64 Don’t Let A nxiety Run Your Life
Try not to judge yourself or your abilities. Judging your
mindfulness practice is antithetical to the very idea of mind-
fulness. Training yourself to be mindful is similar to train-
ing a puppy to walk on a leash. At first, the puppy will
probably pull away from you, lag behind, run around you, or
do just about anything except walk down the sidewalk. To
teach a puppy to properly walk on a leash, world- class train-
ers recommend that you calmly and gently guide the puppy
along the path. So imagine that mindfulness is the path and
your brain is the puppy. Be calm, gentle, and kind to your-
self. W hile practicing mindfulness, especially while you are
learning more fundamental concepts, remember that it’s
normal for you to get distracted, for your mind to wander, or
for you to occasionally forget your goal. W hen this happens,
try to simply start over without judging yourself.
All of the mindfulness practices in this book are for
beginners and experienced meditators alike. Although some
of the exercises may seem simple, it can take months or years
for people to cultivate a mindful stance toward life, and even
then, no one is absolutely perfect at it all the time. Also, try
not to judge these exercises as easy or difficult— allow them
to simply be something you experience, whether for five
seconds or five full minutes.
Visit http://w w w.newharbinger.com/34169 for audio
recordings of several of the mindfulness practices. You may
download these for your personal use. On the website, you
will also find worksheets to help you process your experi-
ences during the mindfulness exercises. These include ques-
tions for ref lection, considerations for enhancing your
practices, and instructions for extending the time of your
mindfulness practice.