Meditation for Optimum Health: How to Use Mindfulness and Breathing to Heal [Audio CD]

Andrew Weil (Author), Jon Kabat-Zinn (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001

The same ability that helps ordinary men and women achieve extraordinary success is also the secret to optimizing your lifespan, letting go of stress, and even enhancing your body's self-healing powers. In Meditation for Optimum Health, you will join bestselling authors Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn for a practical introduction that makes it simple to enjoy the life-changing benefits of meditation - even if you've never tried it before. How does meditation work? Can anybody do it? What do I need to get started? Is it religious? Does it have the power to heal? In alternating sessions, Dr. Weil and Dr. Kabat-Zinn give you straight answers to the most common questions about meditation, and dispel the myths and misconceptions surrounding this time-honored practice. By learning to cultivate the power of your attention through daily practice, you can harness the full potential of your mind, and use it to enrich every dimension of your life. You will learn how meditation can actually unify your mind and body's many related functions - and help you start enjoying the best health of your life. Complete with real-life examples, and a proven program of step-by-step meditations to get you started, here is the perfect introduction to the oldest and most effective system for feeling better, naturally: Meditation for Optimum Health.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Doctors Weil and Kabat-Zinn uncover myths and realities surrounding the often intimidating art of meditation. Frequent television appearances, a newsletter, a Web site and a bevy of bestselling books have made Weil (Eating Well for Optimum Health) America's most prominent defender of holistic medicine, and his fans will appreciate his calm, knowledgeable coauthor/reader, University of Massachusetts Medical School professor Kabat-Zinn (Full Catastrophe Living), who has practiced meditation since the 1960s. Defining meditation simply as "directed concentration" and "dropping into stillness" with breath as the natural object of focus, the authors recommend comfortable clothing, a dignified sitting position, turning off the phone and not getting discouraged. Honing "mindfulness" through repetitive activities like dishwashing or walking, and at times of pleasure and pain (lovemaking, recovery from illness) increases meditative skills. Freedom from addictive thoughts, a sense of ease and inhabiting the present moment can result from practicing Christian prayer or Tibetan, Hindu or Buddhist meditation. The authors back up their findings about meditation's ability to ease pain, lower blood pressure and slow heart rate with medical research. Kabat-Zinn systematically guides the listener through various meditation sessions, with reminders to stay aware of breathing, physical sensations and thought patterns. The authors' warm, articulate presentation and clear instructions make this the perfect meditation primer.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In this relatively short program, Weil and Kabat-Zinn present a very user-friendly and nondoctrinal introduction to a basic meditation technique. As is usual with Weil's "Optimum Health" series, the information is offered in a very understandable format, which will appeal to teens and adults. His explanation of what meditation is, the various types, and his personal experiences (how he doesn't do it perfectly) are very valuable. Kabat-Zinn has practiced meditation for 40 years and currently employs it to help people with various diseases including chronic stress and/or pain. While he offers some background, his chief contribution is to lead one through the basic meditation and some permutations. Like Weil, he is careful to be inclusive rather than rigid. Kabat-Zinn explains his recommendations for certain methods and encourages listeners to do what they can to see meditation as an adventure, a gift to themselves, rather than just "one more thing to do." Highly recommended. Kathleen A. Sullivan, Phoenix P.L.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Sounds True, Incorporated (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564558827
• ISBN-13: 978-1564558824
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Books on CD > Authors, A-Z > ( W ) > Weil, Dr. Andrew
  • #15 in Books > Books on CD > Health, Mind & Body > Fitness
  • #30 in Books > Books on Cassette > Health, Mind & Body

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

108 of 109 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A very basic introduction, April 28, 2002

By 

AfroAmericanHeritage (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meditation for Optimum Health: How to Use Mindfulness and Breathing to Heal (Audio CD)

This CD would be useful to a beginner with little or no previous introduction to the subject. I had hoped it would have more in the way of guided meditations, but the few guided meditations provided are really too brief to be of much use beyond, again, a most basic introduction to the concept. It's worth borrowing from the library.

For a really good foundation in the process, I'd suggest Jack Kornfield's THE INNER ART OF MEDITATION.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to meditation, March 28, 2005

By 

CE Johnson (Lakewood, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meditation for Optimum Health: How to Use Mindfulness and Breathing to Heal (Audio CD)

This is a solid introduction to the practice of meditation. The first disc features Weil and Kabat-Zinn giving background information about meditation. The second disc features guided meditations. Like any spiritual practice, the more information an individual gets, the better he or she becomes at that practice. This set of discs is a good starting point that will get a person going into meditation immediately, which might lead the listener to pursue additional materials about spirituality.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fundamental information about meditation, November 15, 2003

By 

Rupert Valentino (Denver, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meditation for Optimum Health: How to Use Mindfulness and Breathing to Heal (Audio CD)

Anyone who is looking for a way to relax, and to just get the basic rundown of what meditation is all about, this recording will give you just that. Sit for awhile and listen to Dr. Weil's kind voice and that alone will have you feeling relaxed. John Kabat-Zinn is a little odd, I really respect his vast knowledge and practical advice, but his take on things seems a bit surreal. I recommend this for anyone who is in need of a practical, if basic guide to meditation.