Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics - A 10% Happier How-to Book

Interesting blend of meditation ideas and infomercial for the 10% Happier App. Definately not a hard-core selfhelp book about meditation, more of a chronicle of the author and team travelling promoting the app with interesting meditation pieces interspersed.

I received a digital ARC of this book from Spiegel & Grau (part of Random House) on NetGalley. I’m grateful to Spiegel & Grau for their generosity and am happy to post this honest review. All opinions are my own.

Stumbling Upon Meditation
Admittedly, in February when I received this book, I wasn’t searching for a book on meditation—I was scrolling through available books on NetGalley and 10% Happier caught my eye. I was going to be starting yoga teacher training shortly and anything that might give me ideas for theming a class or making a mind-body connection sounded appealing. I was also at a point in my own yoga practice where meditation sounded like a next step—the power yoga I do a CorePower is constantly pushing me physically; meditation would be the mental push that came next.

Set Up and Structure
Strictly speaking, 10% Happier isn’t really a How-To Book on meditation, but rather, it’s an engaging mash-up of memoir of a meditation road-trip with nonfiction explanations of how to address common roadblocks to meditation and demystifying the practice. Interspersed within this narrative are meditation vignettes that, as the book progressed, were surprisingly well-matched for the text. For example, when addressing the common stumbling block of not having time to really sit and meditate, one of the ways Harris and Warren come at this is by introducing the idea of moving meditations—meditations on the sense and feel of every-day activities, bringing mindfulness to the feel of a toothbrush on gums or water hitting skin in the shower. There then appears a meditation vignette on exactly this practice. For those feeling like they just need rest, not something in their head, there are practices for restful meditation and self-compassion meditation.

As I read, admittedly I skimmed the vignettes. Most of the time while reading, I wasn’t in a place—physically or mentally—to stop, drop, and meditate when a vignette came up. I also don’t know that I understand how it’s possible to meditate while simultaneously reading something. For me the vignettes were less guides to meditate, than an introduction to how that particular practice or focus would work in a meditation so I was familiar when I came back to it.

Book + App
Harris and Warren realize that reading and meditating probably doesn’t go hand-in-hand for many people and the idea of memorizing the “rules” of a meditation ahead of time so I can do it “right” later probably isn’t the point. There’s a 10% Happier app where all of the guided meditations that appear in the book can be found—however, there is a cost here. This app then begs the question of why the book is necessary. If you’re sold on meditation and just want samples to guide you through meditations of different kinds and lengths, you can probably skip the book and go to the app. The app, it should be noted, does cost $100 a year ($8.33 a month) and comes with a seven-day free trial. The book is obviously significantly cheaper, but without the benefit of the guided audio. (Full Disclosure: I’m not at a place where I’m pulling that $100 trigger; however, there are legitimate studies that show that imposing a “cost” on something can make it more likely that we use it—we’ve invested $100 into the practice and so we’re more likely to practice than if it were totally free. So, I’m not buying it today, but I’m not ruling it out.)

Heavy on the Normal, Light on the Woo-Woo
If, like me, you think meditation sounds like a good thing you should try tomorrow (and tomorrow and tomorrow), this is a book you may want to pick up. I appreciated the background and the “why” of each of the meditation options. 10% Happier isn’t just about selling you the benefits of meditation (several time Harris insists this is not the purpose of the book, though of course they come up) but rather about bringing meditation down to something that seems less hard and never-achievable, and more like something anyone can do at any time. Harris and Warren, while being a little woo-woo (particularly Warren, not really Harris), made meditation seem like a totally normal thing that, well, normal people do.

