Meditation For Fidgety Skeptics
Ratings18
Average rating4
15
Ratings18
Average rating4
*As heard on the Tim Ferriss Show podcast* 'Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics is well researched, practical, and crammed with expert advice and it's also an irreverent, hilarious page-turner.' - Gretchen Rubin ABC News anchor Dan Harris used to think that meditation was for people who collect crystals, play the pan pipes, and use the word namaste without irony. After he had a panic attack on live television, he went on a strange journey that ultimately led him to become one of meditation's most vocal public proponents. Science suggests that meditation can lower blood pressure, mitigate depression and anxiety, and literally rewire key parts of the brain, among numerous other benefits. And yet there are millions of people who want to meditate but aren't actually practising. What's holding them back? In this guide to mindfulness and meditation for beginners and experienced meditators alike, Harris and his friend Jeff Warren, embark on a cross-country quest to tackle the myths, misconceptions, and self-deceptions that stop people from meditating. They rent a rock-star tour bus and travel across the US, talking to scores of would-be meditators, including parents, police officers, and even a few celebrities. They create a taxonomy of the most common issues ("I suck at this," "I don't have the time," etc.) and offer up science-based life hacks to help people overcome them. The book is filled with game-changing and deeply practical meditation instructions. Amid it all unspools the strange and hilarious story of what happens when a congenitally sarcastic, type-A journalist and a groovy Canadian mystic embark on an epic road trip into America's neurotic underbelly, as well as their own.
Reviews with the most likes.
This entire book could be reduced to half a page of instruction. The author thinks he is really charming and cutesy - quite annoyingly so. Also, completely gratuitous use of profanity.
If you liked Dan's first 10% Happier book, you'll probably like this one too.
If you haven't read Dan's first 10% Happier book, you should probably read that one first.
I took notes on this book, but I found myself skimming through the last third of it. I think the premise and the content are worthwhile, but something about the narrative delivery failed to sustain my interest.
Dan Harris shares more thoughts about meditation and its benefits in this second book in his 10% Happier series. This time he teams up with Jeff Warren, a master meditator, and Carlye Adler, a writer, and the result is a clever and thoughtful look at meditation, especially for those of us who tend to think meditation might be too much work.
I took furious notes as I read this book. Some of my favorites:
There are hindrances in meditation (and life):
Boredom/sleepiness
Desire (to do something, anything)
Aversion (fear, dislike anger)
Worry, anxiety, restlessness
Doubt
To deal with the hindrances, look at them as they appear. Name them. Examine them. Lean into what arises, without judgment.
I also loved the idea of Free-Range Meditation, the idea of using little minutes here and there to meditate.
The whole book is like having a personal meditation trainer, encouraging you, sharing troubles, sharing tips, helping you over the hard parts.
