Aware
The Science and Practice of Presence--The Groundbreaking Meditation Practice
1 of 1 copy available
Aware provides practical instruction for mastering the Wheel of Awareness, a life-changing tool for cultivating more focus, presence, and peace in one's day-to-day life.
An in-depth look at the science that underlies meditation's effectiveness, this book teaches readers how to harness the power of the principle "Where attention goes, neural firing flows, and neural connection grows." Siegel reveals how developing a Wheel of Awareness practice to focus attention, open awareness, and cultivate kind intention can literally help you grow a healthier brain and reduce fear, anxiety, and stress in your life.
Whether you have no experience with a reflective practice or are an experienced practitioner, Aware is a hands-on guide that will enable you to become more focused and present, as well as more energized and emotionally resilient in the face of stress and the everyday challenges life throws your way.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
August 21, 2018 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780143111788
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780143111788
- File size: 5891 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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June 15, 2018
A head-spinning guide to supercharged meditation.If life is like a box of chocolates, to quote the philosopher Forrest Gump, then, to quote Siegel (Clinical Psychiatry/UCLA; Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human, 2016, etc.), "consciousness is like a container of water"--undrinkable if a tablespoon of salt is put into an espresso cup but just fine if the container is a bathtub. And why is it like a container of water? That's never quite explained, except to say that cultivating the mind to maximize awareness makes our experience of things different. That heightened experience can be a deeply positive thing, for, as the author points out, neural integration makes problem solving easier, and "open awareness" boosts the immune system. Siegel delivers a "Wheel of Awareness" to visualize the process, with attention as the spoke, knowing or awareness as the hub, and "knowns" on the rim. But those knowns can be awareness-inhibiting prejudices as well as hard-won knowledge of how the world works. Siegel favors a murky, circular style: "When we open awareness to sensation, such as that of the breath, we become a conduit directing the flow of something into our awareness." Well, yes, that's how breath works, but Siegel means something different--"enabling the sensation of the breath at the nostrils to flow into consciousness." Further along, the author complicates the picture: "And so both focal attention involving consciousness and nonfocal attention without consciousness involve an evaluative process that places meaning and significance on energy patterns and their informational value as they arise moment by moment." Can there be meaning without consciousness? That's a question for Heidegger, but suffice it to say that it's a clear if empty statement relative to the main, which is laden with jargon, neologisms ("plane-dominant sweep"; "SOCK: sensation, observation, conceptualization, and knowing") and lots of New Age cheerleading.If Charles Reich is your bag, then this may be your book. If you want your neuroscience qua science, then head over to where Damasio and Dennett are shelved.COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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