Small Bites ─ Mindfulness for Everyday Use

Drawing on her experiences as a Buddhist teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, Annabelle Zinser developed meditation and mindfulness practices for a variety of everyday situations and the transformation of emotional challenges. In short chapters the author demonstrates how to connect the awareness of our breath with focusing our mindfulness on a particular topic at hand, such as: dealing with inferiority complex; recognizing negative thoughts and emotions; taking care of our sexuality; seeing our ancestors within us. This puts us in touch with the healing capacity of the present moment, and gives us a tool to transform even the most difficult and painful aspects of our lives into something joyful and healing.

In their simplicity, the meditations follow the model of Metta meditation, aiming for the cultivation of our hearts and spirits. They always begin with focusing on the breath but from there expand to addressing a broad spectrum of mental conditions and life situations. Reaching across all faith traditions, Small Bites teaches readers to live in a more grounded and sustainable way and offers mindfulness practices for daily life.

Born in 1948 in Germany, Annabelle Zinser received a PhD in history and politics and later trained as a massage therapist and Yoga teacher, fields she practiced and taught in for many years. During a journey to India in 1988 she participated in a Vipassana Meditation Retreat led by S.N. Goenka. Shortly thereafter she became a student of Ruth Denison from whom she received Dharma teacher transmission. She met Thich Nhat Hanh in 2000; became a member of his core practice community, the Order of Interbeing; and received transmission to become a Dharma teacher in Thich Nhat Hanh’s lineage in 2004. Thich Nhat Hanh bequeathed to her his urban practice center in Berlin, where she has led the practice since 2002.She is the recipient of the United Nation’s 2007 Outstanding Women in Buddhism award and lives in Berlin.