How to Relax

Even though I'm Buddhist and “converted” nearly 20 (!!!) years ago (MAN I'M GETTING OLD), I've always had trouble with the more typical pop American Buddhist books: the stuff by the Dalai Lama, Pema Chodron, and Thich Nhat Hanh. For an example and better explanation of my orneriness, see my review of The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down. So I began this book with Great Skepticism.

But I was pleasantly surprised! This was actually a very consoling and comforting little book! And, while the advice was the usual advice that is easy to give and hard to do (live in the present moment, find comfort in sitting/meditating/following your breath, just sit), I found Thich Nhat Hanh's writing - for once! - ringing very true. Oh my gosh, is this an age thing? Have I aged into the target demographic? I used to find his writing always so generic and bland (again, see my above review about why that pop Buddhism never worked for me), but here it DIDN'T.

Anyway, if you have trouble relaxing - say, if you have a pathological inability to relax - then this might be a teeny, tiny, nano-sized comfort. (And that's saying something!) I read this via my library app's ebook loan, but I'm planning to buy a hard copy just so I can cuddle it.