Most spiritual and self-help exercises work better if you don’t do them.

A contrarian take, yes, born of many years of engagement with these things. If a book on consciousness change, spiritual awakening, self-development, or creative unfolding calls to you, my suggestion is to dive in, let the book intoxicate you, and then let it fade. What returns on its own, after it incubates in the soil of your unconscious, is what was meant for you.