Indeed, Harris has rather interesting “cred” for an author of a book on meditation. As he makes clear on literally the first page, he once suffered a debilitating panic attack live on ABC’s Good Morning America during a time period when he was engaging in some “recreational” stimulating activities…namely cocaine and E to combat an undiagnosed mild depression. (Apparently this video is relatively easy to find on YouTube but I refrained because it seemed cruel to add to the view counts and, well, I actually have no desire to watch someone have a mental health emergency that people consider “entertainment.”) Meditation is how he restores his equilibrium now—both a cheaper and healthier practice than his previous recreational activities. (It is important to note that Harris also takes a respectful stance towards the benefits of meditation for mental health. He makes it clear that meditation can help depression and anxiety but never presents it as a cure for either—a line I think is critical to maintain.)

Harris is also a terrible poster-child for holier-than-thou, which normalized the practice. One of the takeaways of this book is that if Harris—a news anchor with a high stress job, perfectionist tendencies, and some anger issues—can keep meditating, then I certainly can. Throughout the text, Harris and Warren (who has diagnosed ADD) both talk about where they still have room to grow in their practices, where they still “mess up” or get stuck. 10% Happier isn’t a book about people who’ve already arrived, but rather a book of people somewhere in the middle of their journeys, turning around to offer a hand to the people just starting.

Recommended
If you’ve been vaguely interested in meditation but not sure where to start or if it can possibly fit into your lifestyle, 10% Happier is definitely a book worth picking up. The value in it for me was less the meditations (though I will come back to them), but rather the explanations of what meditation looks like in the real world and how accessible it truly is for different people with different capacities at different times. Right now, my boss is taking her first vacation where she is unreachable in about twenty years (not exaggerating). I’m stepping up to fill her shoes and it’s already feeling overwhelming after two days. I do not have the capacity to add a twenty-minute practice to my day because to do so would be sacrificing time when others need me at work, when my partner needs the 45 minutes of attention I can afford to give him right now, or the sleep I desperately need to keep this going for three weeks until my boss is back. And yet, Harris and Warren have a meditation for that. At a time when I think I can “afford” it least from my time, yet need it most, 10% Happier has introduced me to ways that this practice can work for me.

Notes
Published: December 26, 2017 by Spiegel & Grau (part of @RandomHouse)
Author: Dan Harris & Jeff Warren
Date read: July 7, 218
Rating: 3 ¾ stars

Wonderfully informative and humorous guide to Meditation.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics by Dan Harris and Jeff Warren. I chuckled at the Table of Contents and how accurate the section and chapter titles were when applied to human nature. Some of the headings are “I Don’t Have Time for This”, “If I Get Too Happy, I’ll Lose My Edge” and “People Might Think I’m Weird”. So great and opens up the path for humor in its pages. I was excited to discover the app that accompanies the instructional meditation given in this book. The commentary is full of humor and deals with thoughts that swirl through our minds as we try to relax and meditate. Short and easily doable meditations are introduced along with helpful, concise cheat sheets. I love the “RAIN”, “Walking Through Sound” and “Ten Good Breaths”! This quote captures the true essence of this practical and useful book, “Meditation is basically the end of boredom.” I was surprised and disturbed by the results of the study “Pandora’s Box” where people were left alone in a room with no stimulus, except a button that produced an electric shock. Many of the participants chose to give themselves electric shocks because of their discomfort of being quietly alone. Wonderfully informative instructional guide on meditation for anyone who wants to try but is skeptical of meditating, 5 stars!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book for voluntary review consideration.

I read Dan Harris' other book, 10% Happier, recently and was excited to get to this one right away. Of course, I had to wait a little bit because my library had a long queue for this book but I am excited to have finally read it. Like many of the people that Dan and his team talks to during the road trip that informed some of this book, I have been trying to form a meditation habit for a few years. But, unfortunately like also many people, I've had a lot of things stopping me, including not having time, not being sure it'll actually be good for me, and just not knowing where to start. I've tried a few apps in the past, but nothing stuck. Reading some of Dan's more realistic insights (the type for fidgety skeptics, such as myself) made me feel good about what has been holding me back and how to move forward. I'm definitely inspired and planning to try out the 10% Happier app and see if that'll make a difference for me. The best piece of advice he gave, though, was about giving myself a break and starting over if I break the habit. So maybe I'll do it for a week or two, and then stop, and then start again. He reminds us, over and over, that we need to just be able to start again. That's pretty good advice for everyone, isn't it? 

