Spirituality

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

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

  • Downloads：6957
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-29 09:55:28
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Diana Winston
  • ISBN：1683642171
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

A practical guide to experiencing natural awareness—an effortless and spacious state of resting in the depth or our being。

Do you recall， as a child， being enthralled by a drifting cloud， a rain-soaked leaf， a wandering ladybug？ Or suddenly having a sense of timelessness， contentment， and ease？ If so， then you've already had a taste of natural awareness。

Known and revered in many traditions as a complement to focused mindfulness training， natural awareness transcends even these wondrous childhood moments。 Some describe it as a profound "awareness of awareness"—an effortless， boundless state of resting in the depth of our being。

For those new to meditation and experienced meditators alike， these 72 "mini-chapters" guide you on an in-depth odyssey into natural awareness， illuminated by many simple and enjoyable insights and exercises。 The Little Book of Being invites you to explore: The spectrum of awareness practices， from focused mindfulness to flexible mindfulness to natural awareness
• How classical mindfulness and effortless natural awareness enrich and shape each other， and how to practice both
• Three ways to move into natural awareness—relaxing effort， broadening awareness， and dropping objects
• A treasury of "glimpse practices" to spark natural awareness anytime， in just a few moments
• How to bring this way of "simply being" into your daily life， into your connection with others， and into the world
"At first natural awareness may seem far away， just a whisper， but then it will begin to grow and expand and permeate aspects of living。 Over time we may feel more peace， more connection to ourselves。 We may find ourselves taking life a bit more lightly。 We may feel a sense of relaxed ‘beingness’ throughout the day， and when we do get caught in our dramas， we may find ourselves moving out of them quicker than we imagined we could。" —Diana Winston

Download

Reviews

Wei Chang ，

If the reader is already familiar with mindfulness meditation， part 1 and much of the part 2 would be repetitive。 However there are many good reminders for anyone who is constantly looking for a piece of equanimity。 Many insightful suggestions for even the experienced practitioner， so definitely a good read。

Terri Milstead ，

This book focuses on natural awareness meditation: a more open， spacious meditation than traditional breath-focused mindfulness。 The book also mentions flexible awareness meditation， which is about allowing focus to move instead of staying rigidly focused on breath。 I found the discussion of this spectrum （focused， flexible， natural） of awareness practices to be helpful and relatable。 When she described how mindfulness can move in and out of these points all in one session， I felt like I had bee This book focuses on natural awareness meditation: a more open， spacious meditation than traditional breath-focused mindfulness。 The book also mentions flexible awareness meditation， which is about allowing focus to move instead of staying rigidly focused on breath。 I found the discussion of this spectrum （focused， flexible， natural） of awareness practices to be helpful and relatable。 When she described how mindfulness can move in and out of these points all in one session， I felt like I had been given permission to do what I have been doing for years now。 The book contains several good ideas for bringing natural awareness off the mat， as well， which was nice。 I borrowed this audio book from the library and found that was good enough for me。 What I mean is that there are what she calls "glimpse practices" throughout the book that might be nice to have on hand in a book or Kindle version， but I wasn't drawn to them enough to invest in either。 Note: The narration of this is clear and precise， almost clinical。 In other words， it is functional but not at all engaging。 If the book had been any longer， it might have made me abandon reading。 。。。more

Greg B ，

An accessible modern translation of ancient non-dual， "direct path" meditation practices。 This book illuminates a style of practice that has been shrouded in secrecy， often thought of as "advanced meditation" and too esoteric for most people。 Moreover， because the roots of this practice come from ancient contemplative practices， they are steeped in religious traditions not relevant to modern Western culture。 Diana cuts through this religiosity， and presents these practices in a refreshingly cont An accessible modern translation of ancient non-dual， "direct path" meditation practices。 This book illuminates a style of practice that has been shrouded in secrecy， often thought of as "advanced meditation" and too esoteric for most people。 Moreover， because the roots of this practice come from ancient contemplative practices， they are steeped in religious traditions not relevant to modern Western culture。 Diana cuts through this religiosity， and presents these practices in a refreshingly contemporary， secular way。 In essence， this book brings a life-changing practice to a contemporary， Western culture that desperately needs it！ 。。。more

shayda :） ，

There were moments where I felt that this book could have been more summarized because of its redundancy， but， ultimately， I loved its message and “glimpse practices”。

