Customer Reviews

Getting in the Gap: Making Conscious Contact with God Through Meditation (Book with CD)

5 star:		(72)
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3 star:		(9)
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1 star:		(9)

 

 

and don't know where to start, this is a great book and CD to get your feet wet. The Japa meditation is simple, calming, and beneficial for mental clarity and peace.

I mostly bought this book because it also contains a CD of a guided meditation called "Japa". I have never formally meditated before with guided imagery, so I thought I would give it a try, especially since I was familiar with Dyer's books and loved his personal style and wisdom. Japa meditation focuses on the sound "Ah", which Dyer notes is a sound common in all names of God, such as Yahweh, Allah, Ra, Jehovah, Krishna, Kali, Yeshua, and so on.

His gentle and soothing voice guides you to visualize 1the first 10 words of the Lord's Prayer (Our Father Who Art In Heaven, Hallowed Be Thy Name), and then focus on the "gap" between words where there is space and silence. Then, you voice the "Ah" sound along with Dyer. I realize that sound is very healing and sacred, but I personally don't like to verbalize the "Ah" sound along with Dyer. However, by hearing Dyer chant "Ah" between the gaps of the Lord's Prayer, it helps me center in on that "gap" and feel the vibration and Presence of God. I tend to be more visual, so imagining the "space between" helps to cease the mind's incessant chatter.

I highly recommend this book and accompanying CD for greater mental clarity and overall feelings of peace--especially if you have reservations about guided meditations or have never used one before. Getting in the Gap also contains a section of testimonials from those who have had remarkable experience using the Japa meditation.

"For the raindrop, joy is in entering the river..." ~Mirza Ghalib

Have you ever wished you could escape to a place of peace? "The Gap" is a place between your thoughts. It is the place where you can be still and release yourself from the 60,000 thoughts hurtling through your mind during the course of a day.

Meditation can encourage physical healing, reduce stress, eliminate fatigue, make you feel younger, brighten your eyes and complexion, keep you focused on your spiritual connection, alleviate depression, and improve your memory. Meditation also allows you to find some of the secrets of peace. When you are thinking about God, how can you think of problems? How can your heart be anxious when it is freed from pain and sorrow and is resting in an ocean of love.

Once you have experienced this "place of peace/the gap," you can go there again. I first experienced this "space between my thoughts" during the end of a yoga workout. I had no idea you could escape the pain of life in this manner. I felt good for two days after doing the meditation section of the workout.

In this book, there is a CD that allows you to quickly enter the silence without the yoga workout, although I still like putting a fluffy down comforter on the floor as I do when I do yoga workouts. I was encouraged to learn that there is no "correct posture" or place for meditating. I actually meditate better when lying flat on my back. You could be sitting in your chair at work with your eyes closed during a 10-minute break, you could be at home, on a plane, or you could be out in nature.

The book has six chapters explaining Japa Meditation and shows how this form of meditation can affect your life in a positive way. The meditation CD is in a little envelope at the back of the book. There are two meditations on the 40-minute CD. The first 10 minutes explains the CD. You can listen to this each time or forward to one of the meditation sections.

The second section on the CD is a 10-minute meditation. The third section is a 20-minute meditation. In the first guided meditation, you say the name of God twice each time between the words you are visualizing on the screen of your mind. Then, in the longer 20-minute meditation you say the name of God four times between the visualization. It is very calming.

You visualize a word and then a second word. Then you "slip back to the space" between the words and I noticed that I was taking a deep breath each time. It was as if I was giving myself permission to relax. The further you go into the CD, the more relaxed you become.

The first time I tried this CD, I was in total emotional conflict. I was crying when I started listening and in 20 minutes, my mind had totally become refocused and I felt like I could again enter the world. I was amazed at how quickly my focus changed from feeling very emotional to feeling very strong, loving and peaceful. It was as if I'd slept 8 hours and awoken without the past nights conflicts haunting me. I was amazed at how rested I felt.

The feeling this CD evokes is similar to floating on an ocean of subtle vibrations that penetrate every part of your entire body making you become one with the ocean. It is like being unconditionally loved. If you have never said: "Ahhhhhh" along with a spiritual teacher, I highly recommend it. The beauty of this meditation is that you don't have to belong to any specific religion. Japa meditation is the Yoga of the Mind. It is actually practiced by all of the religions of the world but under different names.

While this book has examples of how meditating even brought financial wealth, the greatest wealth is in the peace you will experience while meditating on the name of God.

"Wisdom of the Ages" was my first introduction to Wayne Dyer. I love the quotes he finds, the passages he presents and how he weaves the past and present together to encourage a more peaceful future. His words have always captured my attention and had a profound effect on my life. I highly recommend this book and CD as an introduction to meditation. You can journey from stress to peace in as little as 10 minutes. "Getting in the Gap" is a true soul escape!

~The Rebecca Review

I have been a fan of Dr. Dyer for nearly 20 years and I know that I have everything he's written. Every book/CD was very special and unique ---with great positive energy. However, I didn't find this one any different than Meditations for Manifesting: Morning and Evening Meditations to Literally Create Your Heart's Desire. But, if you don't already have Meditations for Manifesting..., I'd recommend Getting in the Gap...

I've read and listened to most of what Wayne Dyer has produced. However, in the past several years Wayne has arrived at a profound point where he has been able to put together highly complex concepts together in a rather easy to understand and practice package. If you do not meditate, this is encouragement to do so and a follow along vehicle to get you going. The point that any spiritual person will tell you is that you really should meditate every day. Meditation, will change your life and improve the quality of it tremendously. I also recommend his new book and tape, Power of Intention, which is an important companion to this wonderful book/tape. Through a relazaton and quieting of the mind and body can we observe and realize our nature and the trueth of this all.

