Effortless Mindfulness

"Effortless mindfulness" is a new way to immediately enter an optimal flow state available to us in the midst of our busy lives. In The Way of Effortless Mindfulness, Loch Kelly teaches that when you "unhook" awareness from chattering thoughts, you can access a peaceful mind and a naturally embodied wakefulness. From this heartful space, students report they find that right action comes easily and a loving tenderness for all of life is freely available. This follow-up to Kelly’s award-winning Shift into Freedom outlines practical and supportive material from neuroscience, psychology, and the wisdom of various spiritual traditions. Here you will find a reader-friendly guide to understanding exactly what effortless mindfulness is, practices for engaging with it, and how to avoid the pitfalls to the full embodiment of this timeless awareness. The Way of Effortless Mindfulness offers a compelling introduction to the next stage in the ongoing mindfulness revolution.

Effortless Mindfulness promotes genuine mental health through the direct experience of awakened presence—an effortlessly embodied, fearless understanding of and interaction with the way things truly are. The book offers a uniquely modern Buddhist psychological understanding of mental health disorders through a scholarly, clinically relevant presentation of Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist teachings and practices. Written specifically for Western psychotherapeutic professionals, the book brings together traditional Buddhist theory and contemporary psychoneurobiosocial research to describe the conditioned and unconditioned mind, and its in-depth exploration of Buddhist psychology includes complete instructions for psychotherapists in authentic, yet clinically appropriate Buddhist mindfulness/heartfulness practices and Buddhist-psychological inquiry skills. The book also features interviews with an esteemed collection of Buddhist teachers, scholars, meditation researchers and Buddhist-inspired clinicians.

Written by meditation expert, psychotherapist, and spiritual teacher Stephan Bodian, this book takes you beyond familiar mindfulness practices by offering guided meditations and direct pointers that invite you to realize your natural state of inherent wakefulness and peace. No regular practice is required, just the willingness to open yourself to a transformative new way of experiencing life. Mindfulness has permeated our modern lives, and with good reason—it’s been proven to boost mood, reduce stress, improve health, and maximize performance. But in our achievement-oriented culture, the practice of mindfulness can feel laborious and mechanical, like one more task on your endless to-do list. What if you could let go of effort and struggle and relax back into the happiness and ease that is your birthright—and is always readily available to you? Beyond Mindfulness offers teachings and practices based on the direct approach to spiritual awakening that take you beyond the mechanics of being mindful and open you to the non-dual dimension of being, where the separation between self and other reveals itself to be a painful but seductive illusion. Once you realize this new way of seeing, you’ll learn how to move beyond mindfulness into awakened awareness and discover that the love, compassion, wholeness, health, and happiness you’ve been seeking were there all along.

A bite-size guide to incorporating mindfulness into your life—now! Our minds never stop moving. We shuffle through the past, present, and future while our attention flits from thought to thought. Mindfulness is a way to slow down our ricocheting brains and gain clarity. It is simply the practice of being in the present moment, of focusing your thoughts and attention on what is in front of you. It’s a way to be more fully engaged in your life, make more thoughtful choices, and enjoy your day. Mindfulness Now by Jesse Sands is filled with simple ways to practice mindfulness and meditation in your everyday life. The book is designed to make mindfulness practical for the modern day and accessible to everyone, no matter how busy your schedule may be. By bringing your focus to the present moment, you will learn to step away from worry and make the most of every day.

