What Is A Heart-Based Meditation? Book Review On “The Heartfulness Way” By Kamlesh D Patel & Joshua Pollock

Diving deep into the hidden meaning of spiritual energy, the role of a guru and best practices for beginners.

Talk about self-help books and you will find spiritual books lead others in the lines of its genre like health, fitness, self-development and mental health, to name a few. When you talk about books on meditation, engaging is not really a word one would use to describe them, for it’s rare to find a narrative that doesn’t drag in the middle. But the book, The Heartfulness Way: Heart-Based Meditations for Spiritual Transformations by Kamlesh D Patel also known as Daaji and Joshua Pollock is not only engaging and filled with funny relatable anecdotes, it also explains complex spiritual concepts in a simple manner, understandable to the common man.

Heartfulness practices are a must to be done daily and not occasionally to really lead the path of ‘sahaj’ meaning ‘simple’ or ‘sahajta‘ meaning ‘simplicity’. The three-time exercise regime involves relaxation, cleaning, and prayer that need to be done respectively in morning, evening and night.

The book has been written as a conversation between the two authors and is divided into three parts and focuses on the meaning of meditation. For those not familiar with the Heartfulness meditation, it is a wonderful introduction to self-management practices to find the inner peace extolled by its writers.

The first part explains meditation, significance of the spiritual energy behind yogic transmission, and the best meditation techniques for a beginner. Everyday issues from our life are related to the three-time exercise of relaxing, cleaning and praying. For instance, the authors talk about why it’s important to allot one place for doing meditation daily, in the cleaning method. They also discuss the importance of untangling oneself from disruptive thought patterns, and strong emotions which helps one to alter their attitude.

The transformation described by the authors is ultimately in our hands, and the rest will follow. It’s a great read for someone who wants to begin meditation and also for those who have been doing it for a long time. The read will provide you with a brilliant insight into the complex human psyche and the exterior matter around us so as to deal and develop from those.

At the end of each chapter, there is a small box which summarises the main points of each practice, so one can go back and take a relook at the methods as well. Towards the later part, both authors delve deeper into the subject of a spiritual guru in depth and question each other on whether guru should be treated as a God or above.

The Heartfulness Way: Heart-Based Meditations for Spiritual Transformation
By Kamlesh D Patel & Joshua Pollock
Publisher: Westland
Pages: 221
Price: Rs 299
Kota Saumya

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