Would-be buddhas, this is the guide you’ve been waiting for.

Meditation is the foundation of enlightenment, but even those of us who aren’t particularly interested in that can recognize and appreciate the benefits of a steady meditation practice – improved emotional and physical health, increased calm, and a keener ability to accept and deal with the little irritations we encounter every day. If only it weren’t such an esoteric endeavor…

Oh, wait. It isn’t. Linda Lavid makes it perfectly clear in 101 Ways to Meditate that any ol’ mortal being is perfectly capable of engaging in a productive form of mediation. Lavid is a self-professed skeptic, a left-brainer who prefers “studies and statistics with results that indicate a success rate beyond randomness.” It wasn’t until she personally experienced the un-quantifiable benefits of hypnosis that she realized the effectiveness of woo-woo therapy. A science-and-math personality isn’t easily foiled, however, so even after becoming a certified hypnotherapist, Lavid kept on searching for a logic-based approach to an ancient healing technique. Luckily her subconscious mind finally won the war, and Lavid got it: simplify the process.

That’s exactly what she’s done in 101 Ways to Meditate – simplified the process so that anyone can take part. Instead of tossing out scary terms like no-mind and transcendent attention, Lavid puts it in language we can all understand. Mediation is “relaxing the body, quieting the mind, and having a focus… There is no right or wrong way to meditate.”

Now that the pressure is off, we can proceed with any of the 101 techniques Lavid provides. There are processing meditations promoting our ability to receive information from the subconscious and unconscious minds; imagery meditations for two-way communication with the subconscious; release meditations for unlocking emotional issues; and inspirational meditations for connecting with our higher selves. Within each of these categories are specific methods for bringing us closer to a particular focus. A grounding exercise, for example, uses imagery to help us draw healing energy through our bodies, and a stress-reduction exercise uses the release technique to help shed stressors and build a psychic shield.

This little volume is packed with just the basics, including a 31-day journal equipped with inspirational quotes that serves as spirited and indefatigable cheerleaders. Lavid’s keep it simple approach is effective and encouraging for anyone who has wondered about meditation but been put off by technical and spiritual tomes. Quick, simple and stripped of pretension, this life-enhancing practice is made easy and practical through 101 Ways to Meditate.