A Year of Mindfulness for Beginners: Daily Mantras, Meditations, and Prompts (A Year of Daily Reflections)

The book contains a lot of inspirational quotes from people like Norman Vincent Peale, Martin Luther King Jr., Mark Twain, and more. It also has affirmations for you to use to help with stress and become more centered. It also stresses that mindfulness “is a part of every decision. It is a philosophy of life. Mindfulness is the nonjudgmental awareness of your thoughts, actions, and the world around you.” (Lee Papa). With that in mind, some of the things in the book were a little too “out there” for me. Which is okay. Not everything is for everyone. Which brings me to the biggest issue with the book. It is very colorful—not necessarily a bad thing—but for a person with color issues, I had a lot of trouble reading some of the pages—especially white print on yellow pages. Plus, I honestly believe this book would do better as a daily calendar than a book. It just seems to lend itself to that format.What I liked: the various quotes from famous people. They were nice to read. Also, some of the exercises/mantras/etc. did pique my interest enough to want to follow them—maybe not on a daily basis, but definitely once in a while.What I didn’t like: a lot of the colors made it difficult to read. Really – just stick to black on white, please. Or black on yellow. I wish publishers would keep readability in mind when producing these books. Also, as noted above, the format of this book would seem to lend itself better to being a calendar.Recommendation: If you’re looking for a way to get deeper into mindfulness, this is a good place to start. Not all the daily offerings may resonate with you, but that is normal and part of mindfulness. If nothing else, enjoy the uplifting quotes and affirmations.Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All the opinions are my own and are not influenced by anyone.

I had the chance to review an advance copy of this book for the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I looked through it and, having been around many people who practice mindfulness, I believe the book would be useful for many of them. It has an assortment of quotes, mantras, journalling prompts and meditation exercises, organized by date (no year, just the month and day.) It's a chance to basically get that prompt everyday to participate in something that will nurture mindfulness in your life. The author explains what a powerful transformational tool that has been for her. I think it would be appreciated if you choose the right person who is interested in such a pratice. If I could change one thing about the book, I might've liked to read some case histories of people who changed their lives with mindfulness and also I think some photos throughout the book, restful ones, could've added to it as well.

Lee Papa set an audacious challenge for herself. Her goal, in this book, is to give the reader a daily dose of thought provoking “mantras, meditations, and prompts”. Although there are 365 ideas presented, not all of them are equal and some fall flat leaving you wondering what you really should think about that day. Often it is just a phrase that is to be repeated or an idea to be thought about throughout the day.On the other hand, there are some real gems hidden in these pages which cause the reader to sit up and take notice. So, do not dismiss the entire book because she did not hit a home run every day. No player has ever had a perfect day every day. Take the good with the…not as good…and move on to the next day.One other observation. As she focused on mantras, meditation and prompts, at times she moves away from the title of her book – “Mindfulness” – even as she defines it, “Mindfulness equals awareness: awareness of your thoughts and actions and the world around you – without judgement.” She focuses more on what her introduction says, “I wanted to look at trauma and drama, seek out ancient knowledge, explore the mind-body-spirit connection, and ease my own emotional suffering.” Needless to say, I was disappointed because I wanted more about mindfulness. Maybe, I just missed the point.Upon request, the publisher, with no preset conditions, sent me a copy of the book to review.

As someone fairly new to mindfulness I decided to use this book as a stepping stone, an opportunity to get my feet wet and begin on the path of a new journey of my life. With my busy family and work schedule (which is probably the first indiciation that I need this book) I wanted to gain an insight. Well, let me be honest, I really cannot suggest a better place to sart!I personally love the daily thought provoking messages, not to mention the cheery illustration of the book (which always leaves me feeling happy!)My morning routine now begins with reading and digesting this little gem of a book, while waking up with my morning coffee. I find it to be truly calming, inspirational, and a great way to start anyone's day. Whether you choose to adopt the author's message into your daily life is entirely your choice, but even if you choose not to, the thought is embedded in your mind and generally reminds you to consider not only your own personal worth but to live with more compassion and gratefulness for those around you. I find the daily mindfulness quotes very uplifting and I enjoy being encouraged to adopt new habits. If you are looking for an introduction or even inspiration to set your mood each day, this books nails it. So do yourself the kindest favor, and pick up this book and give yourself the time and care you deserve.