ABSTRACT

A Practical Guide to Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living: Living with Heart is a step-by-step guide for those who wish to deepen their mindfulness skills with compassion for a healthier, happier life and more fulfilling relationships. It offers a clear structure as well as ample freedom to adjust to individual needs, starting with learning to be kind to yourself and then expanding this to learn how to be kind to others.

This guide consists of eight chapters that follow the eight sessions of the mindfulness-based compassionate living training programme. To enhance the learning experience, this book features accessible transcripts and downloadable audio exercises, as well as worksheets to explore experiences during exercises. It also includes suggestions for deepening practice at the end of each session.

A Practical Guide to Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living explores the science of compassion in an easy-to-understand and comprehensive manner, one which will appeal to both trained professionals and clients, or anyone wishing to deepen their mindfulness practice with ‘heartfulness’.

chapter |7 pages

Introduction: a warm welcome

chapter Chapter 1|18 pages

Wired to survive rather than thrive

Session one: how we evolved – threat, drive and soothing systems

chapter Chapter 2|18 pages

Embracing inner demons

Session two: threat and self-compassion

chapter Chapter 3|17 pages

Treating habits kindly

Session three: untangling desires and patterns

chapter Chapter 4|14 pages

Out of the mud into the light

Session four: embodying compassion

chapter Chapter 5|13 pages

Receiving and giving with every breath

Session five: self and others — widening the circle

chapter Chapter 6|19 pages

Making friends for life

Session six: growing happiness

chapter Chapter 7|13 pages

Heartful mind, mindful heart

Session seven: weaving wisdom and compassion into daily life

chapter Chapter 8|8 pages

Healing life

Session eight: living with heart