem Telefonklingeln erst dreimal in aller Ruhe einzuatmen, bis hin zu spielerischen Dingen wie zum Beispiel öfter mal die linke statt der rechten Hand zu benutzen (oder umgekehrt). Die Autorin empfiehlt die Übungen zu allererst nach der Anweisung auszuführen und erst später sich die Erklärungen im entsprechenden Kapitel durchzulesen. Hier wird unter anderem beleuchtet was man mit der jeweiligen Wochenaufgabe erreicht und warum die Übung so gut tut. Und ja jede der Übungen tut unglaublich gut. Man hält für einen Moment inne, vergisst den Alltag und befindet sich in einem unglaublich beruhigenden Zustand des "Hier und Jetzt". Allmählich werden einige der Übungen (man muss sie natürlich nicht alle machen, querlesen ist auch erlaubt) in den Alltag über gehen und im Grunde ist genau dies das Ziel des Buches. Man erreicht einen Zustand größerer Gelassenheit, der Fokus liegt nicht auf den Sorgen und Zukunftsängsten (oder Problemen in der Vergangenheit) und zumindest bei mir hat sich der Stress auch etwas reduziert was der grund für den Kauf war (an dieser Stelle kann ich natürlich auch nur von mir persönlich sprechen). Das Buch ist in englischer Sprache geschrieben, mit 224 Seiten nicht zu lang und sprachlich auch mit Schulenglisch zu bewältigen.