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49th out of 61 books
—
30 voters
Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation
by
Sharon Salzberg (Goodreads Author)
Thousands of years prove it, and Western science backs it: Meditation sharpens focus. Meditation lowers blood pressure, relieves chronic pain, reduces stress. Meditation helps us experience greater calm. Meditation connects us to our inner-most feelings and challenges our habits of self-judgment. Meditation helps protect the brain against aging and improves our c...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
December 29th 2010
by Workman Publishing Company
(first published January 1st 1997)
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I love Sharon. I love the way she teaches. I love the way she writes. She's one of America's best loved Buddhist teachers, and definitely one of mine. Real Happiness makes meditation so accessible for the beginner, and sparks new interest for the experienced. I'm so grateful to be reading it along with other participants in the 28 Day Meditation Challenge.
Insight meditation, the particular tradition of meditation practice that Salzberg enjoins, takes a decidedly non-theistic approach to meditation, with the primary purposes being to live more fully in each present moment with full awareness, and gaining the skills to recognize, accept, and investigate the phenomena that arise in our bodies and minds. Through non-judgmental awareness, we are better better able to live mindfully. We are freed from the tyranny of conditioned, reflexive responses whe...more
Mar 16, 2012
Maureen Kennedy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Meditation Novices
Recommended to Maureen by:
The Author
Shelves:
healthy-mind
I bought this book (Kindle version) as a accompanying text to Sharon Salzberg's on-line 28-Day Meditation Challenge.
First, Sharon is great at describing what meditation is, and that the act of meditation is a practice: you are not striving for perfection, just progression - very comforting.
However:
1) As an accompanying test, I was hoping for a more structured day-to-day guide. Instead, the book is divided into four weekly sections with suggestions on frequency and specific "how-to" instructions....more
First, Sharon is great at describing what meditation is, and that the act of meditation is a practice: you are not striving for perfection, just progression - very comforting.
However:
1) As an accompanying test, I was hoping for a more structured day-to-day guide. Instead, the book is divided into four weekly sections with suggestions on frequency and specific "how-to" instructions....more
I found Sharon Salzberg's "Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation" book very easy to understand and apply. I purchased the book because I wanted to learn more about meditation and begin a meditation practice. The book is set up to read in a weekly format as you build on your knowledge and apply the approaches in your practice. The book includes a companion CD that you can listen to for guided meditations. Sharon shares examples throughout the book with personal anecdotes to make meditation acce...more
At the suggestion of both my primary care physician and my acupuncturist, I'm going to give this whole meditation thing a try.
I liked this book. It's a very easy read and it sticks to a fairly secular view of meditation, even though it's pretty clear the author has some Buddhist influences. I appreciated that, that it's a straightforward introduction to the practice of meditation without trying to impose any particular spiritual worldview (though Buddhism is probably the closest to my own). The...more
I liked this book. It's a very easy read and it sticks to a fairly secular view of meditation, even though it's pretty clear the author has some Buddhist influences. I appreciated that, that it's a straightforward introduction to the practice of meditation without trying to impose any particular spiritual worldview (though Buddhism is probably the closest to my own). The...more
I picked up this book after doing Loving Kindness and meditation for a number of years. Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation- A 28 Day program is an amazing book that is appropriate for both the beginner and for tose who have been practising meditation for many years. Sharon Slazman provides an easy to read book defining the "nuts and bolts" of meditation. She wonderfully describes the greater concentration, happiness and awarenesds as being only a few of the benefits of practising meditation...more
"Real Happiness depends on what we do with our attention."
"The act of beginning again is the essential act of the meditation practice."
"If you have to let go of distractions and begin again thousands of times, fine. That's not a roadblock to the practice - that is the practice. That's life: starting over, one breathe at a time."
Sharon Salzberg has a way of teaching, as if taking a walk in nature with a dear friend, side by side; very gentle, compassionate, clear, simple.
In this book she leads y...more
"The act of beginning again is the essential act of the meditation practice."
"If you have to let go of distractions and begin again thousands of times, fine. That's not a roadblock to the practice - that is the practice. That's life: starting over, one breathe at a time."
Sharon Salzberg has a way of teaching, as if taking a walk in nature with a dear friend, side by side; very gentle, compassionate, clear, simple.