I felt like a lot of the meditations were exactly the same. Maybe that was the point but I just didn't get it. A lot of them were the exact same length and consisted of the exact same process. I wanted to learn more about meditating that I felt the book offered. It was more, I tried the following meditations with my celebrity friends and they worked for me or them. I just was looking for more.

I've been looking for some self-help meditation books that don't take themselves too seriously. This one fit the bill. I like the practical approach the authors offered. I usually listened to this on my way to and from work. It was a refreshing way to start and end my day, helping me get in the right mind set. I found that I was calmer and more in control of my feelings after listening to this. I haven't tried the exercises outlined in the book yet, but I plan to. If you haven't tried meditation and you're scared to do so because you think it's too "fantastical or whimsical" then give this one a try. No flowery words. Just practical stories and experiences, and step-by-step ways to improve your emotional landscape.

Essentially this book tells you to concentrate on your breathing or something else. When distractions come, either brush them aside or welcome them, depending on how important they seem. That's it. Now you don't have to waste your time and money reading the book.

So what else is in the book? Well, the basic advice is repeated a number of times, with slightly different flavors. And you get to hear a lot about Dan Harris, mostly his family and his past recreational drug use. The drug use in particular is also repeated quite a number of times; he must be very proud of it. Then there's a meditation bus tour, described with a lot of silly humor and vulgarities. The picture of sitting on a cushion "like you have a pickle up your ass" is one I'm trying to forget.

Three authors are mentioned on the book cover, but none of them seem to know much about grammar. Does anyone proofread anymore?

So you have a brief, well-intentioned message in a padded, silly, slapdash mess of a book. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Expected condensed practical advice after having read the previous "10% happier" book, which was more of an autobiography than a how-to book. But this book, too, is written around a story, except this time it's a "10% happier" tour across the country. This makes the book more fun to read, but also a bit less practical as the how-tos are randomly sprinkled throughout the book. The emphasis is on meditation sessions, rather than more general "mindfulness" exercises that might be more appealing to the fidgetiest of skeptics.

I was trying to meditate and I started thinking about this book and writing a review for this book. That interrupted my meditation so I gently returned to following my breath. Then back to the review. Now I'm writing the review. That is meditation. Dan Harris found out that's.ok. He took time to write his autobiography of this timeframe in his life when he discovered and delved into this thing called meditation. Dan is hardworking, skilled and accomplished but he is filled with self doubt and self loathing. He was honest in revealing that aspect of himself and I think it was that honesty in the book along with the skill and perseverance to write the book that make it worthwhile. After reading this book I found an app called Calm. That app actually helps and allows you to learn the Practice of Meditation. I invested in this book, I invested in Calm and I'm investing in the practice.... it's all good. Homo Sapien, Sapien. He thinks and he knows he's thinking. Meditation. He breathes and he knows he's breathing.

The benefits of meditation are indisputable. but integrating it into busy lives can be challenging. This book removes the mystery from meditation and emphasizes the point of practice is not necessarily perfection. The premise is that as with physical exercise a little is better than none. And that little bit grows as unrealistic expectations are removed. The tone is light and the message is to just do it not obsess over it. Practice makes perfect. Perfection is not the starting point. Readable with some good tips.

Not a great book. Had the audio version. And wouldn’t recommend it to my worst enemy. The author’s voice was extremely monotone and you wouldn’t pick up his personality if you tried. He’s a news anchor. And it shows. The book was mostly about him. Just him. And how witty he wishes to be. I was more entertained and enlightened by the individual who chimed in with the actual meditation practices. Now HE is worth listening to.

