REVIEWS

“Behavior geneticist Smalley and former Buddhist nun Winston interweave their orientations (science and reason, art and intuition) to show readers how the practice of mindfulness can improve various facets of their lives. Smalley and Winston gently guide readers in exploring the practice, providing exercises and encouragement along the way…Fully Present offers one of the clearest introductions to mindfulness in the field.”

- Deborah Bigelow,  LibraryJournal.com, Xpress Reviews

“You wouldn’t go through your day after having left your leg at home, so why are so many of us living lives with our minds left behind? Smalley, a former professor of biology, and Winston, a former Buddhist nun, answer this question and enable readers to remedy the absent-minded lifestyle. As founder/director and director, respectively, of UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, the authors draw on their experience of bringing mindfulness to the masses and present the scientific side of mindfulness with an artful approach that results in a well-rounded synthesis accessible to scholars and laymen alike. Research studies, personal accounts, and practical applications illuminate mindfulness as a form of meditation; with activities as simple as breathing, listening, and walking, the practice can be easily incorporated into any lifestyle. Though a surprisingly extensive list of benefits from mindfulness is supported by what current research exists, the authors simultaneously acknowledge that more needs to be done and they find encouragement in positive results that reveal mindfulness as a simple yet profound solution to daily problems. Smalley and Winston will pique interest in living a completely present life, even if what that means has yet to be fully understood.”

- Publisher’s Weekly Web Exclusive Review, August

“…they combine the science behind mindfulness with practical applications and everyday ways to improve mental and physical health. It’s a good read that you don’t want to rush through, and gives all of us—not matter what the load on your plate looks like—ample things to think about. And the benefits of being mindful, from reducing stress to changing the way our brains work—are laid out in scientific and anecdotal terms. Take your time with this one. It’s that good.”

-Cincinnati Parent Web Product Review, October

Praise for Fully Present

“Mindful living is the highest form of human intelligence. Fully Present is a very practical guide that will make your life joyful, creative, and healthy.”
- Deepak Chopra M.D.

“Fully Present is a rare fusion of science, spirituality, and healing. The book is a treasure trove of transcendent tools for bridging the gap between human and divine.” – Kathy Freston, author of Quantum Wellness

“Brilliant, authoritative, rooted in solid research, and incredibly useful!  If people would follow the practices outlined here, it is guaranteed they would become happier, healthier, and more fulfilled in their lives.” – Edward Hallowell, MD, bestselling author of Driven to Distraction

“A beautiful contribution to the exciting new studies on all the benefits of mindfulness.  By simply refocusing our awareness, we reshape our experience. A truly optimistic read!” – Meg Ryan, actress

“Beautifully clear, wise and immensely useful. A perfect guide for professionals and individuals to learn the science and practices that bring the enormous benefit of mindfulness.” – Jack Kornfield, bestselling author of A Path with Heart

“Fully Present is a fresh and innovative examination of the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the state of consciousness known as mindfulness. It is science based with practical applications. I hope everyone who wants to learn more about both the science and the art of mindfulness will read it. – Tipper Gore, author, photographer, and mental health advocate

“This book―with exciting up-to-the-minute mindfulness research findings and filled with wonderful vignettes that make it a joy to read―can change your school, your clinic, your workplace…your life.”- Sylvia Boorstein, author of Happiness Is An Inside Job

“This book is a wonderful balance of meditation instruction and scientific discovery, accessible and user friendly. Both beginning and more experienced meditators will find it inspiring and informative. – Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness

“Fully Present is a wonderful book.  It does a great job of presenting the psychological and biological science relevant to understanding and benefiting from ‘mindfulness.’  Just reading it made me feel better, but I also now have compelling reasons for wanting to pursue mindfulness myself.” – Joseph LeDoux, PhD, director of the Center for the Neuroscience of Fear and Anxiety, New York University; author of The Emotional Brain and The Synaptic Self

“Be aware, be very aware! Fully Present will bring you into the current moment and keep you there. A must for any student of life.” – Jeff Skoll, Founder and Chairman, Participant Media

“Fully Present offers a wonderfully practical introduction to the cultivation of mindfulness and how it can be applied in daily life from childhood on through adulthood. Such practice helps to counteract the disruptive influence of the rapid pace of life and the sensory and information overload that characterize modern life. I heartily recommend this work and hope it will receive the widespread attention it deserves.” – B. Alan Wallace, author of The Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind

“How to live in these extraordinary times? Do we embrace the exhausting cacophony of a world that never sleeps; or in a desperate search for solitude shutter the windows of the self, risking the blackness of despair?  In Fully Present Smalley and Winston offer a middle ground; one where through mindful practice we can each find our own contemplative place and from there the strength to build a clearer personal vision. Melding the science and the art of mindfulness with its daily practice this concise, well-referenced work will stand apart from others as an invaluable compendium.” – Peter C. Whybrow, MD, Director of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human behavior at UCLA, and author of American Mania: When More is Not Enough