I find this an excellent book by the late ex-neuroscientist and meditation adept, that illustrates how the mind works and distils the core of Buddhist meditation into easy to follow steps - the medtiation practice, as always, is the challenge to progress.
I have some The Mind Illuminated guided meditation audio files created by a meditation teacher if anyone is interested.
Has anyone used the book?
I have used the book for many years and would recommend it.
The instructions are very detailed and it provides you with a somewhat scientific framework - in my experience this approach is very effective with secular nerds (like myself). It is very transparent and even if you don’t follow through until the end it gives you a great foundation for other meditation traditions.
That said, it can get a bit too mechanical and I took some deliberate breaks from it to explore less rigid meditation techniques like Rob Burbea’s playful teachings.
Overall I would recommend it if you want to follow detailed step-by-step guide and if you are willing to set aside 40-60mins a day.