Like many of us meditate, I began reading book and then set it aside to focus on other duties and obligations. Fans of Dan Harris' media presence (especially those of us who invite him into our homes each weekend) will enjoy his thoughts and efforts to encourage others to give meditation a try. I enjoyed this book better than his first one.
It did take a team to write this book. There are many examples of ways to meditate and how it is benefited an assortment of persons and personalities. The book covers medical benefits, reduction in worries, lowered anxiety, increased happiness and gratitude plus more. It tackles the question of usefulness.

I enjoyed hearing about the promotional bus tour and stops made to teach audiences (and unsuspecting passers by) about meditation and Dan's book. Jeff is the guru, Dan the word scholar (geek.) The book has amusing, entertaining moments and passages. And honesty. I would have liked to read the acknowledgements and mentions but they were nearly as long as the book.
Do not take offense over what Dan says about Schnauzers. We can appreciate he is a cat fancier.

Clowder of cats, colony of bats, murder of crows, richness of ravens, tidings of magpies... just remind yourself that when you catch your mind wandering, return it to its upright position and begin again.

I asked for this book via Netgalley to review. The opinions exprssed are my own.

Dan Harris – in this follow-on book to “10% Happier” – has written an engaging, entertaining, and helpful guide for “fidgety skeptics” of meditation.

By “fidgety skeptics” he means people who: may find the science behind meditation compelling; or have seen meditation transform a friend; or are merely curious about it. And yet, despite some initial tug of interest towards the practice, they’re unable to do it regularly or capture any of its benefits.

I’m part of the book’s (likely large) core audience. As someone who has read about - and is intrigued by - the science supporting the merits of meditation, and who knows of people that have benefitted from it, I’ve tried it on and off for years….Ten minutes here, ten minutes there.

But I just couldn’t ever keep up a consistent practice. I felt like I was doing it all wrong. I had unrealistic goals (i.e. the “clear-your-head myth”). I couldn’t find the time. It felt too occult.

The combo of this book and the accompanying 10% Happier app and Podcast, however, have already increased the consistency of my meditation. Together, the lessons in all three of these outlets have helped me to get past the common barriers confronting all newcomers to meditation.

The other likable aspect of this book is Dan Harris is hilarious. He has a quick wit, a self-deprecating, refreshing, and frank sense of humor. For example, when describing how his “monkey mind” or the rampant thoughts that often take over during his mediation sessions, he shares this quirky and funny example, “Look, I can pun in French: I’ve got a soupçon that soup’s on. Did you know that a group of chipmunks is called a ‘scurry’? And it’s a ‘dray’ of squirrels, and a ‘business’ of ferrets, and….Seriously? What in tarnation is the matter with you?”

This book is structured in nine chapters – each about, and named after, a common “hindrance” or barrier facing a new adopter of meditation. And the credibility behind Harris’s taxonomy of common hindrances comes from: his own dedicated meditation practice; a tour he and meditation teacher Jeff Warren and a crew took from Virginia to Vegas to teach the merits of meditation, and; from fielding thousands of reactions to his first book, meeting people on this tour, and from responses to his podcast and app.

From all this, Dan Harris has now compiled a broad array of feedback as to why newcomers don’t persist with meditation, despite believing in its merits.

Common hindrances (and chapter titles from this book) include some more obvious ones like, “I Don’t Have Time for This” or “People Might Think I’m Weird”, but also more subtle ones like “Pandora’s Box” (i.e. I’m scared what thoughts might bubble to the surface) or “If I Get Too Happy, I’ll Lose My Edge”.

Harris opens each chapter with his advice and thoughts on the meditation hindrance in question, along with a story from his cross country tour or personal anecdotes from his own life to enliven the given insight. This commentary is interspersed with thoughts and practical lessons from his teacher, Jeff Warren (and these lessons are also available on the App). Harris then interlaces often humorous and always insightful reactions to Warren’s teachings.

The ongoing repartee between the two friends gives the book a nice pace. Reading it, you feel like you joined two of your close friends for dinner at your favorite burger joint, where one friend is the fidgety skeptic-turned-meditation convert, the other a dyed-in-the-wool teacher – with you raising objections as to why meditation is hard, and them wittily and informatively sharing personal experiences and practices to help you persevere through the roadblocks.

