Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises From The Power of Now [Hardcover]

Eckhart Tolle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2001

Eckhart Tolle is rapidly emerging as one of the world’s most inspiring spiritual teachers, sharing the enlightenment he himself experienced after a startling personal transformation. His views go beyond any particular religion, doctrine, or guru. This book extracts the essence from his teachings in The Power of Now, showing us how to free ourselves from “enslavement to the mind.” The aim is to be able to enter into and sustain an awakened state of consciousness throughout everyday life. Through meditations and simple techniques, Eckhart shows us how to quiet our thoughts, see the world in the present moment, and find a path to “a life of grace, ease, and lightness.”

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This manual-style book instantly dives into Eckhart Tolle's principles of "living in the moment," which could be a jarring experience for readers who haven't read his preceding book, The Power of Now. For the initiated, though, this makes an excellent companion guide--rich in exercises and meditations to help readers get out of their minds so they can live more peacefully in their bodies. Sometimes it's hard to fathom what on earth Tolle is talking about: "To regain awareness of Being and to abide in that state of 'feeling-realization' is enlightenment." Be patient. All concepts will be revealed (or at least more carefully explained). Ultimately, Tolle leads readers into a new form of thinking (or actually not thinking) that erases the consuming habits of waiting, worrying, and being in fear. The first step is ending the "delusion of time." He asks, "Are you always trying to get somewhere other than where you are? ... Is most of your doing just a means to an end?" If so, Tolle has a book full of advice for you. As simplistic as this may sound, Tolle's work has spiritual merit and depth, especially for frantic Westerners who find their lives diminished by packed schedules and busy-ness. --Gail Hudson

Review

THE POWER OF NOW can transform your thinking. The result? More joy, right now. -- Oprah Winfrey This book is generating quite a buzz of excitement. It is quite simply one of the clearest and most accessible texts on becoming more present that we have seen. -- Kindred Spirit The must-read bible du jour -- Red Magazine This practical mystic's modern gospel offers transcendent truths that set us free -- Dan Millman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: New World Library; Later printing edition (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577311957
• ISBN-13: 978-1577311959
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (248 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Self-Help
  • #24 in Books > Self-Help > Spiritual

More About the Author

Spiritual teacher and author Eckhart Tolle was born in Germany and educated at the Universities of London and Cambridge. At the age of twenty-nine a profound inner transformation radically changed the course of his life. The next few years were devoted to understanding, integrating, and deepening that transformation, which marked the beginning of an intense inward journey. Later, he began to work in London with individuals and small groups as a counselor and spiritual teacher. Since 1995 he has lived in Vancouver, Canada.

Eckhart Tolle is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Power of Now (translated into 33 languages) and A New Earth, which are widely regarded as two of the most influential spiritual books of our time. In 2008, A New Earth became the first spiritual book to be selected for Oprah's Book Club as well as the subject of a ten-week online workshop co-taught by Eckhart and Oprah.

Eckhart's profound yet simple teachings have helped countless people throughout the world find inner peace and greater fulfillment in their lives. At the core of the teachings lies the transformation of consciousness, a spiritual awakening that he sees as the next step in human evolution. An essential aspect of this awakening consists in transcending our ego-based state of consciousness. This is a prerequisite not only for personal happiness but also for the ending of violent conflict endemic on our planet.

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#7 in Books > Self-Help

#10 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#11 in Kindle eBooks > Health, Fitness & Dieting

#25 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

#7 in Books > Self-Help

#10 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#11 in Kindle eBooks > Health, Fitness & Dieting

#25 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

330 of 335 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Which one to buy? April 14, 2004

By AfroAmericanHeritage

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Since the content of Tolle's books has been covered well elsewhere, I'd like to address the person new to Tolle and wondering where to begin.

In my personal experience, if I could only afford to purchase one book, I'd start with PRACTICING THE POWER OF NOW. I feel that it essentially restates the material found in the original POWER OF NOW but in a format I found easier to digest. I don't see much point in owning both books (which I currently do.)

