Included with the book is access to unique guided meditations.
‘Social Mindfulness’ explains how we create a sense of self in relationship to others. Mindfulness practice enables us to diffuse the sense of a separate self and work with others in the service of collective interests.
The book acts as a support to Mindfulness-Based Organisational Education (MBOE) as well as explaining the theory that underpins ‘social mindfulness’. The book may also be used as a self-study guide.
“From the first sentence this book is beautifully and succinctly written; there is not one superfluous word! It clearly explains what social mindfulness is and how it differs from the individual mindfulness most of us are familiar with. As a behavioural scientist, sociology lecturer and mindfulness teacher, I love the marriage of sociology, anthropology, social psychology and mindfulness here.
The message is we can all be agents of social change by becoming aware of our self-narratives and waking up to the often unconscious biases shaping our behaviours. We could then choose to cooperate rather than compete and relate to each other in healthier ways.
The MBOE course looks perfect for anyone interested in enriching the culture and wellbeing of their organisation and this will be ideal as the core text.”
“I read it in one sitting, totally absorbed and rather excited. I really appreciate the way you present it as a continuum all the way from the physiology of mind-body connection, through the mindfulness practices, to bringing mindfulness into the social domain.
It’s very clear and practical, it's delightful, it's authoritative and it’s short - what more could you ask for?”
From the back:
Are idealistic values naive and impractical?
Or is the belief that we are selfish beings who must compete to survive a toxic myth?
The prevailing narrative tells us that society provides the opportunity to improve our lot by developing skills that we sell for fair return in the marketplace. While we have succeeded in satisfying our material needs, many of us live unhappy, lonely lives. Mindfulness as self-help or therapy is effective at managing the stress of modern living, but this does not go to the root of the problem.
‘Social mindfulness’ is a new approach that applies mindfulness to understand the social causes of stress and empower change. Mindfulness-Based Organisational Education (MBOE) combines mindfulness with a sense of relatedness to break the illusion of the separate self. This book explains the workings of the human, embodied social mind and how social mindfulness gives us the power to change the way things work.
Mark Leonard has searched for a means to make meditation accessible to a mass audience since the early 2000s. He played a key role in establishing the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, opened in 2008, and then adapted Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for the workplace. The result of a series of innovations, Mindfulness-Based Organisational Education represents a new approach to fostering social leadership and systemic change.
“Social Mindfulness breaks new ground: relevant and poignant. These original concepts and practises are succinctly and clearly expressed. A major (and needed) contribution to today's mindfulness movement.”