Customer Reviews

Spacious Body: Explorations in Somatic Ontology

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It is interesting to observe the feelings of inadequacy arise as I attempt to harness the words to describe "The Spacious Body". A book of this depth and breadth rarely comes along as such a readable and enjoyable form. Oftentimes while reading "Spacious Body", I felt as if I were on a mental roller coaster, wondering which way was up and if I would ever catch my breath. But when the ride was over, I wanted to jump back on and do it again.

As a former Philosophy professor at Purdue University, a Rolfer and a Zen monk, Jeffrey Maitland is a master at collecting the many pieces of mind/body/spirit. In his book, Dr. Maitland generously shares insights from his own mental/physical/spiritual development, as well as case history composites, so that the reader might come to a better understanding of the relationship that each part plays in our beoming whole.

It's my bet that anyone who is on a journey will find something in this book that "speaks" to them and I highly recommend the ride.

This book was the most intriguing book I have ever read because it helped me understand the true nature of the human soul. In "Spacious Body", Dr. Maitland shares wisdom gained through his own journey (and others) to find inner peace as he discovers the profound reality of mind, body and spirit. Regardless of your religious,spiritual, or educational backround this book is bound to capture any reader who is yearning to know the deeper meaning of this thing we call life. Dr. Maitland has a very unique gift in that he is able to make the most in-depth of subjects easy to understand, and yet very entertaining. This book is absolutely mind-blowing I couldn't possibly say enough about it. Buy this book it is PRICELESS!!!!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to explore how our minds and our bodies not only work together but how they are our whole self. I learned so much from reading this book. It is very readable, and it makes a theoretical subject concrete. Jeffrey Maitland is a brilliant person, and yet, his humility and approachability make him so very human. He leaves no stone unturned in exploring our human condition.

I am deeply grateful to the author for this book. In some ways, this book synthesizes, condenses, and clarifies 15-20 books about Buddhism, phenomenology, and the body that I've had on my shelf. None of those books seemed to get to the essential relationship between these three "topics," but Maitland's book does so in very lucid and graceful prose. He attends to the complexity of the issues without indulging in unnecessary jargon; although he coins some new terms (and builds on some of the more prominent terms in phenomenology), there is a very helpful glossary in the back. Such clarity is difficult to achieve when discussing phenomenology, and the book stands as one of the most succinct, penetrating, and relevant discussions of that subject. Moreover, he does not simply "explain" but challenges and refines some of the key phenomenological concepts. However, the unique worth of the book is its palpable sense of sanity and groundedness: it has an evenness and fluency that compliments its subject wonderfully. For anyone interested in holistic/ecological understanding, philosophy/phenomenology, zen buddhism (or other forms of meditation/mindfulness practice), and the relationship between mind and body, this is a book to get a hold of immediately.

Few other people on the planet could have written this book: you would need to take a professional philosopher, train him/her in the rigours of the full Rolfing training program, AND add 30 year's of intensive Zen meditation (under one of the greatest living teachers) and then--maybe--that person might have the experience, insight and wisdom to write a book like this one.

Unique, and wholeheartedly recommended, and will definitely give you insight into living and being.

I read Maitlands' other book about spinal manipulation and found it well written and informative. The book impressed me enough that I bought Spacious Body. I have my undergraduate degree in Philosophy and Heidegger was my main interest. I was excited to find a book by a fellow bodyworker who was heavily indebted to Heidegger. Unfortunately, this book is a mess: poorly written and unduly difficult to comprehend. Stick with his Spinal book.