Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

As I have wanted to try meditation for some time, however I was not sure exactly what it was nor in the many ways I could benefit from meditating. My first step into this journey was to purchase Russell Simmons book Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple. This was an excellent read as well as an introduction to Meditation. I found myself initially wanting to skip through the book to get to what I wanted to know, which was how you begin. I told myself this where I need to practice patience and self control, so I waited and and tried taking in everything that I could of the message that was being conveyed. As human beings we always want things when we want them, not when we should have them. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Meditation. Just remember we must crawl before we walk and listen so that we can hear. I am ready to begin my journey through the art of stillness. Thank You Russell Simmons for an amazing guide.

I've all the latest 3 books by Uncle Rush. This is a great book. If he never writes another book, this book is a great way to go out on top. He blew back the mystery of meditation. He breaks it down for common folks like me. I'm looking forward to meditating for the rest of my life. I already have good eating habits and a fitness program, this will just be more soul enriching food for my life. The process Rush teaches is very easy and makes perfect sense. No excuses for not doing this. I also liked how he spent a great deal of time explaining the benefits of meditation. I enjoyed this book a great deal.

Imagine that your manager, supervisor, or CEO was relaxed, calm and thoughtful. Imagine that he or she dealt with challenges, problems, disappointments and successes with an evenness of mind. Most people are saddened when they lose and gladdened when they win. In life, both wins and losses are inevitable. The aim of meditation is not to eliminate thoughts or emotions, but rather to become more aware and to learn how to adapt without becoming fixated. The key is to treat winning and losing with the same mindful self-control. This book is about meditation, and presents an alternate way to deal with the anxiety that comes from the inevitable challenges of life. Meditation aims to enable one to acknowledge what is happening in one’s life, instead of denying it, and to continue, instead of obsessing over it. “This is the healthiest way to move through life,” contends author Russell Simmons. Russell Simmons is a Hip-Hop mogul estimated to be worth $350 million. This book is his attempt to get many more people to meditate. “If I hadn’t found meditation, the worry would have eventually knocked me off balance,” he confesses. Through regular meditation, “eventually all the distractions are going to settle down and you’ll be able to see clearly what’s inside of you.” Russell attributes his success to having learned to meditate. The meditation he espouses entails sitting for twenty minutes twice a day with your eyes closed. He uses a Hindu mantra, which he presents as a neutral sound. The word “mantra” derives from the Sanskrit words meaning “man,” “to think” and “tra” a “tool.” Repeating this mind-tool for the duration of the session produces the results he describes. At the end of a twenty-minute session of meditation, one awakes to a pleasant feeling of tranquillity and peacefulness. This equanimity would be most useful to those we work with, and to ourselves. “You will not be punished for your anger,” Buddha taught. “You will be punished by your anger.” The converse is true too; you will not be rewarded for you equanimity, you will be rewarded by your equanimity. After a meditation session, what inevitably happens is a series of stressful meetings, or challenging staff, and the peace and tranquillity diminish rapidly. The Guru Maharishi Masheh Yoga in an interview described meditation in terms of a white cloth and dipped into a yellow dye. When you expose the dyed cloth to the sun, the yellow fades. Soaked repeatedly, however, the yellow dye becomes permanent. The same is true of the tranquillity of meditation; the author asserts. “You’re not going to get muscles from one push-up. Just as you’re not going to lose twenty pounds just by skipping one meal.” Simmons commitment to meditation stemmed from his realization that the lifestyle he pursued, and that everyone saw as a mark of success, was giving him pain, not joy. “Those rare moments of stillness, not the chaotic life I had created, were the foundations of my happiness and success… I can honestly say that without that stillness, there’s no way I’d be where I am today.” Intuitively we can easily accept that if people we worked with were calmer, they would make better decisions. They would be more open to other ideas; they would be more creative, and they would be easier to work with. So would we. It would be surprising if those who knew the purported benefits of meditation for their professional success, (and personal lives,) would resist the process, and yet they do. Simmons suggest a number of reasons, but the most compelling ones relate to time and philosophy. “When they claim they don’t have time, I always come back at them with that old saying about meditation: If you don’t have twenty minutes to delve into yourself through meditation, then that means you really need two hours.” As compelling an argument is that we do spend time keeping our bodies in shape, and we do spend time maintaining our material possessions. However, there is also the philosophical perspective that creates a barrier. Practicing a Hindu tradition can be an offence to one practicing another religion. Most religions, in my experience, have some sort of meditation as part of their tradition. Judging from my readings in the field, it is unlikely that, measured physiologically, any one form of mediation produces better results than any other. The litany of meditators mentioned in the book is impressive. Steve Jobs had only one book on his iPad – The Autobiography of a Yogi, by Yogananda. It is worth noting that Jobs created his legacy, the iPod, iPad and iPhone after he had been labelled a failure. Meditation, Simmons asserts aims to see “losses” and “failure” as very important parts of the process. Ray Dalio is a committed meditator. He runs Bridgewater Associates, one of the biggest investment funds in the world, responsible for billions of dollars in investment funds and hundreds of employees. Then there are the many actors, musicians, directors, and comedians who credit meditation with keeping their creativity and careers alive. They include Sheryl Crow, Clint Eastwood, Hugh Jackman, Lenny Kravitz, George Lucas, David Lynch, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Gwyneth Paltrow, Martin Scorsese, Jerry Seinfeld, Howard Stern, Forest Whitaker and many more. Simmons book is valuable for its reassertion of the value of meditation, complete with an overview of the physical and mental benefits of the practice. This, of course, is hardly new, but it is a welcome reminder for people with extremely busy and responsible careers. Readability Light +---- Serious Insights High -+--- Low Practical High ---+- Low *Ian Mann of Gateways consults internationally on leadership and strategy and is the author of Strategy that Works.

