Awakening: A Practical Guide to Zen Meditation

This is a place to start, and also continue, for people interested engaging in meditative practice. This book attempts to be a comprehensive guide to zen — starting with dispelling myths and showing how to let go of the barriers of the ordinary for practitioners to lead a more awakened life. It contains exercises on releasing bodily tension, mental tension, how to breathe more naturally, and calming the mind. Beyond these core properties, the book looks to teach a way to cultivate wisdom and understanding itself, making the mind a place of tranquility and stillness. Written with compassion, in a gentle manner, this is one that can serve as a reference, to look back upon as one develops a practice.