Book Review: Peace is Every Step – The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

In my endeavor to live more consciously, I am opening myself up to new ways to be more mindful and peaceful.  For many this is an easy task, but not so for me, especially since I come from a religious background steeped in controversy, misunderstanding and rigid doctrines…and I’m a bit of an OCD workaholic.

Recently though, I have found that attempting to navigate the wavy patterns of my mind is a two person job and so I have sought the advice and experience of a trained professional who also happens to be a very dear friend.  Upon my first visit to her office while waiting in the reception area, a small book with a serene dandelion on the cover caught my attention.  Peace is Every Step – The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life is a compilation of lectures and writings of Thich Nhat Hanh.  It is a guidebook teaching mindfulness of breathing and awareness demonstrating how we can perform small acts in our daily lives to achieve inner peace.

Due to my upbringing I’m usually quite skeptical of such things, this time however I was drawn to reach for the book.  After reading just the first few pages I felt connected.  And just like a good therapist should, my dear friend suggested that I borrow it, yay!

Peace is Every Step is a book of reminders. In the rush of modern life, we tend to lose touch with the peace that is available in each moment.

I’m making an effort to read a passage each morning before starting my day. I thought this would be very difficult for me since I’m usually so excited and pumped to get my day started working on Modern Hippie Mag.  However, I found that doing the simple breathing exercise outlined in the first passage actually helps me to be more attentive and calm as I begin my day.  Just after the first day even, I felt like my mind had taken a brief vacation. Even now, just reflecting on this feeling of serenity brings a smile to my face.

I’m finding also that reflecting on my breath and being more mindful is helping me deal with stress.  I’ve yet to discover exactly why I do this, but I tend to bottle up feelings of stress that often manifests itself as the ‘silent treatment’ to those dearest to me.  Yet, recently when I felt this happening I took a moment to focus on my new breathing technique and before I knew it I was smiling, albeit trying to hide it…silly I know.

It is not my intention to insinuate that this little book will cure all your ails, and it may be that my new little exercise may not always do the trick.  But for the times that it does, it will be well worth it.

Jaszy McAllister

Jaszy McAllister is the woman behind the curtain of Modern Hippie Mag. She is a self-taught jewelry designer featuring her eco-conscious jewelry designs at www.Jaszy.com and several Sarasota, FL boutiques. She is also an A+ Blogger for WQ Mag Online and a Green Guru for TheGreenGirls.com. Find her on Twitter, @msjaszy. Read more articles by Jaszy.