This book came highly recommended by my mom. She said she has read it dozens of times. After her many suggestions, I decided to give it a go.
It’s basically a rich white lady’s midlife crisis. She embarks on a journey in order to deal with her emotional issues after a divorce. Along the way, she learns to practice several very interesting meditation styles while in India. These include Kundalini and Vipassana as well as other meditative practices like group chanting, mantra, and other group meditation styles. I have been a practitioner of Kundalini for nearly two decades and I’ve always viewed it as very esoteric, so it’s cool to see popular culture talking about it like this.
She later goes to Bali and studies several very different and more simple styles such as just sitting and smiling, which according to the Indonesian medicine man will bring good energy in and push bad energy out.
The book gets pretty metaphysical, in a good way. She compares and contrasts important concepts such as divinity and non-self through the lenses of India and Indonesia.
All in all, it’s a good book and an interesting read. I will probably recommend it to people who are looking to get into more advanced meditation practices. It is a great primer on several really good traditions.