If you are a “fidgety skeptic”, or merely a curious mind looking for a light, funny read and perhaps some tidbits on how meditation can prove worthwhile, this is a must read.

Beyond a good read, it may also help you persist with your own meditation practice, and therefore ultimately – the real carrot – realize some of its longer-term benefits, which Harris at one point describes as, “to burst your own bubble of self-absorption, to break the chains of emotional peonage and psychological serfdom. When you clear away the cuckoo, what comes forward is greater attunement to other people (and animals), and also closer connection to life’s fundamental mysteries.”

As someone who has proved in the past too impatient and too fidgety to meditate, much as I think the concept is good, the title caught my interest. But it also activiated the skepticism--is this just a way old wine in a new bottle, cleverly packaged for today's "I haven't got time" populace? The first page--directing readers to the app we could download--seemed to confirm it.

But the author starts with his own personal story--how as a young ABC reporter he suffered from depression and self-medicated with cocaine and ecstasy then eventually discovered meditation. His story kept my interest, including the transition to meditation and its benefits. The book is like that--the authors' personal experiences and some other people they've impacted with meditation--as well as trying to make an easy introduction for people whose minds are distracted and not particularly receptive to slowing down and meditating.

For this, they have a "cheatsheet" quick version of various meditation exercises. And medictions throughout the book, set off in easy to locate single page text with borers. It's a good, basic introduction, particularly for people who are unused to meditating and/or unconvinced of its benefits. They anticipate the problem of motivation.

This is a good book, helpful, especially if you are open to slowing your life, to mindfulness, to not rushing the benefits and to giving it consistent try.

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I've "tried" to meditate for years only to experience lots of frustration. I know, "just be with the breath" they say. But Dan captures the circus that's in my mind with his funny observations about the experience of learning meditation. Maybe his humor is not for everyone, but I truly enjoyed the book and got some good advice out of it. I suppose humor is relative for people. I'm surprised by the number of poor reviews. If you are experiencing resistance to meditation or want to find out what this is all about, give this book a try. He tackles the common misconceptions about meditation (self indulgent, the guilt, not enough time, too weird, incompatible with religious beliefs and monkey mind). I found it to be very helpful.

In the book Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, authors Dan Harris, Jeff Warren and Carlye Adler, write about how meditation works for different people. Harris also tells his story of journey to meditation after his breakdown on national television. This is an interesting read with some good thoughts but the snarky humor throughout, a lot of it, gets old very fast. And it does not stop or slow down! I would reluctantly recommend this book. I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The title really caught my attention. You don't often see the words meditation and fidgety used together. Well, that gave me a chuckle as I thought about my own fidgety nature. If your like me wanting to meditate but never really successful at it because, well, you're just to fidgety to sit still, stare mindfully with that third eye, and repeat om over and over and over again then this is the book for you.

Dan Harris has a whole different approach to teaching meditation that takes away the mysterious factor making it more approachable and doable. This author's words spoke to me in a way that was not snooty or as if I had to understand some accent wisdom by osmosis to have the uber spiritual ability to meditate and be able to do it right. So I am now able to actually meditate and find myself being better able to deal with stress and anxiety.

This book is excellent. it is accessible, heartfelt, even funny! And it completely satisfies my need for a sound, rational, scientific reason to pursue it.
But the best part is how it is structured around the main reasons people don't meditate.
I actually heard a ping go off in my head several times while reading it as my reasons NOT to fell away, and I got excited about the new possibilities.
I just meditated for a minute in my office. I will do more tomorrow. I thank this book entirely for that.

I've read about the benefits of meditation. I even halfheartedly tried doing it. I was always a little leery because of the Buddhist association and the idea of emptying my mind just did not sit well with me. I knew I could never sit still for an hour either. I guess I was a fidgety skeptic.

