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pan23's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
3.75
Kabat-Zinn is great and this book is full of wisdom and helpful guides. I liked some of the stories and I know they help explore the concepts but I was personally bored with much of the non-instructional material. Would recommend no doubt.
lexsproule's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve rated this book 5 stars because it has great sections, is full of useful ideas, and has had a tangibly positive impact on my thinking and my life. However, the experience of reading this book was more of a 3.5 star experience, because I felt it was a lot longer than it needed to be (over 600 pages). I suspect it was written with the intention that any given chapter was a valuable stand-alone read.
The writing was clear and friendly, and there were some very poetic passages. I could see some people really enjoying the way Jon Kabat-Zinn takes his time delivering each of his messages in multiple different ways, and illustrates many ideas with longer narrative examples.
The underlying message of this book is that mindfulness practice is beneficial for everyone, and can support people in handling and healing from serious illness. I appreciated the many stories and examples the author was able to bring from his work running a Mindfulness Clinic in a hospital. My understanding is that Jon Kabat-Zinn is known for having done this work at a time when it was not popular in Western mental or physical health.
It felt somewhat comical that while Jon Kabat-Zinn very briefly acknowledges that the roots of many meditation and yoga practices in the East, his inspiring quotes come exclusively from Western white men like Albert Einstein. It made his book seem a little less ungrounded for me - where did he learn these practices? Why is that so absent from the discussion? It also made me feel like he was writing mainly for a white audience. The fact that a celebrated physician teaching mindfulness would (hopefully accidentally) write with a bias towards white people felt like a tribute to some of the systemic race issues in our health systems.
There were a number of passages that stuck out to me, and I ended up recording them here.
The writing was clear and friendly, and there were some very poetic passages. I could see some people really enjoying the way Jon Kabat-Zinn takes his time delivering each of his messages in multiple different ways, and illustrates many ideas with longer narrative examples.
The underlying message of this book is that mindfulness practice is beneficial for everyone, and can support people in handling and healing from serious illness. I appreciated the many stories and examples the author was able to bring from his work running a Mindfulness Clinic in a hospital. My understanding is that Jon Kabat-Zinn is known for having done this work at a time when it was not popular in Western mental or physical health.
It felt somewhat comical that while Jon Kabat-Zinn very briefly acknowledges that the roots of many meditation and yoga practices in the East, his inspiring quotes come exclusively from Western white men like Albert Einstein. It made his book seem a little less ungrounded for me - where did he learn these practices? Why is that so absent from the discussion? It also made me feel like he was writing mainly for a white audience. The fact that a celebrated physician teaching mindfulness would (hopefully accidentally) write with a bias towards white people felt like a tribute to some of the systemic race issues in our health systems.
There were a number of passages that stuck out to me, and I ended up recording them here.
nadinekc's review against another edition
5.0
Listened to the audiobook, which is immensely shorter than the physical book - I'm assuming because it doesn't include things like detailed instructions for the yoga meditation. If you're already practicing JKZ's meditations, then the audio will be a nice support for continuing your practice. I can't quite bring myself to do his pain meditations yet, but this book has gone far in persuading me toward them.
cmjustice's review against another edition
5.0
Essential participation for future success. This "nails" our contemporary malaise. Provides substantial evidence; a comprehensive litany of cultural risk factors. Validation of healthy lifestyle.
bluetwigg's review against another edition
3.0
This might have been better if I'd read it rather than listened to it. It felt like it was a lot of reasons why one should adopt mindfulness and meditation in their lives and only a little bit of how to do it.
jmariejones's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoy Jon-Kabat Zinn’s books and lessons. However with this one I felt as if it was a bit too long and repetitive, maybe it’s because I have read several of his books already and 1/3 of the lessons I’ve learned before. Still there is valuable information within the book, especially for those that haven’t read any books by the author previously.
gonza_basta's review against another edition
4.0
From one of the major theorists of Mindfulness here it is the revised edition of one of the greatest classics on the subject, which remains extremely actual and probably still one of the most clear and comprehensive books on meditation as a form of "global healing".
Da uno dei piú grossi teorici della Mindfulness ecco l'edizione rinnovata di uno dei piú grandi classici sull'argomento, che resta estremamente attuale e probabilmente ancora uno dei libri piú chiari e completi sulla meditazione come forma di "guarigione globale".
Da uno dei piú grossi teorici della Mindfulness ecco l'edizione rinnovata di uno dei piú grandi classici sull'argomento, che resta estremamente attuale e probabilmente ancora uno dei libri piú chiari e completi sulla meditazione come forma di "guarigione globale".
furiousbookeater's review against another edition
4.0
This book calls for a radical restructuring of how we live our lives and, on a lesser scale, how we as a human culture can support these new ways of living. It offers practical advice supported by research and anecdotal evidence in a way that is impactful. However, there is a privileged view to much of this book that feels dismissive of the very real issues and lack of access that those who are not wealthy or who live in cultures combative to the practice of mindfulness face. It is a necessary read, but I would like to see more from different cultures/points of views attempting to experience, teach, or approach mindfulness.
technomom's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a must-read for anyone who has any kind of chronic health issue or who is under a great deal of stress in general. You can't afford to NOT take the time to read or listen to it!