Mindful practice
Why you practise and a passage read slowly at the front; an open, dotted day of loving-kindness, three good things, the day's passage and an evening reflection; each month's sittings counted and what was let go.
Meditators in the Buddhist and Taoist traditions, or anyone practising attention.
Order as is goes straight to the order form, where you choose the days, binding and address and see the price before you pay. Change it first opens the whole book in the editor. No account needed for either.
Front pages
Intentions, a practice plan, commitments, loving-kindness, wu wei, a passage read slowly, questions to sit with and what you noticed.
- Intentions (questions)Intentions: why I practise, what I hope to soften and what I hope to grow, with lines to answer.
- Practice Plan (table)A table headed Practice Plan, with columns for practice, when and how long.
- Commitments (note box)A box headed Commitments, ruled with lines, to write in.
- Metta PracticeLoving-kindness meditation, moving outward one person at a time: yourself, someone you love, someone neutral, someone difficult, then all beings. One line each for what you wished them.
- Wu Wei ReflectionWu wei, usually translated as non-action or effortless action, is the Tao Te Ching's idea of acting without forcing. Once a week, write where you pushed against something and what yielding would have looked like.
- Reading Slowly (questions)Reading Slowly: passage, what it says and what it asks of me, with lines to answer.
- Questions to Sit With (note box)A box headed Questions to Sit With, ruled with lines, to write in.
- Noticed (note box)A box headed Noticed, ruled with lines, to write in.
Every month
The month's intention, what you noticed, gratitude, sittings counted, a mood chart, a reflection and what was let go.
- Intention (note box)A box headed Intention, ruled with lines, to write in.
- What I Noticed (Lessons Learned)A bulleted box for what the month taught you, so it is not learned twice.
- Grateful For (note box)A box headed Grateful For, ruled with lines, to write in.
- Sittings (Meditation Days)A mark to fill in on each day you sit to meditate, thirty-one for the month, with every tenth day marked.
- Mood Chart (month)The five-face mood chart across a whole month, for patterns a single week hides.
- Month Reflection (Monthly Review)A few questions at the end of each month, with lines to answer them. It starts with what worked, what did not and what changes next month, and the questions can be your own.
- Letting Go (note box)A box headed Letting Go, ruled with lines, to write in.
Every day
An open, dotted day with loving-kindness, three good things, the day's passage, noticing, a rating of calm, kindness and presence, and the evening.
- Metta PracticeLoving-kindness meditation, moving outward one person at a time: yourself, someone you love, someone neutral, someone difficult, then all beings. One line each for what you wished them.
- Three Good ThingsThree good things from today, numbered. Writing them down each night is an exercise Martin Seligman's team tested in 2005.
- Today's Passage (Tao Reflection)Write the number of the chapter you read and the line that stays with you, then what it says plainly and what it says underneath. There are 81 short chapters, so a chapter a day takes under three months. James Legge's 1891 translation is free to use.
- Noticing (note box)A box headed Noticing, ruled with lines, to write in.
- Today (ratings)Today: calm, kindness and presence, each rated 1 to 5.
- Evening (note box)A box headed Evening, ruled with lines, to write in.
The whole book, laid out.
Every page dated and ready to print at home or as a bound book. Move, resize or take out anything, and Memari lays out every page after.