Book Review: Real Happiness

"Accepting (if only for a moment) the fact of impermanence and continual change is acknowledging a big truth in a small way.  Learning to feel comfortable with our thoughts and feelings as they change is the first step in being more comfortable with life as it is, not as we wish it would be.  Mindfulness helps us make friends with the idea that nothing is permanent--not joy, not sorrow, not tedium." -Sharon Salzberg
 
This book was not on my summer wellness reading list, but it is a gem I just had to share.  I've been interested in meditation for quite awhile and try to meditate most days of the week.  I've read several books on meditation and even took an 8 week Mindfulness Based Stressed Reduction class (which I highly recommend doing!).  Every now and then I like to pick up a book on meditation to reignite my practice--to remind me of things I may have forgotten and to learn knew techniques and strategies for sitting and quieting my monkey mind.

In the book, Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation, Sharon Salzberg takes readers on a 28-day meditation program.  She begins by giving readers some background information on herself (she has been teaching meditation for 36 years!), explaining what meditation is and the reasons to adopt a meditation practice.  Beyond her introduction, the book is divided up into four sections--one section per week--looking at concentration, mindfulness and the body, mindfulness and emotions, and lovingkindness.  Not only does Salzberg provide written instructions in each section for various meditations, but the book also includes a CD with five different guided meditations.

Salzberg's writting style and tone were such a comfort to me.  Throughout the book, I felt like I had a dear friend guiding me through the process of meditation offering gentle reminders and suggestions.  Many times I wished the words on the page could be imprinted on my brain so that I could carry them with me in times of struggle.