Zin Khant Aung ，

The author has studied for many years under Sayadaw U Pandita of Burma， and a range of masters of Dzogchen， Zen Tradition， and Advaita Vedanta。 This book is a culmination of her wisdom and insight。 An Ideal book for anyone who is interested meditation or have been a long time practitioner。

passeriform ，

Useful， sensible， and kind。

Gabrielle Jarrett ，

I loved reading Diane Winston's thoughts。 feelings， and teachings on Natural Awareness meditation。 The general practice of meditation， ie focus on breath， mantra， or whatever else brings the meditator back from wandering is the base for Natural Awareness。 It's a state of mind deeper than focus， called flexible focus。 It is clearly a feel-good and may only last a few minutes， but it is a true mind-clearing by leaving the rigid focus。 For me， it often releases a deep exhalation。 I am drawn to Wins I loved reading Diane Winston's thoughts。 feelings， and teachings on Natural Awareness meditation。 The general practice of meditation， ie focus on breath， mantra， or whatever else brings the meditator back from wandering is the base for Natural Awareness。 It's a state of mind deeper than focus， called flexible focus。 It is clearly a feel-good and may only last a few minutes， but it is a true mind-clearing by leaving the rigid focus。 For me， it often releases a deep exhalation。 I am drawn to Winston's gentleness and humanity。 I like her 1-3 pages chapters。 I found her ever present Glimpse suggestions most useful。 Her book （and practice） brought me self-acceptance， light heartedness， and joy！ 。。。more

ND ，

This is the sweetest book on meditation！ Diana is a very thoughtful teacher， funny， approachable， and able to break things down to fairly simple explanations。 Useful for beginning and more advanced students。

Mark ，

The Little Book of Being was wonderful， filled with joy， love and wisdom。 At times it felt like if I looked up， I'd see Diana in my living room， her writing was so vivid and personal。 The lessons learned and practice of natural awareness will carry me forward with greater equanimity。 The Little Book of Being was wonderful， filled with joy， love and wisdom。 At times it felt like if I looked up， I'd see Diana in my living room， her writing was so vivid and personal。 The lessons learned and practice of natural awareness will carry me forward with greater equanimity。 。。。more

Seth Cronin ，

Advanced form of meditation with an deceiving simple approach。 Winston's writing style is ideal for 5-10 minutes a day of short reads to encourage deepening this practice。 Advanced form of meditation with an deceiving simple approach。 Winston's writing style is ideal for 5-10 minutes a day of short reads to encourage deepening this practice。 。。。more

Cynthia Nicola ，

Just didnt connect with style and presentation。

Nathan Simmons ，

It’s not everyday that a book starts impacting and changing your experience of life AS you are reading it。 This book does that - in spades。I’m still a bit new to mindfulness practice。 Started with Sam Harris’ Waking Up app back in May 2019。 The approach utilized in that app I credit with the practice of mindfulness sticking for me and becoming a well loved daily practice。 This book has brought a lot of additional insight and depth of experience to my practice already。 I’ll be getting a physical It’s not everyday that a book starts impacting and changing your experience of life AS you are reading it。 This book does that - in spades。I’m still a bit new to mindfulness practice。 Started with Sam Harris’ Waking Up app back in May 2019。 The approach utilized in that app I credit with the practice of mindfulness sticking for me and becoming a well loved daily practice。 This book has brought a lot of additional insight and depth of experience to my practice already。 I’ll be getting a physical copy as well， which I anticipate will be well worn before the end of 2020。 I’m also going to take her advice and record some of the “Glimpse” practices to utilize both during formal sittings and throughout the day。Diana’s language and approach really helped unlock for me what some of this has been pointing to all along。 Highly Recommend。 。。。more

Bella ，

Drop the banana。In some countries， monkeys are trapped with a makeshift bait where a banana is placed inside a recepticle whose opening is only big enough for the monkey to insert or withdraw a limb; the monkey is trapped because once they insert a limb and grab the banana， they would not let go， and the opening is not big enough for the monkey to withdraw his or her limb while holding on to the banana。Glad I did not abort this book midway because the apply section helped me through this time。