If you connect with PRACTICING and want more, then I'd recommend the audio book/retreat Realizing the Power of Now: An In-Depth Retreat With Eckhart Tolle. (It's less than $10 if you purchase the audio file from Audible.) I'm only half way through listening yet I constantly find myself thinking "Ah...now I understand what he meant." It truly is an excellent supplement.

There is one more Tolle book here, STILLNESS SPEAKS. I borrowed this from the library. It's basically just out-takes from the other books, sort of a quotable quotes book that restates things in a nutshell. It would make a nice gift to a Tolle fan, but again, doesn't offer anything more than the other books. I suppose my message is: everything you need to know is in the original POWER OF NOW, stated perhaps more clearly in PRACTICING and excerpted in STILLNESS but supported well in audio format by the retreat CD.

I find Tolle's basic message very powerful, enlightening and simple. As he himself constantly repeats, he's not saying anything new...be here now. But he explains it in a way which finally connects the dots for me. Unfortunately, this simple message seems to be getting constantly repackaged and I hope it doesn't turn into a "Chicken Soup for the Enlightened Soul" series. (I should probably go make sure that's not the title of an actual book!... <g>)

Curator, AfroAmericanHeritage dot com Read more ›

142 of 143 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The detractors didn't read the book title August 6, 2005

By Dave Millman TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Please read the title of this book before buying this book. The title is, "Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises from The Power of Now"

What you should take away from this title, and what the detractors missed, is those last five words, "from The Power of Now".

What this means is, this book is a condensed extract from the original masterwork. It's also quite well done. There are some original exercises, which cut straight to the key point, which is how to achieve "presence."

Although I own the original masterwork, I refer to this book more often. It's a great workbook, lunch reader, and meditation guide.

Go ahead, read part of the book to see it's power for yourself. Search for the word "myriad", which appears on the first page of the first chapter, and read a few pages. If you like what you read, make your own decision.

P.S. Another way to appreciate the Power of Now is to listen to the audio CD or the download version from Audible.com. Well worth every penny. And don't worry-you are not about to be sucked into an expensive series of seminars or anything else-Ekhart Tolle's only products are a few books. I recommend you listen to the audio version, because as others have said, there's a very spiritual aspect to Eckhart's voice, but all you really need is the original "The Power of Now" or this book, "Practicing the Power of Now."

118 of 124 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars LIVING IN THE MOMENT! October 5, 2001

By Sandra D. Peters

Format:Hardcover

This book makes an excellent companion to "The Power of Now." The exercises found among these pages causes one to do some deep soul searching to determine what is important in life and what is truly insignificant. Even if you have not read Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now", which I strongly recommend readers do, this thought-provoking workbook can be used as a stand-alone book.

Tolle has a way of giving meaning to life by using exercises, meditations and essential teachings (many based on Buddhist philosophies) to bring peace, balance and harmony into our lives. The goal is to be able to bring about and sustain an enlightened state of consciousness in our daily lives. Tolle has a way of making the reader do some deep soul searching and reveal many truths about themselves that they might not otherwise do. In essence, the book causes one to "lighten the load" and follow a path of peace and harmony. This is truly a spiritual journey to a more enriched and meaningful life. The book is highly recommended and highly deserving of a five-star plus rating.

267 of 303 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Better named: Randomly Abridged Power of Now October 22, 2001

By A common man

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is about packaging a poorly abridged version of a truly great spiritual guide. I am not a reader of "spiritual" guides but found the original "Power of Now" to be a deep, rich, and incredibly clear book of a Truth about life that nothing in me can refute. It has become a truly important experience for me - life changing. I have purchased many copies for friends and they in turn have done the same.

This book "Practicing the Power of Now" is a watered down version of the original and in my reading of it, much less powerful. I have read the original twice and it remains strong for me, but this book is very, very abridged, strangely formatted, and does not feel to contain the essence of the original. The words that are in it are EXACTLY the same as those in the original and although I am sure there are exceptions, I confirmed this by choosing four pages at random and then found the text in the original. Much is left out and the formatting is distracting.

Tolle and the publishers can be very, very proud of the original, but frankly, they should be deeply ashamed of this book. Although there is a need for a book that is to be used as a tool for practice by readers of the first, this book is most certainly not it.

I will be seeking a refund and I hope that others do as well.