Most of us rush around doing a lot of task and errands each day, putting out fires, and dealing with dramas. Most of these struggle are invented. We are simply beings. Food, shelter, clothing and relationships are all we need to be happy. Food grows simply and naturally. Shelter is a simply roof. Clothing is just cloth. Simple relationships consist of enjoying each other’s company without expectations. Beyond these simple needs, we’ve added invented needs: careers, bosses, and co-workers; new gadgets, software and social media; cars and nice clothes and purses and laptop bags and televisions and more. Imagine that you have a few close friends and family members, and you spend ample time with them. You have no expectations of them, therefore, they don’t disappoint you, and, in fact, whatever they do is perfect. You love them for who they are, and your relationships remain uncomplicated. You enjoy spending time in solitude—with your thoughts, with nature, with a book, and maybe even creating. This is a simple, effortless life. It’s not effortless as in “no effort,” but it feels effortless, and that’s what matters. And it’s entirely possible. The only thing that stands in the way of an effortless life is the mind.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 Effortless mindfulness is the ability to be present in the present moment without any agenda. It is a way of being mindful from a different level of mind than we are used to. It begins by opening to a natural spacious awareness and becoming more wise, embodied, and creative. #2 A glimpse is a simple practice that allows you to connect with your essential peace, love, and wisdom. It is a shift of consciousness to a new view and a new you that feels true. Glimpses are not insights, but rather the direct experience of the essential peace, love, and wisdom that’s always been here. #3 We often miss out on the enjoyable qualities of effortless mindfulness because we don’t know that the source of our joy and freedom is already available to us. We do what we love to experience effortless mindfulness, but we don’t realize that the qualities are not dependent on what we do or where we are. #4 Do the mindful glimpse exercise, imagining a time when you felt well-being while doing something active like hiking in nature. Then, simply stop. Feel the relief and peace that comes from no longer needing to think about anything.

A GUIDE TO THE UNIQUE POWER OF BEEJA MEDITATION TO OVERCOME STRESS AND ANXIETY, HELPING US TO THRIVE. ‘Will’s meditation is a game changer. If you want to understand meditation more deeply and how you can harness the benefits, The Effortless Mind is where it’s at. I will be giving this important book to everyone I know.’ Jasmine Hemsley, author of The Art of Eating Well ‘Will makes meditation cool. Say hello to a clearer mind thanks to your new bulletproof technique to help you relax and unleash your best self.’ Madeleine Shaw, author of Get The Glow Daily life can feel like a fast-paced treadmill, leaving little time to unwind, re-charge and do what brings us joy. Meditation is a powerful way to hit the pause button, increase your energy and start to enjoy life more. The Effortless Mind is renowned meditation teacher Will Williams’s must-have guide for modern-day meditators. Suffering from chronic stress and insomnia, Will undertook years of research and training with leading experts from around the world, which led him to find the cure he was looking for in Beeja meditation. In The Effortless Mind, Will explains how his Vedic-inspired method of meditation has transformed the lives of his students – all of whom are busy people of all ages and all backgrounds. Their inspiring stories and the scientific research into meditation show the profound physical, mental and emotional benefits you can gain from such a simple daily practice, including more energy, better sleep, greater clarity, less anxiety and a happier outlook on life. More praise for The Effortless Mind: ‘Meditation can be a powerful tool in managing anxiety, stress and other common daily experiences that so many people seem to face and Vedic meditation with Will is one of the simplest forms of meditation there is, making it incredibly accessible for anyone to learn.’ Annie Clarke, author of Mind Body Bowl ‘I learnt how to meditate with Will Williams two years ago and since then so many things have changed. I have a life-long tool that has brought me calm, clarity and increased creativity and allowed me to far more effectively weather the storms of everyday life. Will is the most generous, warm and gracious teacher.’ Eminé Rushton, Wellbeing Director, Psychologies ‘Within a few months of learning to meditate with Will, I realised I was starting to have so many ideas for songs and books, as well as helping me with a busy schedule of touring and being a dad.’ Howard Donald, Take That ‘Beeja meditation is now part of my daily routine. It has been hugely beneficial in so many ways. Will is very supportive and nurturing and makes learning seem easy and fun. I feel extremely grateful this has come into my life.’ Cressida Bonas, actress ‘Will’s practical, non-woo-woo approach to meditation has enabled thousands of busy people to find a way to fit a regular practice into their lives.’ Lesley Thomas, The Times

My story -- Why do we play? -- Beyond limited goals -- Fear, the mind and the ego -- Fear-based practicing -- Teaching dysfunctions: fear-based teaching -- Hearing dysfunctions: fear-based listening -- Fear-based composing -- "The space"--"There are no wrong notes" -- Meditation #1 -- Effortless mastery -- Meditation #2 -- Affirmations -- The steps to change -- Step one -- Step two -- Step three -- Step four -- An afterthought -- I am great, I am a master -- Stretching the form -- The spiritual (reprise) -- One final meditation.