In this book she leads y...more
This is probably my 6th or 7th book on mindfulness and this is among my favorites so far. All are pretty good - I'm really liking Ronald Siegel' Mindfulness Solutions.
Like many books, written and recorded of this genre, the wisdom is communicated through explanation, metaphor, thought exercises, homework and guided meditations. Mindful practice as it seems to exist in the west is a bit like ballet - there are the basic positions -- in this case assumptions, practices, organizing principles from...more
Like many books, written and recorded of this genre, the wisdom is communicated through explanation, metaphor, thought exercises, homework and guided meditations. Mindful practice as it seems to exist in the west is a bit like ballet - there are the basic positions -- in this case assumptions, practices, organizing principles from...more
Cheap this month on Amazon Kindle!
http://www.amazon.com/Real-Happiness-...
"And in a study published in 2010, Lazar and her tam scanned the brains of volunteers before and after they received eight weeks of training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reductions (MBSR) a popular combination of mediation and yoga designed to alleviate stress in patients with health problems. The new mediators showed measurable changes in two important brain areas_ growth in the hippocampus, a a part of the brain involved...more
http://www.amazon.com/Real-Happiness-...
"And in a study published in 2010, Lazar and her tam scanned the brains of volunteers before and after they received eight weeks of training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reductions (MBSR) a popular combination of mediation and yoga designed to alleviate stress in patients with health problems. The new mediators showed measurable changes in two important brain areas_ growth in the hippocampus, a a part of the brain involved...more
This is a solid introduction to meditation. The author is an American Buddhist but does not proselytize, so the book is accessible to anyone curious about this powerful practice. The book comes with a CD that has spoken vignettes by the author that expand upon points in the book, which I found unnecessasry, and short, guided meditations for each of the types of meditation she covers (mindfulness, lovingkindess, walking, etc.), which I found very helpful when trying a new technique. I recommend i...more
My usual western world guru for Buddhist meditation is Sylvia Boorsch. I have read several essays by Salzberg that were smart, resonant,poignant and have now read this intro and prep for meditation three times. I try to pick up a thread to practising regular meditation...28 days seems like a nice program for getting back to basics. Easy reading, sensible, lightly spiritual - and mostly about quiet reflective use of energy so you are more prepared for the wacky world all around.
Ms. Salzberg has a big heart and is devoted to promoting lovingkindness (a term she coined) in the world. Her 28-day course for increasing compassionate awareness and our sense of wholeness. This book is a genuine offering from the heart of the author about the inner life and what real love is.
I plan on taking some of her meditation exercises into practical life action.
Well done.
I plan on taking some of her meditation exercises into practical life action.
Well done.
In my shoddily constructed pursuit of meditation, so full as it has been of nagging stops and starts, only Sharon Salzberg's teachings have sunk in well enough for me to begin to build something more solid. The right combination of advice and analogies, offered in straightforward prose and free of dogma, has made her book, for me, a grounded motivation to practice every day.
Very, very basic which is fine for beginners, but I had expected something deeper. My issue, however, was not with the lack of depth, but the lack of a "28-day program" which was touted on the cover. I expect beginning meditators will like this book -- if they want to develop a meditation practice over a 4-week period and not with 28 day-to-day guidelines/suggestions.
A perfect primer for anyone who is interested in improving their physical and emotional health through meditation. It is essentially a four-week course in which you learn several core practices and the concepts behind them. It comes with a helpful cd with brief instruction and guided meditations. Even the non-beginner may discover helpful tidbits.
In an attempt to reconnect to my spiritual self I picked up this book. Interestingly, I learned that meditation has some major health benefits besides stimulating your mind. Salzberg backs up her ideas with scientific studies. This totally changed my view of meditation and how I can use it in my life. Her gentle and versatile approach made it very accessible. Where before I only thought of sitting Yoga style for hours I have learned how to steal moments of awareness that keep me centered.
A VERY user-friendly guide on how to start & a maintain a consistent meditation. Salzberg is so great at offering alternatives and a variety of ways to still the mind and sit (or walk) with intention & compassion. Highly recommended for beginners; but advanced students will also find her honesty and authenticity (and all of the easy-how-to's) as a nice reminder & refresher.
I got this from the library and am no going to look into buying it. I really like Salzberg's way of writing. The whole concept of meditation was kind of daunting to me until I read this book. Now I understand the meaning of the word "practice" in any form of mind/body connection exercise.
