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A practical guide to experiencing natural awareness--an effortless and spacious state of resting in the depth or our being.

Do you recall, as a child, being enthralled by a drifting cloud, a rain-soaked leaf, a wandering ladybug? Or suddenly having a sense of timelessness, contentment, and ease? If so, then you've already had a taste of natural awareness.

Known and revered in many traditions as a complement to focused mindfulness training, natural awareness transcends even these wondrous childhood moments. Some describe it as a profound awareness of awareness--an effortless, boundless state of resting in the depth of our being.

For those new to meditation and experienced meditators alike, these 72 mini-chapters guide you on an in-depth odyssey into natural awareness, illuminated by many simple and enjoyable insights and exercises. The Little Book of Being invites you to explore: The spectrum of awareness practices, from focused mindfulness to flexible mindfulness to natural awareness
- How classical mindfulness and effortless natural awareness enrich and shape each other, and how to practice both
- Three ways to move into natural awareness--relaxing effort, broadening awareness, and dropping objects
- A treasury of glimpse practices to spark natural awareness anytime, in just a few moments
- How to bring this way of simply being into your daily life, into your connection with others, and into the world
At first natural awareness may seem far away, just a whisper, but then it will begin to grow and expand and permeate aspects of living. Over time we may feel more peace, more connection to ourselves. We may find ourselves taking life a bit more lightly. We may feel a sense of relaxed 'beingness' throughout the day, and when we do get caught in our dramas, we may find ourselves moving out of them quicker than we imagined we could. --Diana Winston

Diana Winstonis the director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA Semel Institute's Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC) and the coauthor, with Dr. Susan Smalley, ofFully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness(DaCapo, 2010). She is a well-known teacher and speaker who brings mindful awareness practices to the general public to promote health and well-being. Called by theLA Times"one of the nation's best-known teachers of mindfulness," she has taught mindfulness since 1993 in a variety of settings, including hospitals, universities, corporations, nonprofits, schools in the US and Asia, and online. She developed the evidence-based Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPS) curriculum and the Training in Mindfulness Facilitation, which trains mindfulness teachers worldwide.

Her work has been mentioned or she has been quoted in theNew York Times;O, The Oprah Magazine; Newsweek;theLos Angeles Times;Allure; Women's Health; and in a variety of magazines, books, and journals.She is also the author ofWide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens(Perigee Books, 2003) and the audio program Mindful Meditations, andhas published numerous articles on mindfulness.Diana is a member of the Teacher's Council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Northern California. She has been practicing mindfulness meditation since 1989, including a year as a Buddhist nun in Burma. Currently, Diana's most challenging and rewarding practice involves trying to mindfully parent an eight-year-old. She lives in Los Angeles.

For more information, visit dianawinston.com andmarc.ucla.edu.