Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
Pages: Print 248
Release Date: May 22, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

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Disclaimer: This review is solely my opinion. I was provided a copy of this book from Penguin Kids and Penguin Young Readers partner in exchange for my honest review.  The comments in this review do not reflect the views of the author or the publisher. The copy used in this review is an uncorrected copy from the publisher, some quotes may have been changed prior to publishing.

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Book Description

Don’t just do something, be here.

The key to happiness is being able to find comfort in this moment, here and now. When you are completely present and not distracted by regrets, worries, and plans, even for a little while, you begin to feel more confident and can deal more easily with everything you experience. This is mindfulness: paying attention to this very moment, on purpose and without judgment–simply being present with curiosity.

This engaging guide, packed with simple exercises and endearing full-color artwork, provides a handy starting point for bringing mindfulness into your daily life. Chapters on meditation, yoga, and mindful breathing explain the benefits of these practices, and you are free to pick and choose what to try. There are quick exercises throughout, and a more extensive tool kit at the end of each chapter. The final chapter offers satisfying five-day challenges that map out ways to pull all of the book’s mindfulness techniques together in your day-to-day life.

With the appeal of a workbook or guided journal, and full of examples relevant to tweens and teens today, this book will be your trusted companion as you begin the valuable, stress-relieving work of being still with skill.

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Author

Mariam Gates has a master’s degree in education from Harvard University and has been teaching children for more than twenty years. The founder of Kid Power Yoga, she now devotes herself to training children and adults in yoga and mindfulness. She is the author of the picture books Meditate with Me, Good Night Yoga, and Good Morning Yoga. She lives with her husband, Rolf Gates, and their two children in Santa Cruz, California.

Illustrator

Libby VanderPloeg is an illustrator and designer living in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. She grew up in Grand Haven, Michigan, on the edge of the Great Lakes, and since then, she has lived in Grand Rapids, Chicago, New York, and Stockholm. She’s created book covers and editorial illustrations for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Design*Sponge, among others, and as well as a line of cards and prints that she sells via her Etsy shop and in stores.

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Final Thoughts

Overall this book is amazing! Imagine if you’re a teen and wanted to learn more ways to chill, this is your book. I honestly wish I had this when I was in school. This book is filled with a variety of calming techniques that discuss how to take care of your body. This is appropriate for all ages but it geared toward youth. It is important to understand all the dynamics associated with having a good mind and this book helps with that. It also has pictures and diagrams on how to do some of the exercises!

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Favorite Yoga Poses

• Downward Facing Dog
• Cobra
• Cat
• Warrior
• Resting Pose

Share with me what your favorite yoga poses are and what you do to relax! I like to take a deep breath and go for a walk when I feel the need to relax.

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