The Mindful Woman: Gentle Practices for Restoring Calm, Finding Balance, and Opening Your Heart

by Sue Patton Thoele

Overview

Imagine a day in which you can be in the midst of chaos but maintain a clear head and sense of balance and focus and have your feet firmly planted on the ground. Even the busiest of women among us has the ability to embrace mindfulness and will reap the benefits of doing so!

In this book, Sue Patton Thoele shows you how to incorporate mindfulness into your busy and dynamic life. The book's gentle and humorous approach makes it a practical and easily understood guide for those who are new to the practice of mindfulness as well as those who are already familiar with its gifts.

The book offers over sixty-five simple and effective practices to help you embrace mindfulness one moment at a time. Filled with both the author's and other women's personal stories about the joys and hurdles that come with embracing mindful living, The Mindful Woman is a friend whose hand you can hold on the path toward being present in the moment. Finding your way will lead naturally to a more open heart, inner peace, and greater zest for life-a path well worth pursuing.

I have been a fan of Sue Patton Thoele's gentle wisdom since her very first book. Here she takes on mindfulness in her typical wise and caring way. The Mindful Woman is a retreat in a book!
-M.J. Ryan, author of This Year I Will…, Giving Thanks, and many other titles

The Mindful Woman is a warm-hearted tour of many effective ways for a woman to feel more peaceful, focused, and happy in the middle of her busy life. Based on scientific research and its author's deep insights, it is comprehensive and caring…a wonderful book.
-Rick Hanson, Ph.D., psychologist, board member of Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and author of Mother Nurture

Sue Patton Thoele is a heart-filled and gifted wordsmith who draws you into an enchanted journey of personal growth in each of her books. The Mindful Woman may well be her crowning glory… and yours… so get ready for a big treat!
-Bobbie Sandoz Merrill, MSW, author of Settle for More, Parachutes for Parents, and In the Presence of High Beings

Sue Patton Thoele is the master of explicating real life and real people. In The Mindful Woman, she adds a new dimension: real thinking. Many books preach mindfulness, but this is the only one that makes it so simple that you fall into practicing it as you turn the pages. Thoele has surpassed even her early groundbreaking books tailored to women's needs. Here is the hallmark of a deeply intuitive writer who presents her message in gentle, non-judgmental, and attractively intimate prose.
-Hugh Prather, author of Morning Notes, Notes to Myself, and Spiritual Notes to Myself

Sue Patton Thoele's books have long been a guiding light for me. The Mindful Woman is warm, wise, and wonderful and has become a touchstone to which I turn for advice and clarity. Reading Sue Thoele has truly made a difference in my life and has made me more mindful of the happy, healthy woman I am becoming.
-Brenda Knight, author of Wild Woman and Rituals for Life

wise, witty, and wonderful guide to what eludes us most: peace of mind and heart in a turbulent world.
-Janice Lynne Lundy, author of Your Truest Self

This book now has a permanent place on my nightstand. The Mindful Woman does much more than inform the reader about mindfulness. Through tiny, sweet bites of easy practice, it transforms a thoughtful woman into a mindful woman. Sue Patton Thoele's tenderness toward her reader warms each page as she reveals her own slips and slides in finding the positive and pleasant view of every circumstance.
-Cynthia Wall, LCSW, author of The Courage to Trust

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781572247918
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	05/15/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	865 KB

About the Author

Sue Patton Thoele is a psychotherapist, former hospice chaplain, and bereavement group leader. She is author of several books, including The Courage to Be Yourself.
 

Table of Contents

Foreword: Do You Know What Your Mind Is Doing? 14

Introduction: An Ongoing Quest 17

Part I Exploring the Basics

Chapter 1 What Is Mindfulness and Why Do We Want It? 24

Elements of Mindfulness 25

Myths of Mindfulness 32

Differences Between Mindful and Automatic Living 34

A Word about Women 37

Practice: Mindfully Inviting a Quality Through Breathing 41

Busy Women Can Be Mindful Too 43

Intention as Ally 44

Why Choose Mindfulness? 46

Benefits of Mindfulness 50

Part II The Practices

Chapter 2 Cultivating Compassionate Awareness 54

Beginning with Breath 56

Stopping to Look, Listen, and Feel 58

Paying Attention to Warning Signs 60

Showering Yourself with Stars 62

Taking Time-Outs 64

Uncovering the Origin of Feeling 66

Recognizing Emotional Fallout 68

Accepting Rather than Rejecting 70

Living Gently with Yourself 72

Inviting Awareness Through Haiku 74

Chapter 3 Being at Home in the Moment 76

Taming the Monkey Mind 78

Choosing a Positive Attitude 80

Enjoying Everyday Beauty 82

Surrounding with Space 84

Feeding Body & Soul 86

Blessings of Breathing 88

Keeping Hope Afloat 90

Infusing Meaning into the Monotonous 92

Rebelling with Radical Wisdom 94

Chapter 4 Savoring the Qualities of a Quiet Mind 96

Seeing with Clarity 98

Experiencing Equanimity 100

Making the Best Choice 102

Upping Tolerance Levels 104

Cultivating Cockeyed Optimism 106

Tuning in to Wisdom 108

Activating Awe 110

Saying Yes to Receptivity 112

Opening to Spaciousness 114

Chapter 5 Accepting What Is 116

Earning Angel Wings 118

Giving Up Grumbling 120

Choosing the Parts You Play 122

Waiting for Ripeness 124

Making Heaven of Hell 126

Remembering to Exhale 128

Taking AIM 130

Giving Grace Your Hand 132

Chapter 6 Overflowing from an Open Heart 134

Starting a Kindness Revolution 136

Finding Freedom in Forgiveness 138

Being a Friend 140

Knowing You are Lovable and Loved 142

Giving Gratitude a Go 144

Expecting Good 146

Being a Cheerleader 148

Acting Lovingly 150

Chapter 7 Generating Soft Power 152

Tying Up Loose Ends 154

Accessing Body Wisdom 156

Reeling in Projections 158

Noticing What's Right 160

Valuing Authenticity Over Perfection 162

Finding and Using Your Voice 164

Erring on the Side of Generosity 166

Transforming Fear 168

Chapter 8 Inviting Serenity Through Simplicity 170

Overloading Evolution 172

Moving at Your Own Pace 174

Lubricating Life with Time 176

Opting for Simplicity of Thought 178

Being for, Not Against 180

Discovering Simple Solutions 182

Rightsizing Each Day 184

Expecting the Best 186

Noticing Singular Beauty 188

Chapter 9 Fulfilling the Promise of Presence 190

Awakening Beginner's Mind 192

In-Bodying Life 194

Perceiving Wholeness 196

Instilling Strength 198

The Healing Power of Listening 200

Seeing Synchronicity 202

Trusting in Goodness 204

Doing unto Others 206

Highlighting Lovingkindness 208

Part III Enjoying the Benefits

Chapter 10 Why Mindfulness Feels So Good 211

Awareness First 213

Freedoms that Follow 215

Walking Mindfully 222

Acknowledgments 224

References 225

Author Biography 227

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“A wise, witty, and wonderful guide to what eludes us most: peace of mind and heart in a turbulent world.”

—Janice Lynne Lundy, DMin, author of Your Truest Self, My Deepest Me, Portable Peace, and Thank You Is My Prayer