Catherine ，

DNF

Andreas Happe ，

The book explores natural meditation as an addition to classical mindful meditation。 The latter is explained as focuses （e。g。， upon the breath） meditation while the former is seen as being more broad and aware。 On the extreme end of the scale， the self might become aware of being aware itself during meditation。 The technique is to let go of the anchor （e。g。， breath） to gain a broader view instead of forcing oneself to focus upon a single thing。 As an analogy， while mindfulness focuses upon a thi The book explores natural meditation as an addition to classical mindful meditation。 The latter is explained as focuses （e。g。， upon the breath） meditation while the former is seen as being more broad and aware。 On the extreme end of the scale， the self might become aware of being aware itself during meditation。 The technique is to let go of the anchor （e。g。， breath） to gain a broader view instead of forcing oneself to focus upon a single thing。 As an analogy， while mindfulness focuses upon a thing floating by on a river， natural awareness focuses upon the eternal river itself。。 and finally upon the watcher watching the river and his/her awareness。I will try to incorporate this into my irregular practice。。 the book is on my "reread"-list so that I might regain motivation to do this if it fades in the future。 。。。more

Mary Dickerson ，

In The Little Book Of Being， the author Diana Winston will take you to a very personal journey of awareness and meditation。 It will explain the difference between what she calls classical meditation and awareness meditation。 The main topic is on natural awareness， or just "being"。 In the introduction， the author tells a very personal story， and it also describes this feeling of natural awareness。 Then the book is divided in "Parts"， which also have sections in said parts。 It is presented as foll In The Little Book Of Being， the author Diana Winston will take you to a very personal journey of awareness and meditation。 It will explain the difference between what she calls classical meditation and awareness meditation。 The main topic is on natural awareness， or just "being"。 In the introduction， the author tells a very personal story， and it also describes this feeling of natural awareness。 Then the book is divided in "Parts"， which also have sections in said parts。 It is presented as follows:Part 1: Foundations， Understanding natural awareness。Part 2: Techniques， Meditating with natural awareness。Part 3: Embodiment， Living natural awareness。 So， as you can see， the path created inside the contents of this book will take anyone， beginner or advanced， thru the understanding first and then the development of the practice of natural awareness。In between all this information， a small section called "Glimpse Practises" will surprise you throughout the entire book。 These sections are small suggestions or even instructions in some cases for quick practices and exercises。 All of them， of course， related to the topic of attaining or enhancing your natural awareness。 Even with numerous instructions and exercises， the author still invites you to be creative and adapt these ideas and concepts to create your own journey。 Even though this book is called "little"， it contains over 200 pages， which， yeah is not exactly big， but is not that little。 The amount of information， practices， recommendations， habits and personal stories found in this book are plenty！With so much info， so many "glimpse practices"， with a guide to creating your own daily meditation practice， I can't imagine anyone giving away this book or donating it after reading it。 This is one of those books that most people would like to keep in their collection for future reference。 To make this book even more impressive， Diana Winston is the director of mindfulness education at UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center。 I mean， if there is someone that knows about mindfulness I can trust she is one of them！I highly recommend The Little Book of Being to anyone interested in meditation and awareness practices。 。。。more

Jane ，

I loved the brevity of the chapters in this book about "natural awareness。" The practices contrast with the typical discipline of meditation， although they can certainly be used in concert with it。 I use the practices throughout the day， when walking， driving， aware of my mind chattering， especially with unpleasant self-talk。 The writer is a teacher at UCLA and it's clear she's investigated and practice formal meditation as well as this practice which incorporates formal techniques but is less p I loved the brevity of the chapters in this book about "natural awareness。" The practices contrast with the typical discipline of meditation， although they can certainly be used in concert with it。 I use the practices throughout the day， when walking， driving， aware of my mind chattering， especially with unpleasant self-talk。 The writer is a teacher at UCLA and it's clear she's investigated and practice formal meditation as well as this practice which incorporates formal techniques but is less prescribed。 It's a book I plan to buy for several friends。 。。。more

