Since the beginning of the 21st century, mindfulness meditation has attained such popularity in the Occident that some now call it the "secular religion of the West." Albeit mindfulness has its spiritual roots and many modern orientations appropriate it in their rituals, the way it is practiced in Western countries does not presume religiosity in any way.

Thanks in principal to the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, the former Buddhist meditation technique has been decontextualized of its religious connotations, while its effectiveness has been demonstrated in scientific studies.

Today, mindfulness is used in order to improve and maintain mental health, to treat psychological issues such as depression or substance abuse, but also to enhance concentration and mental clarity, to better one's ability to relate to others and to the self with compassion and kindness and to fight off the noxious effects on stress on the body. Most importantly, mindfulness can help you reconnect with both your mind and your body, observe how they affect you and diminish that effect when it impacts your life in a negative fashion.

Still, if mindfulness is so popular, how is this book any different?

This book presents you with a mindfulness challenge that spans over 30 days and that requires you to perform one or several mindfulness activities each day. Overall, you won't need more than 30 spare minutes every day, while the benefits will make themselves felt in only two weeks.

Every day's new exercise described in this mindfulness book will be accompanied by a description of how you should perform it correctly. You will begin with basic meditation techniques that require your focus for very brief amounts of time, and you will transition to more complex activities as you complete more of the programme.

In addition, when designing this 30-day mindfulness challenge, we bore in mind the fact that a great number of people either do not have enough time to incorporate mindfulness into their schedules or feel as if they do not have enough time. If this is also your case, do not worry! The book is riddled with opportunities to be mindful and to practice meditation in the most unexpected of situations. Whether you're at work, at home, on the bus, running errands or doing chores, and even when you're brushing your teeth, there is an opportunity to practice mindfulness. For a minimum of effort, mindfulness meditation will reward you with a transformation that will last a lifetime.

This guide will show you how.