There may be other more complex meditation techniques such as pranyama and etc. which is really for the serious student of various traditional teachings. However, for the lay person that wants to save themselves a lot of time...this book/tape and power of intention are beautifully presented and simple to understand and do. But, don't be fooled by its apparent simplicity and think that it lacks depth. Read the book, listen to the tape/cd and feel good....and know the trueth. Connnect to, experience and realize the limiteless power of the source that makes this and all that we can possibly imagine a reality.

Best Wishes...

In his book "The Power of Intention" Dr. Wayne Dyer talks about a regular practice of meditation as essential to purifying your connection with the Source and manifesting all of your desires. Through meditation, you can establish a direct link with the field of energy that makes all things possible. It also allows you to connect with and get into harmony with your authentic inner self. In "Getting in the Gap" Wayne Dyer outlines a simple-to-follow, yet effective, technique for practicing meditation.

Many of us have heard about meditation, and perhaps even tried a few different techniques. One of the most challenging things about meditation is achieving a complete focus in the absence of thoughts. And yet, only when your mind is completely calm and quiet can you begin to get in touch with the Divine Spirit. The meditation practice outlined in this book, called Japa, allows you to get to that gap between your thoughts in minutes. With regular practice, using the Japa technique, you can learn to stay in the gap for extended periods of time.

This book is very slim, with just enough information provided for you to be able to begin the meditation practice. There are six chapters:
1. Why Meditate?
2. The Gap and Why
3. Getting in the Gap
4. Staying in the Gap with Japa
5. FAQs Regarding the Gap and Japa Meditation
6. Testimonials about Japa Meditation

What I found to be the most valuable part of the book is the audio CD that it comes with. On this CD, it is essentially Wayne Dyer guiding you through the entire meditation step-by-step - and anyone who has listened to him before knows that he has a very powerful and soothing voice that greatly helps in the meditation experience. In the appendix, the book also includes the complete transcript of the CD, so that you can follow along or refer to it later when you don't have access to the CD.

In summary, this is an excellent book for anyone who wanted to start meditating or who tried other methods and found them too difficult. It is a wonderful complement to the Power of Intention program, in which meditation is an important component. It is also great on its own, as a self-contained meditation guide.

This was my first experience using a meditation method. I choose to use the CD which comes with the book and it has helped me tremendously. I now look forward each day to take time out of my schedule to relax and meditate. I feel refreshed and I'm able to channel my enregy towards productive activities rather than wasting my energy on the thoughts that get trapped in my head. I think it is helpful because it has made me focus on the bigger picture of life rather than the trival details we each face everyday.

I've spent pretty much my whole life in a "science mode." I mean, even when I was very young I constantly looked for WHY things worked the way they did. I studied the basic sciences - chemistry, biology, physics - and finished pharmacy school (a LOT of science). Now, after over 5 decades of residence on this earth I find that my attention is drawn - at times - away from the hard side of science towards something less concrete, and maybe a lot more important. I recognize these days that prayer and meditation is very important - yet I find it difficult to swtill my thinking long enough to ever say I really meditated. That is until now. I've read a lot of Wayne Dyer's work and I am deeply impressed with his growing spiritual approach to life, living, and the Divine. I heard Wayne speak recently and he mentioned the importance of meditation and how he's discovered this technique to enter into the silence of the gap. I promptly bought the book/CD and I could not be more pleased. For me, the technique is simple and effective. From the very first day I have been able to successfully place my mind "in the gap." It only takes a short hour to read the book - and then a few minutes to listen to the CD. After only a few listenings I am able to effectively enter a meditative place. I encourage everyone I know to get this book/CD combo - and start on a new life of meditation and spiritual connection with the Divine.

This book and its accompanying CD is so beautiful, peaceful, and grounding (while also being uplifting), that I will be purchasing it for other people in my life who could benefit from it like I have. With all of the anxiety and stress of today's world, we need such a tool to keep us strong, empowered, and on a balanced path in life. I am grateful to have been able to attend Dr. Dyer's lecture as well. His presence is one of humility, humbleness and peace which exudes a quality of greatness and mastery in a person. He has touched many lives for the better and for that, I am thankful.

There are two books that I found to be spiritually inspiring that helped me gain greater insight into getting a closer relationship with God. One book is called, I Talked To God And He Wants To Talk To You, and the other book is this one. I'm not saying I'm completely there yet, but these books helped give me Ideas as to many possible ways of getting there. And in some moments, I believe I have been there, talking to God. Of course, when the master of the universe speaks, you probably should listen. And that is what it is all about. Learning to listen.

I was very sceptical of Dr. Dyer until listening to his most recent book on CD (Power of Intention). From his comments and those of others searching for a sense of contact with a power greater than ones self, I was directed towards meditation. One of my frustrations with meditation is that there are so many opinions and types it is difficult for someone to even want to begin or make an effort for fear of "not doing it right". This book and CD are a great place to start. This meditation can be done in a 20 minute session with only a CD player and a quiet place. Someone of a non-Christian faith may have some problem with the meditation being based upon the Our Father prayer. However, I find this prayer to be somewhat universal and if you have a feeling that there is a Higher Power, this can be a great place to begin meditation and learning to quiet the mind. I only wish I would take the time to practice it more frequently.