Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence--The Groundbreaking Meditation Practice Kindle Edition

I am a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. Over the years I have emphasized to my patients that awareness of self and awareness of others are vital skills. So many problems and limitations are related to not being aware and simply living on automatic pilot.And now there is an incredibly well written book devoted to this topic and explaining how to harness the power of awareness. It is actually for anyone who is curious about how to live a better life, curious about what their mind is, what consciousness is and how to use all this information to expand what it means to be human and how we can be better at it.Dan Siegel is an incredible teacher and takes you through what awareness is and the steps to develop the skills to enhance your awareness and increase your ability to focus attention. He explores the science of attention, focus and intention and explains how developing these skills can actually change the structure of your brain and the overall functioning of your body and slow aging.This is both a useful and practical guidebook for anyone who wants to learn skills to increase their awareness and it is an exciting exploration into an understanding of consciousness itself. He explains how our mind/body/brain work together creating who we are and how we can use the power of awareness to live with greater intention and attention to create greater resilience and wellbeing.He explores mindfulness meditation making it even more accessible to beginners and deepening it for seasoned meditators and he presents a practical tool (the Wheel of Awareness) that is both an incredibly useful tool and a model of the mind to help you understand and begin to master the mysteries of consciousness.Dan Siegel writes as if he is having a conversation with the reader as he tells the story of what it means to be aware and how to deepen this capacity. He skillfully integrates his vast knowledge of the latest neuroscience, cognitive psychology, neurobiology of interpersonal relationship discoveries into clear concepts that are at the heart of how our minds work and what we can do with this to enhance our lives and the lives of all who we connect with.This book is for a wide audience. On one level it is for beginners who are curious about what it means to be aware and want tools to expand their minds such as meditation and the Wheel of Awareness. And this book is also an incredible rich resource for seasoned students of the mind who want to deepen their understanding and explore our potential as more fully conscious and aware human beings.This book belongs on the shelf of anyone who wants to be more aware and to enrich their life and the lives of all they encounterLarry Drell, M.D.Anxiety and Depression Therapy ServicesWashington DC

This is, perhaps, one of the best books I have read about the use and benefits of reflective practices, aka meditation. Siegel describes a practice that he has developed, called The Wheel of Awareness. He teaches the reader on how to do this practice and then most of the books talks about the benefits of such a practice. He proposed a very interesting theory of how our minds work, (the 3P model) which I find very useful and interesting as a mental health practitioner and just as a person. Also, while Siegel isn't afraid of talking about spirituality, this is a book about meditation that isn't about spirituality or religion, and that is nice in and of itself.

I would hesitate to recommend this book to most folks frequenting a library, unless they have a medical or scientific background. There are many paths to learning meditation and related practices nowadays, (ex. mindfulness, awareness, empathy, etc.). The benefits are increasingly recognized in our popular culture. Today you can find guidance on web sites, blogs, books, You Tube, or you can consult an expert in person. Where you seek guidance depends on the type of meditation you are inclined toward practicing (relaxation, mindfulness, dealing with pain, etc.) the length of time you plan to spend on it, frequency of sessions, and how deep you want to go.Author Siegel shares his experiences using much detail and he’s developed a Wheel of Awareness, which may be a little complicated for the uninitiated and the general public. This book uses language frequently seen in academic literature, but can be easily understood by those who want to learn.For medical professionals who want step-by-step, in-depth guidance, and readers who simply want to learn more about how our brain operates and can potentially support us, (as it does every day without our realizing it), it’s quite on target. His guidance on the use of empathy with patients is reassuring and helpful as he acknowledges the potential for becoming burnt out. His chapter describing how to reflect on kind and compassionate intention to benefit others is exceptional. He instructs on ‘integration in the brain’ in many contexts to show how our brains stimulate and support us. He’s one of those unique individuals who is willing to share his extensive medical knowledge and clinical experience and who can apply it to real-life situations. He’s done us a favor.

I found Dan Siegal's book Aware through a podcast. What a lucky day that was!! I don't say that lightly as it has literally given me a new perspective on how to go about living your life and forced me to write me first book review. As a voracious reader of non-fiction books, avid meditator and an overall joyous person this book is that wrapper which ties everything together.What's surprising is that I was mostly aware of the things discussed in the book, but the way Mr. Dan Siegal brings it all together is phenomenal (with a caveat that he goes off on tangents, sometimes writes in a circular way and demands multiple readings). This book can change lives if truly absorbed.This book has grabbed/consumed me solid for the past 2 months – as I had to watch a lot of Dan’s videos to literally absorb his takeaways. The book is a paradox in the sense is that it gives you the ammunition to solve all your deepest human problems but the ways to go about is simple and mostly experiential.The visuals in the book – 3P framework, wheel of awareness, pillars of mind training, hand model of brain, diagram which brings it all together from neural, wheel, 3P, common vernacular are simple, elegant and makes the learning go deeper.Even though I rate the book very highly it’s only because I invested a lot of time in it to truly experience it. I will be hesitant to recommend it to a casual reader. This book can be a big bore of tedium or its weight in gold – depending on the audience consuming it.

Great

I always encouraged my children to become the best version of themselves. The author’s asking us to imagine ourselves candles is brings it home.

Good quality Love this book thought provoking

Hab es sehr genossen zu lesen

ho letto ''altered traits''. ottimo testo per la meditazione. questo invece si arrampica un po' troppo sui vetri, qualche buona idea si ma sotto le aspettative.

Like most self-help books, this one is 5% content and 95% filler. Verbose and extremely repetitive. You have to fill all those pages. The basic message isn't one I found useful, but maybe some people would.