Weekly Book Review No. 8

At Ally Vision, we firmly believe that daily habits are a big part of being satisfied with your life.

Whether it's 50 push-ups, an hour-long workout, a morning walk in the fresh air, making your bed, 20 minutes of yoga or meditation, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is to do something good for yourself every day, and to do it even when your inner self is fighting against it.

If you come from a western culture, like we do, and want to get involved with meditation, I can highly recommend Jon Kabat-Zinn. He has written several books on mindfulness and meditation. "Wherever you go, there you are" is suitable as an introductory read and reference book for your home library. You'll find many examples and suggestions for practice, peppered with humorous and true-to-life anecdotes from Jon's everyday life and experiences. You are up close and personal with Jon as he develops his practice, presenting himself not as an infallible guru, but as a learner like you and me. This makes the reading incredibly likeable and entertaining.

Jon explains to us step by step the concepts of mindfulness, meditation, emotions as waves, positive thinking and much more. What I particularly like are his examples of mindfulness in everyday life and how we can practice mindfulness in daily, supposedly mundane activities. Try it out, it's worth it.

These and other mental techniques help us to calm down more easily, to be more observant of our erratic thoughts and to stand with both feet firmly anchored in life. This might also help you to keep your nerves at your mother-in-law's Christmas table or with your kids in the December hustle and bustle;-).

Do you like this book review or would you like to share a groundbreaking read with all Ally Vision readers? Email me at martina@ally.vision