January Gray ，

This！ This book！ I cannot tell you enough how helpful this book is！！！ It's the simple and little things in our lives that makes us the happiest。 Learn to focus on those！ Get this book！ This！ This book！ I cannot tell you enough how helpful this book is！！！ It's the simple and little things in our lives that makes us the happiest。 Learn to focus on those！ Get this book！ 。。。more

Tom Weissmuller ，

I enjoyed much of this book。 Seemingly written as a compilation of thoughts and practices， it offers the reader a basis for understanding and finding what the author calls， “natural awareness”。 Sadly， the author lacks real world experience in the very thing she instructs others to find。 I deduce this from the book。 Were she a hunter， a soldier， a security guard， a poor woman in a dangerous neighborhood， or even a fighter， she might cultivate these skills as part of her daily routine; she might e I enjoyed much of this book。 Seemingly written as a compilation of thoughts and practices， it offers the reader a basis for understanding and finding what the author calls， “natural awareness”。 Sadly， the author lacks real world experience in the very thing she instructs others to find。 I deduce this from the book。 Were she a hunter， a soldier， a security guard， a poor woman in a dangerous neighborhood， or even a fighter， she might cultivate these skills as part of her daily routine; she might even realize the awareness she seeks without all the exercises。 For many， such awareness is essential， a survival skill。 The author must hunt for her awareness so she might sustain a calm demeanor as she endures the rigors of life as a mom and teacher 。。。 huh。 Apparently， this requires meditative practice。 When all is firing in her mind， she can play with her eight year old and really enjoy it。 Thankfully， she is not a prison guard， or a cop， or a soldier。 Awareness is not natural to her。 Personally， I would recommend Gavin D Becker or Rory Miller to anyone who wants to learn about natural awareness， and utilize similar exercises to find ways to sustain it in truly dangerous environments。 This book contains some great hunting exercises， though here， they have been converted into simple listening exercises。 Rather than listening for prey or watching the field of vision before you for movement that might fill your belly， she uses the exercises as pure meditative practice so she can quiet her mind and enjoy awareness。 Okay。 If you say so。 Three stars。 。。。more

Maggie ，

an excellent summary of the purpose and method of awareness， meditation， and existence。 well well done。

Pamela ，

Funny thing happened when I finished this book。 I normally ride on the train for my commute and finished the book just about at my stop。 I was doing my best to stay in the moment and be aware， yet while walking some foot pain flared up。 My concentration was there on the pain。 By the time I got to my car I realized I had no idea where my phone was。 It's always in my pocket。 But not now。 And I had to think back， on the short walk from getting off the train to my car I had my hand in my pocket。 Wha Funny thing happened when I finished this book。 I normally ride on the train for my commute and finished the book just about at my stop。 I was doing my best to stay in the moment and be aware， yet while walking some foot pain flared up。 My concentration was there on the pain。 By the time I got to my car I realized I had no idea where my phone was。 It's always in my pocket。 But not now。 And I had to think back， on the short walk from getting off the train to my car I had my hand in my pocket。 What was there in my hand， nothing or my phone？ I didn't know。 I certainly wasn't aware。 I certain could have been more mindful of the moment。 Of course what ensued after was much panic and emotions about the lost phone。 Definite moments for drawing back and becoming more calm。 At the end of my search I had to admit defeat and accept I lost the phone somehow。 This book with all the teachings and guidance on how to be in the moment， how to relax and watch the emotions float by like clouds were exactly what I needed in those moments of panic。 It was difficult for me to accept the phone and all the digital data is out of my possession， but this book helped me accept it more easily。 And I say this as someone who has not yet tried the meditation practices or guidance provided in the book。 This is a meditation book that feels more for someone who has been practicing for a while and not a beginner。 I am truly a beginner。 Yet I did find some use from the book。 I enjoyed reading the small glimpse practices。 I may not be able to reach the natural awareness quickly， but this book may be something I can return to。 The small reminders and brief moments may be something to start building upon。Thanks to Sounds True and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book。 。。。more

