I've tried getting into meditation several times in the past. Every time, it ends with me giving up. My reasoning might have been -
- this is too weird.
- I'm too busy and this is taking too long.
- There's no way I can silence my mind. We're both chatter boxes.
- Zzzzzzzzz. (Yeah, I'm off to sleep in seconds)
So it's been a long time since I seriously considered it again. And I have to admit, when "Just Sit - A Meditation Guidebook For People Who Know They Should But Don't" arrived for review, I looked at it with suspicion. Maybe even fear and loathing. I knew it was just going to be another exercise in which I ended up not only failing to "get it," but feeling rather inadequate because, after all, everyone else seems to be able to do it.
Even the cover was foreboding. There it was, along with the title. The figure of the person in the perfect meditation pose. The same one that never worked for me before. So it was with trepidation that I peeked inside. I was, however, pleasantly surprised to find that this really was meditation made simple.
Just Sit - Meditation Made Simple
My first experience with meditation was through an old book called "Creative Visualization" written decades ago. No offense to the author, but that book set the groundwork for future resistance to meditating. Whatever that book was, "Just Sit" isn't.
" Just Sit," authored by Sukey and Elizabeth Novogratz, is a beautifully done guidebook on meditation, as they promise in the title. But it's written in plain and simple English, with the voice of a caring and angelic teacher who has nothing but your best interests at heart. No ego, nothing to prove, just a sincere desire to impart gems of knowledge to help you become a better version of you.
Needless to say, if you've been thinking about meditation again, or for the first time, there is absolutely no doubt that this is the book you should get. Full of entertaining and effective illustrations, it melts away all resistance because of its simple sincerity. Yet has all the depth you could want.
Here's a couple of insights from the book.
Meditation Made Simple - Why You Should Meditate
The authors give you plenty of reasons to get started with regular meditation. They include -
- Anxiety Killer. In today's world, who couldn't use a little of that?
- Inner Cheerleader. Think of it as your cup of coffee without the caffeine. And it doesn't cost six dollars a cup, either.
- Medicine Man. The positive effects of meditating include better health to many if not all of your essential organs.
- Therapist. Who has your answers? You. Or you can pay your shrink $150 an hour to help you hear your own voice of truth.
- Sandman. Learning to turn off that busy conversation going on in your head will make it much easier to get to sleep.
There's tons more for you to learn from "Just Sit." And you're going to actually enjoy it. Imagine that. So do yourself a favor, and just buy it.
I'm a serial entrepreneur, with a resume that makes me look like a Jane of all trades. Pretty sure we are all reluctant Messiahs, travelling through life planting seeds where ever we can. Hopefully, most of mine have been good ones! MA from Miami University (Ohio, not Florida), BA from Cal State.
