The Fine Arts of Relaxation, Concentration, and Meditation: Ancient Skills for Modern Minds [Paperback]

Joel Levey (Author), Michelle Levey (Author), Margaret J. Wheatley (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2003

Joel and Michelle Levey have taught thousands of people around the globe to live in greater harmony and balance. Field-tested and refined over many years, the Leveys' unique approach to stress-mastery and personal development offers step-by-step guidance for developing personal strengths, enhancing the quality of life, and making a real contribution to the world. The Fine Arts of Relaxation, Concentration and Meditation offers a treasury of the authors' most useful teachings: Waking up throughout the day; finding one's meditation practice and sticking to it; balancing breath, brain, and mind-mastering stress and enhancing performance in every arena of one's life; creative intelligence-—the dynamic synergy of active and quiet mind skills; mastery, mystery, and meditation—awakening to one's true nature; and inspired work—relaxation, concentration, and meditation on the job. A vital blend of profoundly practical skills, advice, instruction, and encouragement makes this a complete course for awakening more fully to one's highest potentials in each moment of life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Leveys, who teach stress-management methods to a variety of organizations, including the U.S. Army Green Berets, offer an inviting and highly practical manual for those who want to enhance "health and performance, master stress and deepen their appreciation of life." They begin by discussing relaxation, presenting eight simple, discrete techniques for identifying and releasing tension within the body and mind. They then progress to concentration, offering 11 separate methods, including several deep-breathing exercises, designed to help one disregard distractions, stabilize the mind and bring one's full attention to bear on the object of concentration. Proper relaxation and concentration are fundamental for successful meditation, which here is both a path to spiritual liberation and also a real-world strategy for altering harmful patterns of thought and behavior. The Leveys then offer 39 methods of meditation, from simply listening purposefully to one's surroundings to imagining that one's body is hollow. They round out the book with reflections on integrating all these techniques into everyday life and work. Many of the strategies found here are clear, step-by-step procedures; others are scripts suitable to record on tape to play back during a relaxation, concentration or meditation session. Although they do not advocate any particular spiritual tradition, the authors continually emphasize the depth and sacredness associated with these "inner arts," resulting in a useful handbook that will appeal to a wide range of readers seeking increased tranquility in and mastery over their lives.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A skillful blend of time-proven antidotes to the stress of modern life." -- Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence

"Skillfully weaves together contemporary insights into the value of and need for meditation in our lives with a large number of extremely evocative suggestions for different ways to practice." -- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Director, Center for Mindfulness in Medicine and Health Care, UMASS

"The methods included here work wonders. As a satisfied user of so many of them, I affirm that they truly deepen the appreciation of life." -- Ram Dass, author of Be Here Now, How Can I Help, Grist for the Mill, and Journey of Awakening

"They make it clear that it is not stress itself that kills us, but our reaction to it." -- from the foreword by Dr. Elmer Green

"What a beautiful book! We need so much in our world to focus on how to be instead of how to do, and [this book] shows the way." -- Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Space, Time, & Medicine and Healing Wounds

"With clarity, compassion, and remarkable insight, Fine Arts offers the readers dozens of delightful entrees into the world of meditation. This is meditation demystified. Pure and simple. Direct and inviting." -- Peg Jordan, R.N., Editor-in-Chief, American Fitness Magazine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications; 3rd edition (June 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0861713494
• ISBN-13: 978-0861713493
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great guide to minding LIFE's every moment!!!, June 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fine Arts of Relaxation, Concentration, and Meditation: Ancient Skills for Modern Minds (Paperback)

This book has it all. All the techniques to improve concetration and meditation. The concepts can help you in all areas of life...especailly living in the present moment. A must read for anyone wanting and thirsting more out of every moment.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 2nd edition more complete, April 26, 2009

By 

S. Eller "suzy" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fine Arts of Relaxation, Concentration, and Meditation: Ancient Skills for Modern Minds (Paperback)

I checked the 2nd edition of this book out of my local library, and I was so impressed with it that I bought the 1st edition from a seller because the price was better than for the 2nd edition. I should have paid the difference. The 2nd edition has really been revised, not just edited. It has additional material, passages have been rewritten for clarity, and the layout is better. The 1st edition has picture illustrations, which I liked, but otherwise the 2nd edition is more complete and user friendly. The exercises are tremendous. This is a great book if you are looking for a guide to relaxation, meditation, and contemplation.

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest book I've ever read, August 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fine Arts of Relaxation, Concentration, and Meditation: Ancient Skills for Modern Minds (Paperback)

Everything's in here, if you were ever confused, these methods will undo it. Great reading that builds on each method. I will read this again and again.