Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom

Merging the insights of inspiring voices with her own understanding of  mindfulness, New York Times bestselling author Sharon Salzberg shows us  how we can recover from the emotional effects of crisis.

When  confronted with pain and obstacles, we often shrink back and contract  out of fear and disappointment. That can become a way of life.

In Real Life, Sharon Salzberg lets us know it doesn’t have to be that way.

When  we feel alone, cut off, or trapped, we can let those difficulties steer  us onto a path toward an authentic, flourishing life―living in a way  that allows us to find the wholeness that lies within. Even when we’re  alone, a sense of community can accompany us through the stormy times.  Our words, hearts, and actions can line up with a larger vision, rather  than the smaller views our anxious, fearful thoughts arouse in us.

To  live in a less constricted way―with a more spacious, open sense of  possibility, creativity, connection, and joy―Salzberg says we need to  get real about what’s most important, to ask ourselves, “What do I most  deeply yearn for?” “What would I benefit from letting go of?” “What do I  believe is possible for me?”

We accomplish the journey to  expansive freedom (Real Life) through developing tools like mindful  awareness, friendship, and a greater sense of purpose/aspiration. We  learn to:
• take some risks with what we dare to imagine
• take an interest in internal states we might normally try to avoid
• take an interest in people we might normally try to avoid

Real Life is about the journey we make when we decide to live the life that speaks to our innermost longing to live free.