CBA Record September 2018

you to physically take time and try out the methods presented, you may still find yourself exerting what you have learned in your day-to-day life, subconsciously, without ever fully engaging the meditation practices. That goes to show how useful and helpful the information in this book is, especially for those who struggle to find time to complete an activity that is not already a part of their daily routine. Drawing from Rogers’ main takeaway, living in the present moment is the key to dealing with stress and those worrying thoughts. Stress, worry, and our negative bias mindset bar us from truly living in the present moment. For example, many city-goers become angry while sitting in traffic on their way to or from work. This may take away from their mood for the rest of the day. However, you will learn that you can sit in traffic and be upset about sitting in traffic, or you can sit in traffic and remain calm. Either way, you are still going to be sitting in traffic. Some things are unavoidable, and the outcome of situations are up to how you choose to handle it. Overall, this book is three-fold: a guide, training program, and informational, informative text on how to incorporate an ancient practice into a modern lifestyle. A quick and easy read, you are guaranteed to reap benefits in a short amount of time. Although the targeted age group is “twenty- something’s,” readers of all age can find the practices and skills in this book to help them in an innumerable amount of ways. If you are looking for a way to change your lifestyle, this book is the perfect start. One thing about change and growth is that it does not have an age, and it surely does not come with comfort and ease. The first step in your journey to mindful living is realizing that life circumstances are not what make you happy or sad, it is how you choose to react and think about those events that make them that way. Difficul- ties are inevitable, but their hold on our emotions are not unfixable.

SUMMARY JUDGMENTS

REVIEWS, REVIEWS, REVIEWS!

Mindfulness at Any Age

any phase of life. Holly B. Rogers, MD, is a psychiatrist and mindfulness teacher at Duke University’s counseling center, and co-founder of the “Koru Mindfulness” program. KoruMindfulness is an evidence- based mindfulness training program for college-age adults, ranged 18-29 years old. This program is used at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Dartmouth, and numer- ous treatment centers across the nation. As college students and young adults entering the real world, this time of our life is filled with high tide and great waves. Without knowing how to manage the inevitable: exams, breakups, loss, and overall change will come crashing down and wash us ashore with high levels of stress. However, this book is the perfect guide to learning how to handle everything that life throws our way. With 10 differ- ent meditation methods and mindfulness skills, you are readily equipped to find out what works best for you on your journey to living mindfully. Divided into five sections, each part of the book pulls you more and more into understanding yourself. What is great about this book is that it offers a variety of information. With each part of the book, you are introduced to new practices, as well as history and psychology notes for more in-depth explanations. Addition- ally, most chapters include one, if not all, of the following to provide guidance on what you are currently reading: take a moment, practice tip, contemplate this, and science note. You are advised as you work through this book to keep a journal and log of when you meditate, your thoughts, what you are grateful for, etc. Although this book asks

The Mindful Twenty-Something: Life Skills to Handle Stress and Everything Else

By Holly B. Rogers, MD Name of Publisher, Year Reviewed by Sofia Sinnokrot

"Mindfulness meditation doesn’t change life. Life remains as fragile and unpredictable as ever. Meditation changes the heart’s capacity to accept life as it is." –Sylvia Boorstein W ritten by Holly B. Rogers, MD, The Mindful Twenty-Something: Life Skills to Handle Stress and Everything Else, is a light read on how to live your life mindfully while navigating LAP Contributor Sofia Sinnok- rot is a rising Sophomore at the University of Illinois, work- ing towards acareer in the law.

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