Fully Present: The Book
A mindfulness classic - now, updated with a new afterword, - An essential addition to audiences interested in the practice, filled with trends and the science behind the movement.
“Excellent. Fully Present offers one of the clearest introductions to mindfulness in the field.”
—Library Journal
Mindfulness has attracted an ever-growing interest and countless practitioners. In this second edition of FULLY PRESENT: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness (Hachette Go; 12/27/2022; ISBN: 9780306828027), Dr. Susan L. Smalley and Diana Winston provide their all-in-one guide for those wanting to incorporate mindfulness into their everyday lives, and now with a brand-new afterword revealing contemporary trends and updated science within the field.
Dr. Susan L. Smalley and Diana Winston come from two very distinct backgrounds. Dr. Smalley holds a Ph.D. in anthropology and was a professor in psychiatry while Winston was formerly a Buddhist nun. Together, they merge their expertise and bring forth an essential read for those current and new to the mindfulness movement, showcasing the accessibility of mindfulness to people of all walks of life and beliefs.
Readers will not only be able to practice but also understand scientifically the positive benefits of mindfulness, such as its effects on the brain and body. Additionally, readers are provided with practical guidance on both how to meditate and also how to incorporate mindfulness during daily experiences in order to embrace being fully present.
FULLY PRESENT highlights how things like simply breathing, listening, and walking can change one’s perspective and life. Readers can look forward to incorporating mindfulness for:
- Reducing stress
- Reducing chronic physical pain
- Boosting the body’s immune system to fight disease
- Coping with painful life events, such as the death of a loved one or major illness
- Dealing with challenging emotions like anger, fear, and greed
- Enhancing positive emotions, including happiness and compassion
- Increasing interpersonal skill and improving relationships
- Changing positively the actual structure of our brains
- Stimulating and releasing creativity
And much, much more…
About the Authors:
Susan L. Smalley, PhD is Professor Emerita of Psychiatry and Founder of the Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC) at UCLA. Dr. Smalley works to bridge research with action through her involvement at MARC as well as the UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute. She’s a mother of three and lives in Los Angeles with her husband.
Diana Winston is the Director of UCLA Mindful. She is the author of The Little Book of Being, Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens, and Glimpses of Being. The LA Times calls her “one of the nation’s best-known teachers of mindfulness.” A former Buddhist nun, mother of a teenager, and Los Angeles resident, you can find her on the UCLA Mindful or Ten Percent Happier app, or at www.dianawinston.com.
More Praise for FULLY PRESENT
“A highly readable, informed, and elegant synthesis. Susan Smalley and Diana Winston have done a remarkable job of weaving together a coherent and compelling narrative that encourages each one of us to explore mindfulness from the inside out for our own benefit and the greater well-being of the world.” Jon Kabat-Zinn bestselling author; founder of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School
“A beautiful contribution to the exciting new studies on all the benefits of mindfulness. By simply refocusing our awareness, we reshape our experience. A truly optimistic read!”
―Meg Ryan, actress
"Seamlessly combines easy-to-read reports on scientific research with first-person accounts and practice instructions...A lively read."
— Mindful
“[The authors’] collaboration in Fully Present draws on their expertise and experience in ways that readers can totally relate to…Take your time with this one. It's that good.”
— Cincinnati Parent
“This book with exciting up-to-the-minute mindfulness research findings and filled with wonderful vignettes that make it a joy to read can change your school, your clinic, your workplace… your life”
— Sylvia Boorstein, author of Happiness Is an Inside Job
“Fully Present offer a wonderfully practical introduction to the cultivation of mindfulness and how it can be applied in daily life from childhood on through adulthood. Such proactive helps to counteract the disruptive influence of the rapid pace of life and the sensory and information overload that characterize modern life. I heartily recommend this work and hope it will receive the widespread attention it deserves.”
— B. Alan Wallace, author of The Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind
“Fully Present is a wonderful book. It does a great job of presenting the psychological and biological science relevant to understanding and benefiting from ‘mindfulness.’ Just reading it made me feel better, but I also now have compelling reasons for wanting to pursue mindfulness myself.”
— Joseph LeDoux, PhD Director of the Center for Neuroscience of Fear and Anxiety, New York University; author of The Emotional Brain and The Synaptic Self