Sheela Singla ，

I just finished "The Little Book of Being" by Diana Winston and tomorrow am going to a day of mindfulness in which she teaches natural awareness practices in person。 The author's writing glistens beautifully。 Her original statement on boredom （which I grappled with in the middle of the book） heard during a webinar by the author was that boredom arises from not paying close enough attention。 In this book， she writes that boredom can be alleviated not only by classical mindfulness， but also by the I just finished "The Little Book of Being" by Diana Winston and tomorrow am going to a day of mindfulness in which she teaches natural awareness practices in person。 The author's writing glistens beautifully。 Her original statement on boredom （which I grappled with in the middle of the book） heard during a webinar by the author was that boredom arises from not paying close enough attention。 In this book， she writes that boredom can be alleviated not only by classical mindfulness， but also by the spacious luminosity of natural awareness。 I'm gonna begin going in depth more by: examine problems （whether conjured up by boredom， or boredom itself， or neither of these） by experiencing accompanying thoughts and emotions in your physical body， then choosing one of the "glimpse" practices in this book， and then seeing what happens。 Example glimpse: Who would you be if you were to fully be yourself？This book is written from the point of view of belief in a physical reality outside of the experiencer， in concert with the author's position in a scientific institution of higher learning。 The shantideva prayer Diana writes about in this book may provide comfort in times of doubt about whether an external physical reality is。I finished this book sitting outside on a sunny deck in the company of family。Note: this is not intended to be promotional review， as it would be against my interests if time with Diana were to become more limited。 。。。more

Jess Macallan ，

This is a wonderful book on mindfulness。 I love the idea of cultivating natural awareness， and how that can impact daily life。 One of my favorite sections of the book was "Don't be a bliss ninny。" The author takes an honest， insightful look at how important awareness is。 It's not about creating a practice that gives you a view through rose-colored glasses， but rather helps you navigate the ups and downs of life with a little more ease and resilience。I like that the book is equal parts how-to， re This is a wonderful book on mindfulness。 I love the idea of cultivating natural awareness， and how that can impact daily life。 One of my favorite sections of the book was "Don't be a bliss ninny。" The author takes an honest， insightful look at how important awareness is。 It's not about creating a practice that gives you a view through rose-colored glasses， but rather helps you navigate the ups and downs of life with a little more ease and resilience。I like that the book is equal parts how-to， reflection， inspiration， analogies， and ideas。 I also appreciate the range of meditation options， schools of thought， questions that invite deeper exploration， emphasis on making the practices work for you， and ideas for overcoming common meditation pitfalls。New and experienced meditation practitioners alike will enjoy the various practice options。I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Seema Rao ，

Approachable ~ Gentle ~ Usefultl;dr: Ways to center yourself that seem doableMeditation is often approached as a luxury and a rarified experience afforded the prvilieged few。 This book presents mindfulness in an accessible manner。 Winston points out that everyone has natural moments of clarity， often in nature。 She creates a gentle tome， with short chapters， and concise activities to help people access this feel of mindlessness in a more conscious manner。 Winston's tone is approachable。 The book Approachable ~ Gentle ~ Usefultl;dr: Ways to center yourself that seem doableMeditation is often approached as a luxury and a rarified experience afforded the prvilieged few。 This book presents mindfulness in an accessible manner。 Winston points out that everyone has natural moments of clarity， often in nature。 She creates a gentle tome， with short chapters， and concise activities to help people access this feel of mindlessness in a more conscious manner。 Winston's tone is approachable。 The book has been framed for the frazzled， busy reader， with bolded elements， short sentences， and simple directions。 In other words， all onboarding challenges have been met。 This book would be a great gift for that meditation cynic amongst your circle。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Angela ，

This book is really informative， it's just a little intimidating for beginners。 I think it would be great for people that have a lot more experience with meditation practices。 I will say this about it， the glimpse practices are a great addition， and are easy enough for anyone to engage in。 They're a nice way to end each section and I think they add a really great touch to a meditation book that I've never seen before。 This book is really informative， it's just a little intimidating for beginners。 I think it would be great for people that have a lot more experience with meditation practices。 I will say this about it， the glimpse practices are a great addition， and are easy enough for anyone to engage in。 They're a nice way to end each section and I think they add a really great touch to a meditation book that I've never seen before。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Little Book of Being: Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Little Book of Being: Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Little Book of Being: Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0