Synopses & Reviews
Intimately and without jargon, How to Wake Up: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide to Navigating Joy and Sorrow describes the path to peace amid all of life's ups and downs. Using step by step instructions, the author illustrates how to be fully present in the moment without clinging to joy or resisting sorrow. This opens the door to a kind of wellness that goes beyond circumstances. Actively engaging life as it is in this fashion holds the potential for awakening to a peace and well-being that are not dependent on whether a particular experience is joyful or sorrowful. This is a practical book, containing dozens of exercises and practices, all of which are illustrated with easy-to-relate to personal stories from the author's experience.
Review
This is a book for everyone.”Alida Brill,
Psychology Today and author of
Dancing at the River's EdgeA fresh and articulate voice interpreting ancient wisdom for our modern times.”Sylvia Boorstein
Review
Toni Bernhard deftly presents deep, profound teachings in an amazingly simple, accessible way. It's like taking a powerful healing medicine that goes down like a delicious milkshake. Bravo!”James Baraz, author of
Awakening JoyToni Bernhard's beautiful book is a new invitation to investigate the Buddha's teachings in the laboratories of our own lives. How to Wake Up will be greatly appreciated by readers new to the Buddhist path, as well as by seasoned practitioners.”Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Happiness
This is a book for everyone.”Alida Brill, author of Dancing at the River's Edge
All-purpose advice as good as your grandmother gave you, and just as straightforward and heartfelt.”Barry Boyce, editor-in-chief of Mindful magazine
Toni Bernhard has done it againsharing wisdom teachings in a way that makes them mightily accessible and helpful without any sacrifice of depth. I love this book!”Tara Brach, PhD, author of Radical Acceptance
This remarkable, warm, encouraging, and crystal-clear book expresses the ancient wisdom of the Buddha in universal, twenty-first-century terms. I honestly think it is one of the best Buddhist books I've read in a long time.”Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Buddha's Brain
I'm often asked what book to read as a comprehensive introduction to Buddhist practice. Now I have one: How to Wake Up.”Kevin Griffin, author of One Breath at a Time
A beautiful, wise, and practical book presenting the Buddha's teaching for our contemporary world.”Gil Fronsdal, author of The Issue At Hand
The beauty of this book is how clear, wise, and helpful it is. Both while reading it and after, you can put it to use; this is what literature is for. It's something to cherish and practice.”Kim Stanley Robinson, author of Shaman and 2312
A fresh and articulate voice interpreting ancient wisdom for our modern times.”Sylvia Boorstein, author of Its Easier Than You Think
Practical and insightful. In this book you'll find a path to living with greater ease and freedom, awakening to possibilities you may not have known existed before.”Elisha Goldstein, PhD, author of The Now Effect
Clear, concise and accessible to anyone wishing to cultivate a path of greater awareness and understanding.”Christina Feldman, author of Compassion
A wonderfully clear guide to engaging all the joys and sorrows of our experience with awareness, grace, and wisdom.”Joseph Goldstein, author of A Heart Full of Peace
Toni writes with clarity and insight that makes ancient Buddhist teachings accessible to our modern lives.”Danea Horn, author of Chronic Resilience
This wonderful book is an easy-to-follow guide that will help you learn skills of mindfulness and compassion, ultimately leading to true happiness.”Kristin Neff, PhD, author of Self-Compassion
Toni Bernhard has away of articulating the Buddha's profound understanding of the nature of the human condition in such a way that truly brings it into the contemporary world and makes it relevant for everyone.”Dr. John Peacock, University of Oxford Mindfulness Centre
Toni Bernhard has a stunning talent for telling stories and offering
insights. How to Wake Up give us tools for navigating our way through the
joys and challenges of an ordinary human life in a way that alleviates
suffering and cultivates balance.”~Oriah Mountain Dreamer, author of The Invitation
Review
"Toni Bernhard deftly presents deep, profound teachings in an amazingly simple, accessible way. It's like taking a powerful healing medicine that goes down like a delicious milkshake. Bravo!"
Review
"Toni Bernhard's beautiful book is a new invitation to investigate the Buddha's teachings in the laboratories of our own lives. How to Wake Up will be greatly appreciated by readers new to the Buddhist path, as well as by seasoned practitioners."
Review
"Toni Bernhard has done it again--sharing wisdom teachings in a way that makes them mightily accessible and helpful without any sacrifice of depth. I love this book!"
Review
"This remarkable, warm, encouraging, and crystal-clear book expresses the ancient wisdom of the Buddha in universal, twenty-first-century terms. I honestly think it is one of the best Buddhist books I've read in a long time."
Review
"A beautiful, wise, and practical book presenting the Buddha's teaching for our contemporary world."
Review
"A fresh and articulate voice interpreting ancient wisdom for our modern times."
Review
"Practical and insightful. In this book you'll find a path to living with greater ease and freedom, awakening to possibilities you may not have known existed before."
Review
"Clear, concise and accessible to anyone wishing to cultivate a path of greater awareness and understanding."
Review
"A wonderfully clear guide to engaging all the joys and sorrows of our experience with awareness, grace, and wisdom."
Review
"This wonderful book is an easy-to-follow guide that will help you learn skills of mindfulness and compassion, ultimately leading to true happiness."
About the Author
Toni Bernhard is the acclaimed author of
How to Be Sick, a
Spirituality and Practice Best Spiritual Books of 2010” winner, and winner of two Nautilus Awards. Shes been interviewed on radio across the country and internationally, and is a regular contributor to
Psychology Today online. She maintains a personal relationship with her many thousands of fans on Facebook.
Toni fell ill on a trip to Paris in 2001 with what doctors initially diagnosed as an acute viral infection. She has not recovered. In 1982, shed received a J.D. from the School of Law at the University of California, Davis, and immediately joined the faculty where she stayed until chronic illness forced her to retire. During her twenty-two years on the faculty, she served for six years as Dean of Students.
In 1992, she began to study and practice Buddhism. Before becoming ill, she attended many meditation retreats and led a meditation group in Davis with her husband. She lives in Davis with her husband, Tony, and their hound dog, Rusty. Toni can be found online at tonibernhard.com.