A more scientific / theory approach to the practice rather than ways to mediate (though there a few in here). A connection to the brain when in meditation. Good to have this in addition to other meditation books.

I would not have minded if this book went a little more in-depth on the scientific side of things. That is kind of what I was expecting. I get the sense that the author (and/or editors) wanted to make this very accessible, but I think they went a little bit too far in the other direction and dumbed things down a bit too much. This felt more self-helpy than informative. I think that I was just not a huge fan of the author's writing style. I would have liked a little bit more in-depth advice on meditating and less convincing me that it is a good idea. For someone who is really new to the idea of meditation, this could be an interesting read, but for me it fell a bit flat. I wanted more scientific and practical info, less self-helpy feeling.

A quick, informative review of meditation just might be enough to motivate you to give the practice a try. However, for someone who prefers a more evidence-based summary of the science of mindfulness and mediation, you may be disappointed.

This is a book that tries to be everything for everyone and ends up short for everyone. Compared to the books by Goldman and Davidson, Shinzen Young, Robert Wright, Dan Siegel etc, this book provides no new information; in fact, its treatment is way too superficial. Despite some of the above authors published their work a decade or so ago, this book is not able to add any new insights (though has a chapter that catalogs the number of studies and papers being published).

For an absolutely new beginner, this book may serve as an OK introduction to meditation. It constantly reassures that meditation is secular (though almost all references and testimonials lean heavily, not surprisingly, on Buddhist traditions) and there is scientific basis for its impact. The author then provides quick chapters on three forms of meditation. The approach seems more of a scattershot method of finding what meditation works for one (and perhaps the author hopes the practitioner delves deeper into that method). Overall, a superficial take on the science of meditation, and an ok introduction to a few techniques.

This is an incredible and valuable resource for anyone wanting to learn more about meditation. It is full of incredible information and easy to implement strategies and ideas to live a more peaceful, happy, and full life. This is one I'll return to again and again. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.