I must say, I really enjoyed this book. Russell penned a straight-forward, step by step guide to meditation and mindfulness for the beginner. He starts off covering what meditation is, the myths about meditation, why people don't meditate, the mental benefits of meditation, the physical benefits of meditation, what science says about mediation and ends with step by step how-to meditate. I found this book to be informative, practical and entertaining. Russell did an excellent job weaving stories and illustrations throughout the book from his personal life as well as insight from other famous authors, teachers and entertainers that attribute their success to meditation. This is an excellent guide for anyone looking to begin meditation or simply improve the quality of their life. Tony Rogers Jr Author of Visionary:Making a difference in a world that needs YOU

I have read many books on meditation and this one is a great beginners book that will help you understand the principles behind meditation, the steps to take to get to a simple but rewarding practice. It won't take long to read and you'll have the recipe you need to bring peace, compassion, and love back into your life or enhance what you've already got! It will only take a few hours to read and a few minutes out of your life and your family, friends, and co-workers will be glad you did! But most importantly you will be glad you did. In gassho, Shokai (Dr. B)

Let me start off with a little background. 1st off, I like Russell Simmons. I believe he is trying to spread peace and happiness to the world. I am one of his Twitter followers. I also do Yoga, and used to meditate , but for various reasons, I've stopped doing it. The reasons I stopped doing it are discussed in this book. "I don't have time., My house is never quiet. I'm just too tired to do it." That being said, I've read many books on Meditation and Buddhism. I never really got into Transcendental Meditation b/c it's very expensive. Anyway, enough about me. I bought this book on Kindle last night and was finished with it this morning. Its a very quick , easy read at around 209 pages. There are 5 Parts to this book. Why meditate, Why you think you can't meditate, The physical benefits of meditation, Living up to your potential, and How to meditate. Now perhaps because I've read all about meditation and its benefits, I found this book to be pretty wasteful. For me, there was no new info. There are pages talking about how it regulates your nervous system, it's good for high blood pressure, etc. Is it me, or do most people already know this? ,Also, he talks about how to actually meditate in the last chapter. Basically this is it. Sit down for 20 min and twice a day, internally chant "Rum." Yes, Rum. This is your mantra he's given you. Groundbreaking! There is absolutely nothing new in this book for anyone who has been meditating, this book is not for you. This is for someone who really knows absolutely nothing about meditating and it's many benefits. Russell also talks about getting into Transcendental Meditation, but really doesn't delve into it, which was disappointing. In any case, if you haven't done so, I'd encourage you to read books by Thich Nhat Hanh, in particular, The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation Anyway, this isn't a bad book. It's quick and easy enough to read. I just believe this is as basic as it gets in this subject. Best of luck to all in your journey!

I've "dabbled" in meditation, had trouble getting into it, and usually fell asleep. I read this book cover-to-cover in a single sitting. I'm yet to apply all this stuff, but what he teaches in the book makes sense to me and I'm excited to put it to use. Pretty sure that was the authors intent... I resonate with Simmons. He's funny, has a relaxed and simple style, and makes the material very accessible. I like that he pulled himself out of a s***ty environment. I spent some time as a broke and homeless drug / alcohol... "enthusiast". I also spent some years in the music industry (first as a drug dealer, then promoting raves and nightclub events), and can relate to making bad decisions at 4am. I agree with his reasoning on the causes of addiction and perpetual bad-decision-making, and that it's usually to "quiet the noise" or "dull the pain"... in my case I suppose it was both. I'm also a serial entrepreneur, though not nearly at his level (but I'm 33 and gaining on you Russell). I've been looking for this book... He's a real guy writing about a subject he's obviously very passionate about, and he's done his homework (some interesting nuggets on neauroscience and the health benefits of meditation) - which is about everything you can expect from a book on any subject. All-in-all I thought it was a great use of a Saturday afternoon.

I have tried other texts to get started, but they were too philosophic and technical. I don't know much about Mr.russel, but after reading an interview with his reference to the book, I thought it may be a simple way to get started. While he spent too much time explaining the benefits (for me), it was great to hear the simple reasons it has improved his life, and his straight forward method to get started. As I learned about him and his career through this book, I can now applaud him for seemingly stepping outside of his expertise (music, producing, entertainment, etc), and writing about a personal practice that he credits for his success in those areas. Quick read, great info, easy way to start meditation.

Ce livre est un vrai trésor qu'il faut lire absolument pour ceux qui aimeraient avoir la paix dans un monde de tourbillon

A waste of time. Has some interesting information about meditation, but would never recommend it.

Demasiado texto ajeno a la materia habla de comentarios personales que no tienen interes para el lector cuyo deseo es aprender lo que indica el nombre del libro

Ich habe mir dieses Buch gekauft , da ich seit kurzem angefangen habe zu meditieren und mich vegetarisch zu ernähren. Russell Simmons erklärt was Meditation für unseren körper bringt und wie man meditiert . Außerdem geht er kurz auf sein Vegetarier Dasein ein und erklärt wieso Fleisch schlecht für uns Menschen ist. Sehr gut geschrieben , empfehle ich jedem weiter der sich für Meditation &gesunden Lifestyle interessiert.

Absolutely loved it! Wonderful for those who are just starting on the journey of meditation and those who are much further along. I have been meditating for a while and I still very much appreciated his explanation and reminders. I would totally recommend it.