Synopsis
Just Bee is revolutionary in its ability to teach mindfulness to people of all ages. In such a simple book with so few pages and words, there is a depth of insight and wisdom that helps elevate any reader. From a three-year-old who simply enjoys looking at animals and fire engines to the parent reading the book to their eight-year-old, all will benefit. Just Bee was written by Nick Neild, a mindfulness and emotional intelligence instructor who began meditating in 2011. It was illustrated by Christoph Neger who also has been practicing mindfulness since 2013. The author, illustrator and editor are all experienced practitioners and infused the book with all the love they could muster.
Just Bee is a great way to introduce young children to the basics of practicing mindfulness. On many pages it invites the reader to breathe in and breathe out so that reading the book becomes a meditation and the reader begins to meditate even on their first read! It also helps increase emotional intelligence by showing that feelings are often the reaction to a perception and that if perceptions change, then the emotional landscape does too. Lastly, Just Bee explores one of the main misconceptions about the practice of mindfulness which is that perceiving a "distraction" is somehow a failure of meditation. In the book, a helpful wise bee shows the main character Charlie that distractions are simply things that happen in the present moment while trying to focus. Nothing more and nothing less. The book depicts these "distractions" as joyfully simple occurrences and that making ourselves angry in reaction to them is really optional. Instead the wise bee helps Charlie to shift her mindful awareness to each "distraction" one at a time so that she can release the space they occupy in her mind. It's wonderfully insightful, helpful, simple and profound.
About the Authors
Nick Neild was born in Poway, CA (USA) in 1983. He grew up not knowing how to cope with his internal landscape and fell into drug addiction when he was 16. By the time he was 19 he had already hit bottom, got into a 12 step program and began turning his life around. Since then, he hasn't needed to use any substances to cope with his emotional landscape. Thanks to all the support he gained in recovery, he went back to school, began working as a scientist and graduated from UCSD at the top of his class in the major of microbiology. After working in science for a number of years, he began recovery and wellness coaching while also teaching mindfulness to addicts in rehab. He later taught substance abuse education as well as anger management to parolees. He has since become an author, a publisher, a husband and a father. He recently founded themindfulnesscenters.com and Zen Activist Press (zenactivist.com). In 2013 he helped to co-found an intentional community of young mindfulness practitioners. The community lasted for 5 years until he had his son and moved away. However, the experiences he had living in that community gave him a solid foundation of practice. His sole mission in life is to wake up to life and to help everyone to do so too. What he wants most of all is to continue to use meditation to free himself from the shackles of the mind and to help others to learn how to do the same. He deeply feels that if our civilization is to grow, we must evolve ethically and morally. His heart is pure. He's kind, considerate, caring, loving, supportive and compassionate.
Christoph Neger is from Graz, Austria, and currently lives in Los Tuxlas, Mexico, working on a forest conservation project called The Forest of Interbeing or "Selva del Interser". He began practicing mindfulness in 2013 and has loved illustrating since he was a child. In Just Bee, you can see how his meditation practice is infused with every curve and every stroke of color.
Before launching her own company, Gina Tang helped establish a groundbreaking integrated student wellness center on the campus of University of California, San Diego. Gina served as lead content writer and marketing coordinator, producing hundreds of blog articles, weekly newsletters, and an online magazine. Most importantly, however, she watched as the power of words drew people in through the door, where quality programs and services transformed lives. With 16 years in the wellness field and over a decade of professional content creation and management, she's hanging hats and planting seeds--merging her talents with other passionate change-makers who value social justice and regeneration. For more information see: regenerativewritinginstitute.com/our-team.html & brightercopywriter.com & thesoularpowersystem.com & motherhoodexpress.org & ginatang.com
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