I heard about the 28 day meditation challenge for the againstthestream twitter, so I got this from the library to fuel my efforts. Good book for beginners. Lots of instruction breath meditation and on alternate types of meditation- walking, hearing, letting-go-of-thought, mini-meditations, body scan, body sensation, drinking tea, emotions, calling up difficult emotions, positive emotions, thinking, lovingkindness, seeing the good, quieting the inner critic... It's overdue from the library but I...more
A concise and clear introducton to meditation. Ms. Salzberg writes in a very accessible way, presenting the information in a methodical order to help meditation newbies ease into the practice. Starting with "What Is Meditation?" and "Why Meditate?" to lay the groundwork, she progresses through "Concentration," "Mindfulness and the Body," "Mindfulness and Emotions," and finally, "Lovingkindness," expanding the practice each week of the four-week program.
I found the FAQs at the end of each section...more
I found the FAQs at the end of each section...more
This is an excellent book for those interested in beginning to meditate.
There are many sample meditations and my copy came with a CD that talked you through the meditation.
It also included Q&A's and a practice preview and review. Very comprehensive.
There are many sample meditations and my copy came with a CD that talked you through the meditation.
It also included Q&A's and a practice preview and review. Very comprehensive.
A four-week program to start meditating or renew an existing practice. I loved the book. It was written in a clear, simple style with very real instructions for making mindfulness part of daily life. Loved the book and the accompanying CD. What a bargain!
Sharon makes meditation easy and attainable. As someone who finds it amazingly difficult to sit still, this book really helped me settle in. My meditation practice has gotten stronger, and as a result I feel calmer, more focused, and more peaceful.
FINALLY, I have found THE go-to book to recommend to people interested in meditating. This is a very accessible, straightforward how-to, with the added bonus of the cd with guided meditations. It's everything one needs, all in one package. Joy!
I highly recommend for anyone who is interested in meditation - this book lays out the basics in a very clear and concise way while also being engaging. Experienced meditaters will find nuggets of wisdom, but this book really is for beginners.
Sharon Salzberg’s new book, Real Happiness, shows us that meditation practice is far simpler, more fun, less esoteric and much more relevant to the wide-ranging situations we encounter in everyday life than we might imagine.
Great for a beginner who has never done mediation in the past. Good examples with the author as a narrator on the audio version. Hearing her read the pace was helpful once the samples began. Getting to that point took some patience.
Straightforward plan for starting a meditation practice. I especially liked the discussion of the medical benefits of meditation. I haven't used the CD much but it seems like it would be a nice bonus for people who like to learn aurally.
I admit to only skimming this book. I'm sure it is wonderful in its own way, but seems to be a very basic primer aimed at a general audience. I know the Buddha would ask me to have a "beginner's mind", and I hope to come back to this book someday, but for now I was a bit disappointed it wasn't a lttle meatier.
A really hands-on-not-too-much dharma-talk look at how and why to make meditation a part of your daily practice. And for those audio-learners, it comes with a CD.
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One of America’s leading spiritual teachers and authors, Sharon Salzberg is cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts. She has played a crucial role in bringing Asian meditation practices to the West. The ancient Buddhist practices of vipassana (mindfulness) and metta (lovingkindness) are the foundations of her work.
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“It is never too late to turn on the light. Your ability to break an unhealthy habit or turn off an old tape doesn't depend on how long it has been running; a shift in perspective doesn't depend on how long you've held on to the old view.
When you flip the switch in that attic, it doesn't matter whether its been dark for ten minutes, ten years or ten decades.
The light still illuminates the room and banishes the murkiness, letting you see the things you couldn't see before.
Its never too late to take a moment to look.”
—
46 people liked it
When you flip the switch in that attic, it doesn't matter whether its been dark for ten minutes, ten years or ten decades.
The light still illuminates the room and banishes the murkiness, letting you see the things you couldn't see before.
Its never too late to take a moment to look.”
“Mindfulness helps us get better at seeing the difference between what’s happening and the stories we tell ourselves about what’s happening, stories that get in the way of direct experience. Often such stories treat a fleeting state of mind as if it were our entire and permanent self.”
—
29 people liked it
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Dec 09, 2012 05:23am