Harris clarifies a few misconceptions right away. It doesn't have to include the Buddhist flavor nor did I have to empty my mind nor did I have to sit on the floor cross legged nor did I have to meditate for a long period to see benefits. Harris describes this meditation as focusing the mind rather than emptying it. There are a variety of mindful meditation techniques described in the book and many of them are just a few minutes long. One can increase the time as skills increase. I was disappointed that Jeff, Harris's meditation guru, did bring up Buddhist ideas from time to time. Books on Buddhism are listed in the resources list.

What I liked most about this book is the variety of meditation techniques offered. Harris realizes meditation is not a one size fits all. For an outdoor nature lover like me there are walking meditations. There are very short meditations one can do while waiting in line at the grocery store. I can develop a sort of relaxed enjoyment of life at any place and any time, experiencing mindfulness.

I also liked the way Harris describes mindfulness. It's being able to see what is happening in my head at any moment. Rather than being carried away by anger, I can recognize the emotion and begin to investigate why it is there and what I can do with it. And that is a big reward of mindful meditation. I don't have to be held captive by my intense emotions. I can also become aware of habits that I was previously unaware of.

What I didn't like about the book was Harris's folksy story telling way of presenting the material. I feel like I know him and the people around him much better than I wanted to. I understand his technique of introducing readers to meditation practices through the experiences they had on the bus tour. I just got really tired of it.

I do recommend this book to people who know there are benefits to being mindful and meditation but just thought they would never be able to do it. You'll find good techniques for a variety of ways to meditate. You'll learn much about Harris too, especially his own struggles with meditation as a reality check.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

This book did something I didn't anticipate from the outset, it changed my view on meditation. The "fidgety skeptics" in the title fits me perfectly: I'm very skeptical but I also know that when things are not right, then things need to change or at least be reconsidered. The book made me willing to do both. I have seen the recommendations of the health benefits of meditation and even had colleagues and friends swear by it. Yet, I wasn't moved to try it. I am now.
The book is funny, has an easy tone and you can easily imagine the authors, the journalist from ABC and his meditation guide tell the reader how to go about it. The concept of starting with one minute rather than committing to half an hour or so appeals to me. It seems manageable. Now, of course, I just have to get started and be consistent with it.. That start is today. I want not only to be 10% happier, but also have more inner peace and joy as well as enjoying the health benefits of meditation.

I loved every second of this book. The audiobook is excellent. It is filled with humor, has a story to follow, and has essential meditation tips. For me, it was the right book at the right time. I have and will continue to recommend it to others.

This book did something I didn't anticipate from the outset, it changed my view on meditation. The "fidgety skeptics" in the title fits me perfectly: I'm very skeptical but I also know that when things are not right, then things need to change or at least be reconsidered. The book made me willing to do both. I have seen the recommendations of the health benefits of meditation and even had colleagues and friends swear by it. Yet, I wasn't moved to try it. I am now.
The book is funny, has an easy tone and you can easily imagine the authors, the journalist from ABC and his meditation guide tell the reader how to go about it. The concept of starting with one minute rather than committing to half an hour or so appeals to me. It seems manageable. Now, of course, I just have to get started and be consistent with it.. That start is today. I want not only to be 10% happier, but also have more inner peace and joy as well as enjoying the health benefits of meditation.

I loved every second of this book. The audiobook is excellent. It is filled with humor, has a story to follow, and has essential meditation tips. For me, it was the right book at the right time. I have and will continue to recommend it to others.

Nothing new here, and I felt a little like Harris is trying to cash in on his other book. In resources, and as a follow up to his other book, he likes to mention it along with the app, and the tone and writing of the book just didn't sit well with me. Enough of the self-deprecation!

Anyway, there are a lot of wonderful resources for meditation out there. I personally like Ziva Meditation (google it), but am always interested in what is happening in the field. This book was NOT even close to fulfilling its promise and was a lot of fluff and simply not interesting!:(

I loved 10% Happier, and was just as satisfied by Harris’s new how-to. I was once a skeptic about meditation, but these books have changed my life (I know that sounds dramatic, but it’s true.) Read the book even if you don’t want to meditate - there is real wisdom in its pages. Dan is a great writer. I can’t say enough good things about this book.

