Mindful and Intentional Living

About the Book

First, we stop the pain, then we grow the joy. Mindful and Intentional Living offers a fresh, intimate, and scientifically supported perspective on using mindfulness, compassion, and conscious intention to align our heart, mind, and body with our deepest values and intentions, creating a meaningful life we love. From stress and anxiety to inner peace, from chaos and scattered thinking to grounded personal clarity and direction, and from being caught in emotional reactivity to freedom to choose our responses, Saccato guides us with great care to “stop the pain and grow the joy.” Drawing on the foundations of mindfulness and Saccato’s mindfulness-based coaching programs and courses, the reader is lovingly shepherded on a path through life’s inevitable difficulties to a clear, meaningful vision, intention, and commitment. This book is a road map designed to help the reader • reduce stress and stress-related illnesses; • reduce anxiety and depressive episodes; • grow compassionate and loving relationships; • gain personal clarity of chosen beliefs and values; • build a steady and inclusive mindfulness practice; • heal pains of the past with self-love and active forgiveness; • explore the science behind the success of mindfulness, compassion, and happiness practices; and • take actionable steps to define, commit to, and affirm a path to more inspired joy and happiness.

About the Author

JoAnn Saccato, MA is a mindfulness teacher, life-coach, author, inspirational speaker, educator and consultant living in the forests of Northern California. She is the author of Companioning the Sacred Journey: A Guide to Creating a Compassionate Container for Your Spiritual Practice (2013) and Mindful and Intentional Living: A Path to Peace, Clarity and Freedom (2018). For ten years, JoAnn resided remotely in a 16x16 foot cabin, accessible by foot only, in voluntary simplicity—off grid without running water or indoor plumbing. With her canine companion, Shyla, by her side, she re-entered higher education, earning a Bachelors (Liberal Studies) and Masters degree (Co-creating Sustainable Futures). Known as Awakened Presence of the Heart (Zen) and Joyful Deathless White Tara (Tibetan) in the Buddhist tradition, Saccato is an avid traveler, hiker, photographer and lover of animals. She traveled solo on pilgrimage to India, sat retreat in the Thai Forest Buddhist tradition in Thailand, and hiked the Incan Trail to Machu Picchu. Saccato was the founding inspiration of California's first cooperatively owned online local food distribution system, Lake Co-op. With over 25 years of mindfulness practice, she speaks and consults regularly on mindfulness, compassion, and disaster resiliency.