I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Author James Teed explains in “Mind Your Steps: A Thought Walk Meditation Practice” how to shed negative unconscious thoughts and bring humor and happiness into one’s life.

The Synopsis

Buddha said every movement begins with a thought. If so, then each step you take begins and ends with a thought, which means by walking you are going from one thought to another thought. What’s going on between the thoughts?

Buddhism has a mindfulness practice known as walking meditation. While walking and trying to remain mindful of each step (thought), you discover you have a dramatic soap opera of unhelpful extraneous internal messed-up conversations going on with yourself, with others, and with the universe. These intrude upon your peace of mind and derail your mindful attention to your steps (life).

Mind Your Steps shows you how to call them out of your unconscious mind and gives your the tools to neutralize them by labeling them while acknowledging their presence or self-administering CT and CBT approaches to challenge or correct them before replacing them back into your unconscious mind and walking on, thereby harnessing the power of your unconscious to improve your daily life. Mind Your Steps presents an easily applied self-help approach to anxiety, depression, and other forms of mental and emotional discomfort.

Regular 40-minute practice of this surprisingly simple manual stops self-sabotage and introduces humor and happiness into your life.

The Review

This was a compelling nonfiction read on meditation and the power of walking. The average reader can ascertain the physical benefits of walking, but the depth and detail the author goes into regarding the mental and psychological benefits, as well as the spiritual benefits, that walking can have on a person’s mind was so enthralling that it was easy to get lost in it. 

The fast pace of the book and the educational aspect of the book melded with the author’s background and experiences perfectly. The techniques the author describes in this particular meditation, from learning the “I Know” method of confronting negative thoughts to retraining your unconscious thoughts to become more beneficial and less detrimental by utilizing the spaces between thoughts in much the same way thoughts are dealt with in between steps in a walk; the author gives readers a fresh new perspective on mental health and meditation as a whole.

The Verdict

An insightful, engaging, and memorable book, author James Steed’s “Mind Your Steps” is a must-read nonfiction book on mental health, meditation, and the balance between spirituality and psychology. The use and practice that the author gives readers to be able to learn these techniques will have readers returning to this guide time and time again. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

James Steed is an author, professor, editor of medical and scientific research, designer, and human potential consultant. He holds advanced degrees in Art Education, Chinese, and Language Education as well as multiple certificates in neurolinguistic programming, intuitive and Ericksonian hypnotherapy, and insight meditation. Having helped clients and students overcome their obstacles and reach their goals for more than 30 years, he is now semi-retired and devoted to helping the world by publishing books on various topics and uploading audio programs that benefit humankind on Insight Timer and other platforms as well as his pages: zen-x com tw and thesilentmutiny com. His hobbies include permaculture, food forest farming, and advocating for social, economic, and environmental justice.