This is an easy-to-read introduction to meditation. It is a pretty light book (mostly centered around a bus-trip to meet with people who wanted to learn about meditation). Although I found much of the travelog associated with the bus trip a bit tedious, the best of the book is that it really does give you some simple instructions for learning how to meditate, even for a minute at a time. A nice thing about the book's approach is that it isn't based in any sort of mysticism or religion - you can add these if you like to your meditation or you can learn some pretty simple approaches.

I liked the book in terms of it making meditation easy to learn, though would have liked a shorter guide to meditation with less of a description of a bus trip. It was fun to read though....

Recommended as an introduction to meditation

Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics

By: Dan Harris and Jeff Warren, with Carlye Adler

Book Review

I have a real issue with someone trying to teach you a meditation practice when their only background is having ADD and various on again off again jobs. I'm talking about Jeff Warrens here. And not only that, he's also a proponent of TM [Transcendental Meditation].

Dan Harris first found out about Jeff Warren after reading what he wrote during one of his meditation retreats. He also wrote a book called, "The Head Trip". Warren now has a meditation group in Toronto called Consciousness Explorers Club or CEC, which includes "epic dance parties".

Any type of meditation can bring up feelings of emotion and therefore you should have someone trained that can teach you how to deal with emotions that may arise. In other words you need somebody with an educated background in the field. A TV journalist who hires someone like Jeff Warrens isn't the safe way to go, and it can actually be dangerous when they teach New Age techniques.

My Note: I wanted to do more research on who Jeff Warren was after listening on audio to this book. All the "consciousness" beliefs that Jeff has felt like New Age and sure enough, I found one. Please see my Goodreads review for the link since the store will not allow here.

Here is a quote from the article:

"As for the precise ontological status of the various spirits with whom I interact: I have no idea. They are real as experiences, and I respect them as such."

There is very little self-help content in this book. In other words, you really have to search for any step-by-step meditation instructions in this book. He could have written the actual mediation instructions in about 10 pages. Another curious thing about the book: he keeps plugging his “10% happier” app, but when I try to find it in the app store, I keep getting referred to other apps. Maybe the app was a bust, too.

I got the audibook. I like Dan Harris’s delivery: self-deprecating and humble yet wry, and clever. He’s good friends with John Mulaney, an insanely talented comic actor and writer, so that tells me a lot about his real life personality. Besides this, the meditation techniques are solid and accessible. The teacher who presents them as Dan’s partner on the road trip and book, shares his struggles with ADD and how meditation has helped him face the challenges. Very relatable and hopeful and practical. I’ve already experienced the beginning glimmers of peace and equanimity. Thanks to all who brought this book into being. It’s a quick listen, easy to implement.

I heard the author interviewed on NPR and thought his book sounded interesting. Yes, since getting and reading a little of the book, I’ve started meditating 5 minutes a day—which is, I think, good. But beyond that, the book is vastly inflated, bloated with jokey and off-putting dismissive ideas. Beyond its useful urging to start meditating, this book is silly.

Love it! Dan Harris is one of the funniest authors I’ve ever read - you’ll discover that in the first few pages. I’ve been meditating in small doses since I saw him interviewed and then downloaded the 10% Happier app. His description of the “fidgety skeptic’s” mind and the random thoughts that pop up is hilarious and relatable. The point of the book, obviously, is to get people to try meditation - I’m glad I did - somehow, it works - I’m definitely feeling 10% happier lately - thanks for the great read, tips and information- and mostly for making meditation not seem so weird.

Being a fellow skeptical smartass, Dan’s experience clicked with me. This is the how-to book many were hoping for with 10% Happier! If Eckhart Tolle makes you roll your eyes but you know your “self” needs work, this may be the push you need. The 10% Happier app is also helpful.

