Scan barcode
mamoru's review
5.0
I first discovered Kaira Jewel Lingo two years ago during an online conference. There were so many great speakers, and I was feeling extremely overwhelmed. I gravitated towards her talk, thinking I will sample a few minutes here and there. Ended up watching all of it.
Cue to last Summer, I was travelling internationally for the first time since the pandemic. I was listening to her interview on the Lion's Roar podcast and watching the landscape fly by me. It had been a terrible holiday, where I went from stomach flu to Covid and ended up isolating the entire time. Somehow the emotional weight of all of that triggered a massive panic attack and I fainted. My flight got delayed while we waited for the ambulance right in front of the plane. And all the while I wondered how would I manage to get inside a small space and get myself back home. I remembered listening to Kaira just an hour before this whole ordeal and that gave me strength.
Three weeks ago I was in the middle of intense grieving and suffering. I bought this book and decided on reading one chapter a day to pace myself and give myself an anchor.
This is my advice to all potential readers.
Take it slow and fully immerse yourselves in her words. Let the words work inside of you, as opposed to you consciously trying to force meaning out of them.
This book is divided into ten chapters, each ending in a guided meditation, practical advice for your daily life, and a couple of journaling prompts. Please do them all. Don't just fly through the book.
You can read this as a CBT workbook or a spiritual workbook, or both. There is also a companion course (not free) which you can access here: https://insighttimer.com/meditation-courses/course_we-were-made-for-these-times-10-lessons-in-moving-through-change-loss-and-disruption
Don't let the page number fool you. There is so much insight here, that you can read this over and over again, which is exactly what I intend to do.
I want to thank Kaira Jewel Lingo for writing this, and for putting it out into the world and into my hands and heart.
Cue to last Summer, I was travelling internationally for the first time since the pandemic. I was listening to her interview on the Lion's Roar podcast and watching the landscape fly by me. It had been a terrible holiday, where I went from stomach flu to Covid and ended up isolating the entire time. Somehow the emotional weight of all of that triggered a massive panic attack and I fainted. My flight got delayed while we waited for the ambulance right in front of the plane. And all the while I wondered how would I manage to get inside a small space and get myself back home. I remembered listening to Kaira just an hour before this whole ordeal and that gave me strength.
Three weeks ago I was in the middle of intense grieving and suffering. I bought this book and decided on reading one chapter a day to pace myself and give myself an anchor.
This is my advice to all potential readers.
Take it slow and fully immerse yourselves in her words. Let the words work inside of you, as opposed to you consciously trying to force meaning out of them.
This book is divided into ten chapters, each ending in a guided meditation, practical advice for your daily life, and a couple of journaling prompts. Please do them all. Don't just fly through the book.
You can read this as a CBT workbook or a spiritual workbook, or both. There is also a companion course (not free) which you can access here: https://insighttimer.com/meditation-courses/course_we-were-made-for-these-times-10-lessons-in-moving-through-change-loss-and-disruption
Don't let the page number fool you. There is so much insight here, that you can read this over and over again, which is exactly what I intend to do.
I want to thank Kaira Jewel Lingo for writing this, and for putting it out into the world and into my hands and heart.
heidihaverkamp's review
4.0
Wonderful, common sense meditations on Buddhist teachers around crisis, change, and grief. I value Lingo's personal experience of having been a vowed nun but eventually deciding to leave her monastery (Plum Village no less!) after what for her was a surprising and often painful time of discernment. Much resonated with my own life, even though I was never a nun.
marleah_a's review
4.0
I rushed this one, and I think it's a book that should be read over time and savored. A chapter a week, perhaps. If I spent more time with it, I might elevate it to five stars. A gem of a book.
han_reads_13579's review
challenging
inspiring
reflective
4.0
This is a really straightforward, down to earth and easy to digest guide to applying mindfulness to everyday life and its many challenges. I discovered this book thanks to the plum village app which is a fantastic free resource for anyone interested in mindfulness or meditation. Kaira Jewel Lingo was a student of Thich Nhât Hanh for many years and it shows. There are 10 short chapters centered around a "lesson" for getting through times of transition and challenge. Each chapter is followed by a meditation exercise, poem and journaling prompts. I liked some of the exercises more than others and have been practicing them most days as I slowly worked my way through the book over the last month. It isn't a book to rush through. I dropped a star as I felt the last few chapters petered out a little and there was a little repetition but on the whole I am so glad I read this book! The meditations have led me to some wonderful insights and moments of peace and I hope I can stick with my daily practice