The Illustrated Book of Mindful Meditations for Mindless Moments by Courtney E. Ackerman
Non-Fiction | Meditation & Mindfulness | Self-Help
Published by Adams Media
Released December 29th, 2020
Goodreads | Amazon
Mindfulness and meditation have both been huge influences on my quality of life since I discovered books about the subjects at my local library back in 2006. As a result of that and of wanting to constantly expand my knowledge, I’m ready to pick up any book about these topics.
When I requested The Illustrated Book of Mindful Meditations for Mindless Moments from Adams Media, I was expecting an adorable, illustrated guide to mindfulness. And that’s exactly what it was… sort of. Unfortunately, the advice contained within these 190 pages felt shallow. As someone who’s been reading and studying up on the subject for years, I learned absolutely nothing. I can’t be sure, but I feel that someone completely new to the subject would also struggle to learn anything useful.
I hate having to give this small book such a low star rating, but I was very disappointed. I’ve seen plenty of small, easy-to-digest meditation books done so much better.
Here are a few examples of the “advice” contained in this book:
- “Look out the window and take note of what you see. Count the birds or the telephone poles. Look at the trees or hanging flags and decide whether it’s windy or not.”
- “Whether you sign in online or write out a check, notice the movements your hands and arms make as you pay your bills. Feel the smoothness of the pen in your hand or the keys on your keyboard.”
- “As your coworkers chat nearby, take a minute to listen. Don’t eavesdrop, but take note of the tone of the conversation. Hear the rise and fall of their voices as the discussion continues.”
These are the only words written on each page. There’s no real introduction to what mindfulness meditation is. The advice goes no deeper than what you just read.
The illustrations on every other page are sort of cute, but this book seems like a waste of printing material. I feel horrible saying it, but there are a thousand better books about mindfulness meditation, including on how to use it in your day to day life.
My recommendation is to skip The Illustrated Book of Mindful Meditations for Mindless Moments. It’s not worth the $15.99 US price tag. Instead, pick up Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Wherever You Go There You Are or Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Miracle of Mindfulness.
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