I enjoyed this book. It was informative, helpful and entertaining. It's sure to be helpful when dealing with stress, hypertension, anxiety and panic attacks. I liked that it was a blend of story and meditation techniques. Easy to follow and understand. Dan Harris has a "unique" sense of humor and his story is down to earth and honest .

This book, “Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics,” surprised me, but the surprises are not good ones. The general tone the principal author, Dan Harris, takes toward meditation comes off as snarky at times, nearly dismissive at others. The premise of the book is sort of like the “everyone gets a medal” approach to youth sports. Do whatever and regardless you get rewarded.

I am just not so sure. But there are some other matters to dispense with first. The authors have made meditation and mindfulness, which are in realty two different states of consciousness, into synonyms. Doing so allows them to foist notions that a minute of meditation will improve one’s life or, in one extreme instance, that watching reality TV for a fixed time each evening will prove a conduit to practicing meditation.

Something that tripped me up early was the proclamation that “In this book, we teach mindfulness meditation (first lesson to come soon), which does not involve a mantra. Not long after that, the authors note that “some people like to recite a little phrase to stay with what’s going on.” They also talk about using “touch points” as a way to return to meditation or using images to keep focused. I know a mantra is a sound, so the “little phrase” seems to qualify as mantra, and the “touch points” and images are certainly meant to offer the same service.

The authors focus mainly on breathing meditations, which are sometimes called pranayama, and such practice is indeed an excellent way to practice meditation. The book provides examples of how to incorporate breathing exercises. There is quite a bit of this information, much of it repackaged by catchy, even cool names such as RAIN, an acronym here appropriated to mean recognize, accept, investigation, and non-identification. (Yes, the lack of parallelism in the terms and the hyphen in a word that should have been spelled solid bother me, too.)

Central to the book’s premise is that Mr. Harris and meditation instructor Jeff Warren take a cross-country trip a quest see why people do not meditate. I expected more than an 11-day jaunt and figured that this trek would yield some tables, notes, and science-type stuff that might quantify and elucidate their findings. That sort of information compelled me to seek a review copy of the book. But instead we get echoes of Ken Kesey and his "Merry Band of Pranksters" zipping around and tripping in a bus back in 1964. But here the meditation replaces the drugs, and the paucity of insights coupled with the abundance of anecdotes [many thanks to D. Hess who noted my typo of "antidotes" in a comment about this review] did not sustain my interest or teach me anything I have not heard or experienced regarding mediation.

The author’s own products, “The 10% Happier Podcast” and “The 10% Happier App” figure throughout the book and are listed as the first two “Resources to Help You Keep Meditating.” Yet Thich Nhat Hanh is only mentioned in the last sentence. Many of his methods and approaches that I have studied remind me of the various ideas set forth in this book, e.g. walking meditations, breathing practices, focusing on simplicity.

I guess the point is that there is a universal cohort of meditation practices that work, and many of those have been around for quite some time. In other words, other than the sometimes flippant tone and teasing irreverence that override the central themes of practice, be disciplined, have a routine, try different techniques, and be open to the idea of meditation, there is nothing groundbreaking or novel in these pages.

A funny, accessible and compulsively readable book about sitting on your butt (and getting happier and more deeply fulfilled in the process). Would recommend to anyone who has always thought of meditating but isn't sure if it's for them or how to start – this book is the one!

I love Dan Harris!. I've read both books, watched the videos, signed up for the app. His humor is so sly that I've often read the rest of the paragraph then thought "What?!?!? Let's look at that again." Then cracked up with laughter. The discussion of meditation is excellent. I learned so much. My copy is already marked up and flagged. I recommend this to anyone exploring meditation as well as to people who are already practicing.

I love the down to earth pragmatism of this book. For me too many books on meditation (and mindfulness) are too heavy on religion/spirituality and too light on the basics. I would caution though that this book IS for fidgety skeptics.... if you are already committed to the practice of meditation with a spiritual slant you might prefer a more conventional book. For the rest of us though this is a very readable, witty, informative book!