The Little Book of Being ― Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness

Do you recall, as a child, being enthralled by a drifting cloud, the babbling of a stream, the wandering of a ladybug? If so, then you've already had a taste of natural awareness.

Known and revered in many contemplative traditions, natural awareness transcends even these wondrous childhood moments. It has been described as a profound "awareness of awareness"—an effortless and panoramic state of fully being at our deepest levels.

Created for those new to meditation and long-time meditators alike, The Little Book of Being shows us how to discover this free-flowing and expansive side of mindfulness—no formal sitting practice required.

This concise and friendly guide takes us through 73 "mini-chapters" that explain natural awareness and help us experience it via simple and enjoyable explorations to bring welcome moments of peace, connection, and spaciousness to our often distracted and stressful lives.

Diana Winston is the director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA Semel Institute’s Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC) and the coauthor, with Dr. Susan Smalley, of Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness (DaCapo, 2010). She is a well-known teacher and speaker who brings mindful awareness practices to the general public to promote health and well-being. Called by the LA Times “one of the nation’s best-known teachers of mindfulness,” she has taught mindfulness since 1993 in a variety of settings, including hospitals, universities, corporations, nonprofits, schools in the US and Asia, and online. She developed the evidence-based Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPS) curriculum and the Training in Mindfulness Facilitation, which trains mindfulness teachers worldwide.

Her work has been mentioned or she has been quoted in the New York Times; O, The Oprah Magazine; Newsweek; the Los Angeles Times; Allure; Women’s Health; and in a variety of magazines, books, and journals. She is also the author of Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens (Perigee Books, 2003) and the audio program Mindful Meditations, and has published numerous articles on mindfulness. Diana is a member of the Teacher's Council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Northern California. She has been practicing mindfulness meditation since 1989, including a year as a Buddhist nun in Burma. Currently, Diana’s most challenging and rewarding practice involves trying to mindfully parent an eight-year-old. She lives in Los Angeles.

For more information, visit dianawinston.com and marc.ucla.edu.